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On the gleamingly bright day that was September 18th, baby blue and white, navy jerseys lit up Sea King’s field. An uproar of excitement bursted from the crowd when the players lined up for the starting play. Supporting the CdM girls’ flag football team, girls’ volleyball, track and field, and football waved their pom poms with CdM pride. In the first half, CdM managed to score a touchdown in the last four minutes eliciting a wave of enthusiasm from CdM’s team of supporters. Tying the score, harbor fired back in the second half causing fans to say “it could go either way.” Ending the game, Newport Harbor scored yet another touchdown in the last few minutes of the game making the scoreboard read 6-12, and the buzzer sounded abruptly. Flags flying and “way to go’s” blaring, this game packed incredible heat. There is no doubt that this rivalry of ownership over the bay is still a hot pursuit not only for the girl’s flag football team but for parents, students, and families of CdM.
Maia Helmar, a junior at Newport Harbor High School and captain of the girl’s flag football team, remarks, “[her team] practiced a lot to prepare for the game.” Over the moon and excited, Helmar notes, “the win felt great…” and how “it always feels good to beat a rival.” Helmar joined the NHHS team because “[she] grew up loving the sport.” With this sentiment and intention, she has worked continuously since the start of her flag football career; freshman year, to make it what it is today, a BOTB-winning team.
Erika Wein, a senior at CdM and captain of the girl’s flag football team shares that the girls “will be ready to rematch Harbor on October 11th and until then [they] will be working hard at practice to improve running routes harder and faster.” Wein “joined CdM’s flag football team to be a part of a movement and to experience the growth of the sport.” Girls flag football is a more recent development in women’s sports making “being captain is a lot of fun because [Wein] gets to set the expectation for the new program.”
An ending note of the game that most remember is the immediate shouting of “Who’s bay? Our bay” by a harbor parent. CdM will have a chance to avenge their loss in the rematch on October 11th, a game many in the CdM community eagerly await.
