Monday, December 1, 2025, marked the first game–and victory– for the Sierra Vista Flag Football Lady Mountain Lions. As the second week of games ends, the Varsity flag football team starts the third week of games off with a 5-2 record, JV with a 6-1 record, and B team with a 2-3 record, against the Legacy Longhorns, Centennial Bulldogs, Pinecrest Academy Cadence Cougars, and SLAM! Bulls, Shadow Ridge Mustangs, Cimarron Spartans, and SECTA Roadrunners.
Coach Dan Bagwell (Sierra Vista High School’s Registrar), head coach of the Girls’ Flag Football team, contributes to coaching all three strings– B team, JV, and Varsity– with help from Coach Sua, Coach Curry, and Coach Fields. Coach Dan explains, “This is my first season head-coaching [flag football] and my third year coaching the sport. Our mission statement of the flag program is pretty straightforward… it’s essentially to foster and develop student-athletes and create opportunities for post-secondary play.” All high school-level sports put an emphasis on post-secondary play and opening up windows to continue the game at a higher level, but flag football presents opportunities to, not only stay involved and active but to also develop lifelong connections among all the program’s players. Dan adds, “The thing I try to get them to understand is that athletics–as a whole– is an experience in life, whether it’s for four years in high school and that’s it, or you have the opportunity to play at the next level. The bonds you create.. are ones that you carry with you for life… the bonds you create in the heat of competition… those are bonds that stay with you for life… you forge kind of an unspoken and unbreakable bond between the players.”
Flag football not only builds relationships, but moreover, the program requires its players to excel academically off the field. “For the players, we have a goal of achieving an academic state championship, which essentially means out of the winter sports, we have the highest cumulative team GPA… which entails everybody having a 3.2 GPA or higher during the season.” Coach Dan specifies. Flag football players adhere to higher standards than a typical student, ultimately leading to motivation for better attendance and academic performance.
The flag football program already sits on a solidly built foundation—thanks to many outstanding seniors who play their hearts out on the field to finish their high school experience strong. “Amaya Acosta– I couldn’t ask for a better senior in all aspects. [She] has a 3.4 GPA, she’s one of the leaders on the team… she’s one of those where I didn’t ask her to be a leader—she became a leader purely by who she is. If there is one person I expect to be able to deal with anything , it’s Amaya,” Dan continues to share, “In my first season coaching, Lydia Masnica was a sophomore. I changed her spot on defense… I remember vividly she cried her face off because she didn’t understand why… but at the end of the day, she learned to trust me, and it worked out in her favor. Arguably, she’s one of the best linebackers in 4A.”
As senior players enter their last high school games this season, the program encourages students and athletes to participate and potentially find love for the game. “The biggest thing I would say to a kid who wants to play flag football is, you know, be fully in it–be willing to be uncomfortable. Not everything is gonna make sense immediately, but eventually it will, and honestly, being out there is probably one of the most rewarding things around… the camaraderie you experience—the highs and lows throughout a season—you’re not going to experience that in life outside of athletics… It’s one of those things where once you do it, it’s intoxicating for lack of a better term… the highs are addictive.” Dan remarks.
Showcasing Vista pride and hours worth of practice, the Sierra Vista flag football team will continue to play–and triumph– for the 2025-2026 winter season. But for now, they proceed on to the next game.
