After a well fought hard-working season, the Redwood Rangers flag football team made a big change in history with taking the first-ever win in the East Yosemite League, the team is focused on getting to the playoffs with the goal of winning a championship ring.
By: Peyton Comer
The Redwood girls flag football team has made history as the inaugural East Yosemite League Champions, taking it home for the Rangers against El Diamante on 10/14/26.
Key EYL & Season Scores
- Redwood vs. Madera South: 80–0 (Season opener)
- Redwood vs. The Green School: 33–0
- Redwood vs. Dos Palos: 61–0
- Redwood vs. Mt. Whitney: 53–7
- Redwood vs. Golden West: 26–14
- Redwood vs. The Green School: 42–12
Running back Blake Duncan, ‘28, is appreciative of her team’s hard work, especially since the team took the first-ever win in Redwoods history as the first flag football team.
Duncan said, “I’m very proud of everyone that has contributed to winning, but it’s definitely an accomplishment and a step towards winning a ring.”
Duncan believes this is a big step for the whole team and herself, as EYL champions. She felt like the win was a contribution of everyone working hard and ultimately makes them closer to winning a ring for playoffs.
Behind every win, Duncan said, “The whole team contributed very well to every game and every practice, giving 110 percent, running hard plays, showing up early, and showing confidence for when we play games.”
Duncan can tell that the games the girls have played previously had effort, and the team cared and worked hard continuously to give everything for not only themselves but their teammates.
Linebacker backer Tori Ochoa, ‘27, said that for the next game, “I want to play that game really hard and I hope to up my stats a bit more, and I really just hope we shut them out and reset the tone for playoffs.”
Ochoa wants to play the last game as hard as the team can to close out the game in order to reset the playing field.
Wide receiver Analizah Balderas, ‘28, said that during hardships, “having one or multiple positive people on the field, I feel like it helps a lot when not everybody’s on the same page.”
Balderas feels like when their team has multiple uplifting people playing in the game, it can help everyone feel confident and do their best to work together to the best of their ability to win the game.
Balderas said, “We won EYL, but that doesn’t mean it’s the end of it because we still have a lot more to work, but I feel like it’s a little bit of a boost knowing we have it and we have a lot to look to.”
Balderas wants the people of Redwood to know that just because they won EYL doesn’t mean they will just give up; they will also work hard to playoffs, and the winning title only gives them a little confidence into the upcoming games, they have to play the best they can.
Peyton Comer
Peyton comer is. With class 2030 she love to write about arts and entertainment, sports this is her first year in journalism
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