On August 31, Ayala’s own girls’ Varsity flag football team departed for their first team trip to Alabama. Thanks to the support of fundraisers and the booster program, many Bulldogs, for the first time, were allowed to travel out of state for sports.
“I honestly have never been somewhere that far, and I think it was a really cool experience,” said Varsity player Sarah Avila (11). “I feel like being in a new place really brought [the team] together”
This year marks the third year of Ayala’s flag football program, which was established and currently led by Head Coach Amy Campbell and Assistant Coach Randy Reams; two individuals who not only have previous experience in sports, but were, and still are, instrumental to bringing flag football to Ayala. Out of the 22 Bulldogs on the team, 19 of our Varsity we able to make it out to Alabama including Captain Mariska Csupak (10), Captain Cameron Phua (11), JuJu Jones (9), Aurdrey Raglin (12), Marina Ortega (11), Aaliyah Mitchell (9), Kailyn Harris (11), Nevaeh Lima (12), Skyler Bergeron (11), Eileen Diaz (10), Sarah Avila (11), Emma Gandara (10), Sophia Ordorica (12), Peyton Chang (9), Chloe Cotter (9), Natalya Cavenee (9), and Ava Trujillo (10) (ordered by jersey number according to maxpreps.com). While the program may be young and filled with students from different ages, hard work and drive has created a special bond within the team, especially at Alabama.
“The sideline was hyped, the atmosphere was cool. I feel like being in a new place really brought us together,” said Avila. “We’re very excited, we’re always happy, [and] we’re always getting along all the time.”
During their week-long trip, Ayala played a total of four games against schools from Alabama, the first on September 2 at Vestavia Hills Stadium and the other two on September 4 at Central High School. In their first set of games, the Bulldogs struggled to find their momentum as they faced losses against Vestavia Hills High school by 0-27, and Spain Park High School by 0-13. Despite the initial setback, the Bulldogs refused to let it deter them, instead bouncing back enthusiastically during their two games against Central High School, triumphing 20-6, and Northridge High School, going 18-0.
“We didn’t play easy teams,” Varsity player Kailyn Harris (11) said. “I think it was really good because they were tough teams, nothing was easy. But we kept our spirits up and we tried hard, and we came out with two wins.”
Though the games itself created an atmosphere for strong team bonding, the Bulldogs were able to explore several surrounding locations including museums and colleges such as Auburn University and University of Alabama. The University of Alabama was especially significant as the girls were able to attend one of the college’s football games against Louisiana-Monroe University.
“The highlight of the Alabama trip was the University of Alabama football game,” said senior Varsity player Audrey Raglin. “It gave us some amazing insight on college life and the amazing activities we can partake in as a team.”
The massive success of their first trip has set the tone for the rest of Ayala’s flag football season. Already, they dominated their first league game as soon as they returned against Bonita’s Bearcats 20-0 on September 9. Their current overall record stands at 11-8, which they plan to improve as the season progresses by practicing the lessons and experiences from Alabama.
“Alabama is an amazing place, [and] the idea of the trip brought upon amazing opportunities for us to learn from. I was blessed to know that our team has worked incredibly hard to achieve these trips that allow us to represent Ayala and women’s sports,” said Raglin.
