Piedmont High School’s girls flag football is entering their third year as a program. This season they have many strong players returning, as well as 50 total members on the roster: their biggest team yet.
Head coach Beth Black said that because of so many players trying out, the coaches added a second junior varsity team in addition to the varsity and other JV that were already in place for the past two years.
“I have a dedicated JV team which I made up of freshmen, and I have some really great freshmen athletes that have been working as a team this year,” Black said.
Sophomore Edie Elmquist is coming into her second year on the team, and after hard offseason training and work on other teams, she will be varsity’s starting quarterback. Wide receiver senior Malia Williams is also making excellent progress as a player.
“This year, I’m watching Malia come off the line, and she runs a great route consistently that Edie can hit,” Black said.
While most people have a set position on the field, there are a couple positions where Black doesn’t know who will fill in. Running back is one of those.
“I don’t have a clear sense yet of who is going to be my lead (in filling in for 2025 graduate) Miya Fujimoto’s role as running back. She was great,” Black said. “And so it will be nice to see who’s going to step in and be back there with Edie.”
Photos from Aug. 22 practice
Elspeth Grippando works on her footwork 
Coach Beth Black celebrates a successful drill at practice 
Quarterback Edie Elmquist has been working in the offseason
The Highlanders have a very powerful defense, with senior safety Dahlia Osman and senior linebacker Elspeth Grippando.
“I’m really looking forward to watching Elspeth this year, just the way she was able to rush last year seven yards off the ball, and she came into this season really eager,” Black said. “Our defense last season I think was typically stronger than our offense overall, and so we’ll see this year. But I do know they’re coming back strong, we’ll see [if offense can match them].
Black said that with new rules in flag football, players must learn new skills like screening. Punting on fourth downs has also been added, and the team needs to find a punter.
The team’s preseason training was simple and consistent.
“It was really casual. We did lifting all summer, and (JV coach) Hayley Adams was in charge,” Black said. “Any girl who wanted to come to the weightroom, Monday, Wednesday, Friday. Two weeks before school started, we did basic skills for anyone who wanted to try flag football.”
The Highlanders have 17 total games. Black said no real rivalries have been established yet.