Photos from Marana's 26-7 season-opening win in flag football on Sept. 14.

Girls high school flag football has returned, and this time, Marana and Mountain View high schools have some local friends.

The second season of flag football in Arizona kicked off on Tuesday. Last year, Marana and Mountain View were the only Southern Arizona schools to have teams.

โ€œLast year we pretty much lived in Phoenix,โ€ said Marana head coach Shaun Lara.

Marana's Malaysia Roebuck (2) sidles down the sideline past Desert Ridge's Hayden Brainard on a punt return in the season opener. Six Southern Arizona schools have added flag football for 2024 after only Marana and Mountain View fielded teams last year.

Marana is the reigning queen of flag football in Southern Arizona. The Tigers won the first all-Southern Arizona game when they knocked off Mountain View 22-0 on the road last October, and then reached the Class 6A state quarterfinals, finishing their first season with a 13-1 record.

The top stories of the week from longtime Star columnist Greg Hansen for September 15-21.

That was their only road game south of Casa Grande, and โ€” including two home playoff games โ€” they only played five (out of 14) home games because their home stadium was unavailable at the start of the season due to turf issues.

This year Sunnyside, Tucson High, Desert View, Palo Verde, Sierra Vista Buena and Nogales have added flag football.

Marana's Roxi Singer (8) can'tescape the collapsing pocket as Desert Ridge's Addison Meagher makes a lunging tackle in the season opener.

โ€œItโ€™s more competition, we donโ€™t have to drive so far for competition (laughs),โ€ said Marana receiver/linebacker Malaysia Roebuck.

On Tuesday, Buena won its first game, knocking off Tucson High 24-6, Sunnyside beat Maricopa Desert Sunrise 38-0 on the road in its debut, Marana beat Mesa Desert Ridge 26-7, Desert View won the first high school flag football game in Tucson proper, defeating Tempe 15-6 at home and Casa Grande Vista Grande spoiled Palo Verdeโ€™s first game, 39-0.

Marana scored 20 unanswered points in the second half to dispatch Desert Ridge.

โ€œWeโ€™re looking better, more competitive, we still have a little bit we need work to on, but every team has a little bit,โ€ said Roebuck, who was first team All-6A last year.

A look at region standings for local teams.

Marana started last season 13-0 and earned the No. 3 seed in the state tournament but got upset in the second round 21-20 by No. 11 Glendale Mountain Ridge.

โ€œIโ€™m proud of my girls for going that far,โ€ Lara said. โ€œIโ€™m very proud of how we went, the girls, they donโ€™t forget that one point, theyโ€™re hungry for a state championship.โ€

There are three levels in Arizona flag football: 6A is the highest, followed by 5A and 4A. At the end of the season, each conference has a 16-team single-elimination state tournament. Last year, Mesa Mountain View won the first 6A crown and Gilbert Campo Verde won the first 5A title when there were two conferences.

Marana Mountain View went 9-3, reaching the 5A state quarterfinals.

Marana's Haven Garbo (10) tries to squeeze out an extra yard in the gap between Desert Ridge's Kaylin Shruger, left, and Addison Meagher on Sept. 14.

Sunnyside and Tucson High joined Marana in the 6A, and those three will play in the 6A Central.

Buena and Nogales joined Mountain View in the 5A ranks, playing in the 5A Southern. Desert View is also in the 5A but is an independent.

Palo Verde will play in the 4A East Sky.

Maranaโ€™s Madison Myers-Rebidas makes the catch but canโ€™t break the plane on a 2-point conversion attempt against Mesa Desert Ridge in the third quarter of their game on Sept. 14. Marana won 26-7 in its season opener.

โ€œItโ€™s so amazing,โ€ Lara said. โ€œIf you saw any of my stuff last year, if anybody asked me any questions, Iโ€™d say โ€˜hey, Tucsonโ€™s gonna growโ€™ and it did. We had two last year, now we have about 10 in Southern Arizona, and weโ€™re gonna keep growing.

โ€œIโ€™m already hearing it from other ADs, so itโ€™s fun, let these girls play, they wanna be out here,โ€ he added.

Flag football has a running clock except for timeouts, after scores, after a change of possession and after a penalty.

Marana's Nami Singer flushes Desert Ridge's quarterback Lexi Harper in the first quarter.

The field is the same length as it is for football but about 10 yards skinnier, and thereโ€™s seven players per side rather than tackleโ€™s 11. Games are usually played on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 6 p.m.

The sport is growing nationally. Wednesday the PIAA in Pennsylvania voted to make the Keystone State the 10th to sanction flag football. There is over 100 high schools in the AIA sponsoring flag football this season.

Marana's Roxi Singer can't quite get a grip on a deflected pass for an interception in the first quarter on Sept. 14.

On Tuesday, the Arizona Cardinals and Arizonaโ€™s Family Sports Network, which is channel 13.5 in Tucson, broadcast its first girls flag football game, Chandler Hamilton at Phoenix Xavier College Prep. Dave Pasch and Ron Wolfley called the game with sideline reporter Dani Sureck.

Arizona Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill and team mascot Big Red attended, while Cardinals tight end Trey McBride did the coin toss.

The station will air seven other games, including Maranaโ€™s Oct. 1 game at Mesa Red Mountain.

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