Head coach Dikran Melkonian is already a familiar name for the campus staff at Golden Valley High School.
So when he heard about the potential addition of flag football at his school when the CIF Southern Section announced the sport would be a regular starting in fall 2023, Melkonian wasn’t afraid to throw his hat in the ring right away.
“I approached one of our (athletic directors) Carmelo Flores since he knows me because we’ve coached against each other for youth football a number of years,” said Melkonian. “I said, ‘Hey coach I’m really interested if a flag season ever starts for Golden Valley because I saw a lot of the teams were picking up. And I’d be really interested in partaking in that program.’ And I think once I put that out there in their ears, I think they were excited to talk about it. And they brought me in for an interview with both vice principals, and the other AD.”
Golden Valley is among one of four schools to enter their first year of girls flag football play in the Santa Clarita Valley this season and the program is expected to tap into Melkonian’s experience.
“I was a head coach on multiple teams,” Melkonian said. “I did some Under Armour football for flag and we went (to) California Under Armour championships here as well, which was fantastic. I also coached tackle football and youth football for a couple of years before high school, and also had a stint at (junior varsity) for a half a season here as well at Golden Valley.”
Now, going into fall 2025, Melkonian’s main goal is to construct a team that is going to win right away. Part of that goal in being ready to compete right away comes with recruiting players, which the team began doing last fall.
Since then Melkonian and his team have been looking for players to see where players stand and who really wants to be a part of the program.
“We held a couple of clinics here and there throughout a few months, just maybe once or twice a week just to see how everybody’s level was,” Melkonian said. “The difficulty was so many girls were playing at different sports at the time. So it took a while to develop, and I think just this whole summer has been a really crucial moment for us, because we finally have all the girls that are dedicated to being here.”
Those dedicated girls Melkonian speaks so highly of are multi-sport athletes who understand the complexity that is flag football and players who expect to be a part of this program for years to come.
Krysta Ezenwa will be the quarterback for Golden Valley this season and has earned a lot of praise from her coach. Ezenwa is new to the sport but is expected to contribute on both sides of the ball, also playing as linebacker along with Chanell Glass, Madelyn Joseph and Madilin Howell.
“She has just has some amazing physical skill sets that she uses in track and basketball and now we’re transitioning that to football field,” Melkonian said. “She is new to the sport, so there’s a lot of learning going on for that. But Krysta was really taking that in and we’ve been working with her, I think it’s been really fun to have her.”
At receiver expect Leilani Lewis, junior who will be slotting in at wide receiver and safety on defense. Joining Lewis playing both as receiver and defensive back is Charmaine Tabucbuc. She’ll be joined by Marlie Rodriguez, Jade Mcwilson, Miracle Henderson, Phoenix Levine, Na’Mya Jones, Genis Castill and Hayden Gayares.
Senior London Brown will be the lead running back for Golden Valley this season and will be a key piece for the offense as she’s expected to utilize her track and field skills out on the football field.
“It’s funny because you bring these girls in from certain sports that aren’t used to cutting and doing all these different things on the field, but you see the raw talent of that speed, like, ‘Oh my God, this is amazing,’” Melkonian said.
Lining up at center and on the defensive line will be sophomore Victoria Aladesuru, as will NyAshia Travis.
The goal for Golden Valley this season will be to build off this year’s results, no matter what the score is come the end of the season. Melkonian wants to establish a program that not only has that long-term success any team wants, but also a foundation where the school’s culture can thrive.
“Our expectation is we want a championship-level team here, but No. 1, we have to build the right culture,” Melkonian said. “We are building a future for Golden Valley. We are not going to expect you to come in half effort and try to get that done. That means there’s an expectation of being a student athlete because we’ll prepare these girls for college, potential scholarships, and also just reality of life. They have to use blood, sweat and tears to try to get a playoff spot, to try to get a championship. Yeah my expectations are very high, but they’re also very realistic.”
Golden Valley opens up league at home on Monday against Vasquez to kick off their inaugural year of flag football.
