SANTA CLARA — When flag football became a sanctioned girls high school sport in California, schools had to decide how they wanted to approach the sport.

Menlo School’s response?

“We want to be good,” Menlo athletic director Earl Koberlein recalled his new flag players saying in 2023.

Menlo isn’t just good. The Knights are the best team in the Central Coast Section after beating Los Gatos 27-13 in the section’s first Open Division championship game, cementing what several observers have thought for years.

In the third year of girls flag football in the Bay Area, Menlo is the gold standard.

“It’s not just the first flag Open championship,” Menlo coach Noah Lubarsky said. “It’s our first Open championship in the history of our school. So I’m incredibly happy for the girls and happy for e

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