WESTLAKE — “Cheesesteak” is one of Agoura girls flag football’s most beloved offensive plays. The coaches hold their hands up to munch on imaginary sandwiches on the sidelines and the players snap into formation on the field.
“They all laugh when I signal it,” Agoura coach Julian Patton said. “It could be a really important moment in a game and it kind of takes that pressure away.”
Ventura County has quickly become a hotbed for girls flag football in Southern California thanks to some levity, but also some intense skill.
Agoura beat Westlake 21-18 on Sept. 26 to clinch the Marmonte League title with a 5-0 league record in flag football’s second season as a CIF Southern Section-sanctioned sport.
The Chargers did it with more than just a cheesesteak play — their dynamic offense doled out hook-and-ladder variations, pre-snap motions and more.
Agoura girls flag football beat Westlake 21-18 to clinch the Marmonte League title. #highschoolsports #reporter #journalism #sports #flagfootball #highschoolsports #westlake #agourahills
♬ Neva Play (feat. RM of BTS) – Megan Thee Stallion
The team goes through film sessions and creates plays based on the defenses they’ll be facing that week. If there are games on Tuesday and Friday, they’re learning new plays on Monday and Thursday in addition to their five tried-and-true plays that work against most teams.
It’s a collaborative process between players and coaches, which helps the players memorize the signals and formations quickly.
“Every practice, we’re learning something new,” Agoura receiver Jessie Giacomazzi said. “But for some reason we always remember it. It definitely helped a lot in my other sports also. Having all these plays definitely makes me a complex thinker.”
Giacomazzi plays three sports — flag football, lacrosse and track and field — and quarterback Claire Heisinger is also the starting third baseman on the softball team.
Westlake has a plethora of multi-sport athletes as well.
The depth and breadth of athletic ability meld together to create a brand of flag football that further sets the Ventura County teams apart from the rest.
“Girls from different teams are all coming together and we’re working really well together,” Giacomazzi said. “We get to learn each other’s sports along the way and learn different types of defense, different types of offense.”
There are players who have decided to focus solely on flag football, as well. Former Westlake linebacker Elena Johnson now plays for Arizona State’s club team and current linebacker Melaina Servé left softball to focus on playing flag football at the next level. Agoura junior Kaya Cummings is also putting effort into moving on with the sport.
Fifteen colleges currently have NAIA women’s flag football programs and scholarships are available. Flag football will also be included in the 2028 Summer Olympics, which will be held in Los Angeles.
“There’s those girls that are like, ‘Oh I love the sport. I love the energy,’” Westlake coach Brandon Alexander said. “It’s in the infancy stage, so it’s kind of like going on a ledge and saying, ‘Whatever happens with this, I want to play this in college.’ But it’s coming.”
Alexander and Patton each had extensive experience in flag football before taking over as head coaches of their respective programs, which has helped elevate the level of play. Patton and his assistants are also assistant coaches for the tackle football program at Agoura.
Their experience has helped players like Heisinger ease into flag football. Heisinger is in her second season of the sport but has quick recall when it comes to the playbook and throws a perfect spiral pass — which she attributes to being around her brothers who played football growing up.
The first-ever CIF-SS girls flag football playoffs are set to commence on Oct. 22. The competitive ceiling continues to rise for teams like Agoura and Westlake and the players who are building the sport.
“It definitely took a step up from mellow to competitive real quick,” Heisinger said.
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