Girls Flag Football has gone viral in Southern California.  A player on the Temecula Preparatory’s team stands out.  She overcame a debilitating ankle injury during her Freshman year and appreciates playing every minute because of it!

Temecula Preparatory School is a small Charter school located in Winchester, California.  Unlike other small private schools, Temecula Prep can not recruit athletes.  Their enrollment system is based on a lottery.  The student athletes at Temecula Prep must be developed and their skills honed. 

One athlete, Bailey Litt, understands hard work and perseverance.  She suffered a serious ankle injury during her Freshman year which left her depressed, not knowing if she could ever play sports again.  This injury has given her a hardened resolve to appreciate every athletic opportunity offered to her.  When asked about the injury, Bailey said, “I missed my whole track and field season and wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to play sports again. Luckily, my ankle got better, and I was able to get back to playing. It definitely made me appreciate sports more and not take being healthy and able to compete for granted.”

Bailey is a star on Temecula Prep’s Flag Football team.  In her last game against San Jacinto Valley Academy (9/12/26), she had some impressive stats:

102 Rec Yards

101 Rushing Yards

2 Pick Six Touchdowns

5 Touchdowns

Bailey, a junior, has been playing sports her entire life.  Since age four, she has played soccer, baseball, basketball, flag football, track, and softball. In high school, she played 4 sports: basketball, soccer, flag football, and track and field. Last year she was a tri-sport athlete.

When asked about playing flag football, Bailey said, “I’ve been playing flag football since I was in 2nd grade and I always played on boys’ teams. I played FNL (Friday Night Lights) from 2nd grade up until middle school then I joined the boys middle school flag football team. It wasn’t until my freshman year of high school that I got the opportunity to play on an all girls flag football team. On the boys’ teams, I was usually one of the only girls, so I always felt like I had to prove myself and show that I could play just as well as everyone else.” 

Bailey loves to compete stating, “What motivates me on the flag football field is competing, getting better, and helping my team win. My teammates definitely affect how I play too. When everyone is working hard, encouraging each other, and having fun, it makes me want to play even harder.”

When asked what Bailey’s favorite thing about flag football is, she stated she loves the competition and being with her teammates.  She loves that flag football is a newer sport for girls and said it’s exciting to be a part of something that is growing so fast.

Temecula Preparatory demands a lot of their students and especially their athletes.  Bailey said balancing academics and athletics is difficult.  When asked how she does it, she stated, “I try to stay organized. I talk with my coaches and make sure I know when I have tests or quizzes so I can prioritize school work without missing practices. I try to make sure I’m putting in the same effort in the classroom as I do on the field.”

As we wrapped up the interview, Bailey added, “I’m really thankful for all the opportunities sports have given me, and I’m excited to see how much girls’ flag football continues to grow.”

Bailey has competed in 12 flag football games this season.  Here are the overall statistics for this season. What an impressive young woman!

60 catches

817 receiving yards

21 interceptions (9 interceptions returned for a touchdown)

24 touchdowns 

92 flag pulls

14 pass deflections

(Article prepared for CIF ‘Feel Good Fridays’ by Kellie Warren)