Whittier Union Flag Football Coach Recognized by L.A. Chargers, Leads Team to First League Champions

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Whittier Union Flag Football Coach Recognized by L.A. Chargers, Leads Team to First League Championship
La Serna High School flag football coach Dylan Long walks a La Serna athlete through a play. Long was recently named a Los Angeles Chargers flag football Coach of the Week, an honor that comes with a $1,000 check awarded to the school’s athletic department.
La Serna High School girls flag football coach Dylan Long wasn’t sure what to expect when tryouts were announced ahead of the school’s inaugural year of Del Rio League play after flag football became sanctioned as the newest CIF-Southern Section sport for the 2024-25 school year. 
 
Long, a Class of 2021 La Serna High graduate, hoped that enough female athletes would show interest so he could put together a complete roster - he didn’t need to worry. When 118 girls came to tryouts, Long said he realized not only is the sport extremely popular, but would be a lot of fun to coach with motivated players looking to create legacies in a new sport.
 
La Serna High School's flag football team overcame a challenging start to the season and is now celebrating a dominant run. As the season wraps up, they now hold the title of the sport’s first-ever Del Rio League champions.
 
Long’s efforts have not gone unnoticed, as he  was recently named a Los Angeles Chargers flag football Coach of the Week, an honor that comes with a $1,000 check awarded to the school’s athletic department.
 
“It’s great to see the support flag football has received from the community. It’s a testament to how we built the program,” Long said. “I’m proud of what the girls have accomplished so far. They work so hard, have made great strides, and have very quickly developed into winners. You can’t teach that. The players deserve all the praise.”
 
The $1,000 check will be put back into the flag football program to provide amenities such as team meals and to provide pink breast cancer jerseys for the players to commemorate Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October. 
 
Long, who also played four years on the La Serna varsity baseball team, was a backup quarterback on the La Serna varsity football team that went to the CIF finals in 2019. He was the starting quarterback for the 2020 team, leading the squad to an undefeated 5-0 record during a season shortened by COVID, being named Del Rio League MVP and first-team All-CIF.

Whittier Union Flag Football Coach Recognized by L.A. Chargers, Leads Team to First League Champions