Flag football season for high school girls kicks off after CIF recognition

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (KABC) -- As of this school year, flag football is officially a CIF-recognized sport for girls. And plenty of young women have signed up for the sport.

We went to Riverside to catch a game between MLK and Ramona high schools and met some of the players with a passion for football.

"Just the intensity, integrity everything that goes into the game - man I'd love it to be some tackle because I love me some physical contact," said Breanna Neahar. "I was just like let's go out and try it and I've just had a great time ever since."

"I love the competition and the aggressiveness of the game and just wanted to try something new," said Cheri Thompson.

"We definitely have things to work on along the way but I think we can come together as a team by the end of this season and get it done," said Mya Allen.

Their fans include family members who are equally thrilled, and will not miss a game.

"We have a lot of different girls out here, different athletes from different sports and it's really cool to see them show off their skills and what they can do," said Jesse Thompson.

And the simple fact of being officially recognized - they know it's a big moment.

"To like leave that set in stone for history and be a part of that looking back like, oh my gosh I was a part of that! Even if it's just a banner, it will be in our hearts knowing that we accomplished something great. We were the start of something - and winning it all, I mean yeah go hard or go home honestly," said Neahar.