It’s the first game of the season and the girls flag team is ready to win. They’ve been practicing for this game, training hard and long for this day. The game against the Pasco Pirates. Ellie Perez; Sophomore, was more than ready to play against them. “The team and I prepared before the game against Pasco by getting there early and staying locked in before the game,” Ellie said. “We stayed focused and played loud music to keep the energy high.” In any sport, having energy and emotional maturity is one of the keys to success for any young athlete. Playing multiple sports like soccer, flag football, and occasionally track, Ellie knows how to keep her emotions under control and doesn’t allow her energy to falter, no matter how the game is going for the team. Before the game began, the girls were watching Pasco’s team very closely. When asked about her initial reaction to the team, Ellie had said that “they ran the ball a lot so we had to make sure we do not give them any yardage and nobody ran past our defense. And also use our team’s speed t0 get past them.” It seems like they didn’t need to worry much, because the team absolutely destroyed the Pasco team, winning 57-0 against them. “The game went really good for us! We won 57-0. No points were scored against us and many of the girls scored. I think I did good, especially learning a new sport like flag football. The team worked hard and well together to get the result that we wanted,” she responded. And despite the large lead, Ellie and her teammates never took it easy on the Pirates, playing them with dignity and respect. In sports, sometime players will lower the effort they put in against a team that they think isn’t as skilled as them. However, Sunlake’s team knows better than that. When asked about what she thought the team could’ve done differently, Ellie said “One thing the team can do differently next time is being loud and supportive on the sideline no matter who is in or how much we are winning or losing, but staying focused and not getting off task.” The game against Pasco was an absolute showstopper for the girls flag football team, and Ellie Perez, #12, had a huge part in that absolute success.