Sand Devil fans got to witness history in the making last Thursday night, when Page High School played the first home game of the girls flag football game.

The girls football team hosted the River Valley Dust Devils at Sand Devils Stadium and beat them 21-0. This was the girls football team’s second game of the season. Their first game was an away game against Mayer High School. The Sand Devils beat them 40-0.

This wasn’t a Powderpuff game, but a real league, sanctioned by the AIA. Several Arizona high schools participated in girls football last year, which was the first year it was offered as an official sport.

Girls football will have several significant differences from boys football. Girls football is flag rather than tackle. The players wear a belt with three flags hanging from it. Their forward progress stops when an opposing player rips the belt from the players waist. Girls football is  seven on seven, and all players on offense are eligible to run the ball or receive a pass.  Players on the girls teams don’t wear helmets or pads, but they will wear cleats and mouthguards. Girls play 12-minute quarters, rather than 15-minute quarters.

Dakota Richardson is head coach for the girls football team, with Celeste Claw, Chris Mireles and Ambrose Henderson serving as assistant coaches.

The Sand Devils scored first, but it wasn’t until their first drive of the second half. Richardson chalked it up to home game jitters.

“The girls were a little nervous in the first half,” said Richardson. “They were nervous, it was their first time playing in front of family and friends. But they got the jitters out in the first half, we made some adjustments and we played great in the second half.”

Traidyn Sutherland scored the first touchdown and Kaia Mansker kicked the point after. The Sand Devils led 7-0 with 10:30 left in the third quarter.

The Sand Devils quickly regained possession when Nevaeh Tapaha intercepted a Dust Devil pass.

Aubrey Martinez scored Page’s second touchdown in the final minute of the third quarter, and Mansker kicked another PAT, giving her team a 14-0 lead.

The Sand Devils defense continued to shut down the River Valley offense, with interceptions from Sarrayan Begay and Kamerann Tsosie. The Sand Devil offense capitalized in Tsosie’s interception with a 30-yard run by Mansker, followed by a 40-yard touchdown pass and run by Sutherland. Mansker kicked another PAT, giving the Sand Devils a 21-0 lead.

The Sand Devils defense finished the game with another interception, this time by Kayla Naswood with three seconds left on the clock.