The flag football team here at Shadow Ridge has been stacking up the wins this season, as they have continued to work hard all year. This past December, these student athletes came out of Nevada’s annual Mustang Rodeo tournament with yet another win.

Flag football coach, Matthew Nighswonger explains, “Mustang Rodeo is the premiere flag football tournament that takes place in the Las Vegas Valley every season. This year, we had 14 teams from across the Las Vegas area competing. The best players in the state of Nevada were featured in the tournament.”

Even with the significance of this event, these student athletes managed to pull through and give it their all. Each and every member of the team worked together to help one another to compete at their very best.

“Many different girls managed to step up throughout the two-day tournament. It was a genuine team effort coming from all of our players. These student athletes learned how to come together as a team, and how to get all players involved in the victories. The team’s beliefs in both their abilities and each other have grown significantly from this experience,” Coach Nighswonger conveys.

With every team member contributing to their overall success, these athletes are constantly learning and building off of one another both on and off the field. This team has grown immense support in its community, making way for more growth to come.

Playing on the flag football team this season, junior, Hailey Jones expresses, “Getting the chance to compete as a part of the team was amazing! After spending the whole day together and playing together, I feel like we all got much closer and stronger as a team; and when we are out on the field, it’s so fun and everyone is so supportive, and it feels like this is now my second family.”

This team has worked to build such a supportive community, as flag football players here at Shadow Ridge continue to build relationships and mutual respect for each other. This sense of cooperation has allowed team members to work together to push past any obstacles along the way. This tournament has managed to become one of many successful outings for the team, contributing to their many accomplishments at Shadow Ridge.

Jones claims, “Looking back on this tournament, I most enjoyed getting to become closer with my team, and winning the championship.”