Citrus Heights council recognizes first-ever girls flag football team at MVHS

By Sara Beth Williams–
The Citrus Heights City Council formally recognized the Mesa Verde High School girls flag football team for their inaugural season during a November council meeting.

Coaches Travis Miller and Casey Ramirez along with many of the team members were present to accept a copy of the proclamation, during the Nov. 9 meeting. Players not present were also playing other sports, Miller said.

The proclamation from the council reads in part: “The players’ passion and perseverance for the sport is reflected in their countless hours of practice, with the support of their families cheering from the bleachers. The Mesa Verde athletics program commemorates their student athletes with the motto, ‘Once a maverick, always a maverick.’ The City Council of the City of Citrus Heights does hereby congratulate the Mesa Verde high school girls flag football team on their first ever season and extend best wishes for their future endeavors.”

The flag football team’s inaugural season commenced in August 2023 with a team of 15 athletes. The team ranked fifth in the Golden Empire League among 8 participating high schools, and had an overall scoring record of 8 and 9 and a league record of 7 and 7. Mikaylah Chimara was named Most Valuable Player in the Golden Empire League according to a post from the Mesa Verde High School Athletics Facebook page.

“There’s great things happening in Citrus Heights and there are great things happening at Mesa Verde,” Miller said after the proclamation was read, adding that 10 out of 15 players made academic all-league, and the average overall GPA for the team was 3.5.

In February 2023, The Federated Council of the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF), the state’s governing body of high school sports, unanimously approved sanctioning girls flag football as a high school sport, according to an article in the Los Angeles Times.