Teams usually come together quicker when they’re having fun, and Ironwood flag football began AIA play last week enjoying almost every moment.

Fresh off its first season of club play in the spring season against district rivals and Paradise Valley district schools, the Eagles saw wholesale changes.

Ironwood hired baseball coach Rafael Sanchez to in lead flag football in late July or early August. It would have been a rocky and short adjustment without seniors Peiten Cane, Angela Emmerson and Isabel Jimenez.

“Those three seniors ... the minute they announced me being hired, they reached out and wanted to know when we could get together. It made it easy because they already had the girls locked in,” Sanchez said.

He kept all 30 girls that tried our to build interest and hopefully start a

See Full Page