Morro Bay High the latest school to join girls flag football movement

By Mike Chaldu · Tue Sep 01 2026

Pirates underway in inaugural season of growing fall sport, drawing from successful Parks and Rec program

High school football has started up all around the Central Coast; however, the fall sport isn't just for the boys anymore.

In the last few years, support has grown to add girls flag football, a version of the sport with no tackling and modified rules and fields, to the fall roster of sports. And since February 2023, when the CIF approved it as an official sport, Central Coast schools have been gradually stepping forward to compete.

This year, it's Morro Bay High who's stepping forward with its first varsity team for the 2026 season.

So far, the Pirates have fallen short in its first two games, losing to Lompoc 12-6 in the opener on Aug. 18, and 28-7 to San Luis Obispo on Aug. 25, but there's still plenty of enthusiam, according to MBHS Athletic Director Tyler Holt.

"We played Lompoc, one of the first schools to field a team in the area, in the opener and stayed with them the whole game," Holt said. "[Aug. 25], against SLO, it was closer than the score reflected. We fell behind early, but from the middle of the second quarter, we were able to outscore them. For us to open with two powerhouses, and hold our own, it’s an exciting start."

Ashley Smith, who calls herself the "Team Mom" of the Pirates and provides support for the coaches and program, and whose daughter Josie plays on the team, agreed that the team is performing well, despite the losses.

"Lompoc's program has been established for a few years, and even won a CIF title, I believe, so I knew they would be tough," she said. "But I saw great support among the girls and I thought we played them tough. The girls played hard and with poise and didn't back down."

Smith said she's excited to see the program launch after a few years of anticipation.

"Four years ago, we heard about high schools getting teams together," she said. "We started messaging the AD [Athletic Director], and he said 'no, not yet, but soon.' Then earlier this year, we saw the job announcement for a head coach, once I knew they were starting it up, and I started texting everyone and everybody about playing."

Holt said the school had to be careful about when they could add a sport without hindering some of the established fall programs.

"We had to be a little bit cautious making the add," he said. "We have a smaller student body (about 700), and 60-70 percent are already playing sports. We didn't want to take away from other fall sports like volleyball or water polo, and wondered where these girls were going to come from. We were worried about other sports being hurt with girls coming out for flag football, but that's proven not to be the case."

One advantage MBHS had in getting flag football players was that Morro Bay's Parks and Recreation Department has run a successful youth flag football program for a number of years. Many of the current players on the MBHS team came through that program.

"A lot of credit goes to Morro Bay Parks and Rec for starting the summer flag football league," Smith said.

"My daughter was in fourth grade, and it was a perfect time for that start, with families looking for something to do. Parks and Rec did a great job getting people into the league, especially girls, and eventually they had enough to form an all-girls team to play against other cities."

The Park and Rec's influence continues on the MBHS team — the department's director, Jim Pond, is the Pirates' head coach.

"When he reached out and said he was applying for the job, we knew he would be the guy," Holt said. "We're happy to have his background, and he's just philosophically inclined with the program and the town."

While the team is getting support from the community, Holt also expressed gratitude to the Pirates' opening opponent Lompoc High — more specifically, Athletic Director Claudia Terrones and head coach Ashley Coehlo— for their help getting the program off the ground at MBHS.

"Lompoc was one of the first schools field a team in the sport, and they were constantly encouraging us to get one started," Holt said. "Ashley and Claudia did it right, so we're always picking their brains: How to put on the flags, what's the best brand of flags or gloves to get, and just basic procedures that work best for a team. They've been super helpful."

The Pirates played at Arroyo Grande on Aug. 27 (score unavailable at press time), and will welcome the Eagles to MBHS for their next game on Sept. 8. Morro Bay will be playing into October, but a game they have circled on the calendar is Sept. 22, when it hosts Templeton and will bill the game as a "celebration" of the team's inaugural season.

"We want to bring a lot of people out here, and see if we can get some barbecuing or other things going in addition to the game. It should be fun," Smith said.