LINWOOD – There were speedy runs. Long passes. Leaping interceptions. Touchdown celebrations. The Mainland Regional girls flag football team was on fire last Thursday against Middle Township, beating the Panthers 46-6 on the field in the Mustang Corral.
The club is new this spring at the high school, but these girls were playing like seasoned flag football veterans in their fourth game of the season. Many of them are.
The Mustangs dominated the game from start to finish. Right off the bat, a pair of passes from quarterback Sydney Booth, including a long bomb to Kasey Bretones, put them on the board first. The girls short-circuited Middle Township on its first series when Emily Paytas intercepted the ball and ran it back for a touchdown.
That was kind of the story of the game. Bretones, Booth and their teammates would mostly pass their way quickly up and down the field on offense, or hand the ball off for runs by McKenna Pontari. On defense, the Mustangs intercepted the Panthers as rushers including Marlena Colombo would pressure the quarterback or sack her. (A sack in this case, of course, meaning tearing off one of their flags before the QB could get the pass off.)
“I’ve been playing flag football since fifth grade,” Booth said. “It’s a sport I love to play.” She was excited when the girls flag football team formed “because I used to play in an all-boys league so it’s finally good to play with girls.” Booth is enjoying playing football with her friends in the nice spring weather “and having a good time all around.”
Being the quarterback “can be a little bit of pressure sometimes but most of the time it’s pretty easy. I trust my players and my coach to guide me in what I’m doing.”
Many of the flag football players are multi-sport athletes and some are actually doubling up this spring, playing club flag football while also competing in a varsity sport.
Senior Kalla Tocci-Rogers runs spring track, but she and her teammates come out for 6 a.m. practices twice a week to be part of the team.
“I have coached flag football for five years now. I coach all the little kids, but I’ve never been able to play so when I heard we were getting a flag football team I was actually the first person who signed up for it. I got all my friends to play with me,” she said. Tocci-Rogers said she is having fun.
Pontari is a multi-sport athlete. She came out “because my family are big football fans and I love running, obviously. I was very happy when (the school) decided to make a flag football team because I wanted to be another football player in my family.” (Pontari showed her speed on offense and on defense chasing down ball-carriers.
Pontari said she does prefer flag football to tackle “even though it’s difficult to grab these flags.”
Isabella DeRichie, a volleyball player, said she thought “it would be a great idea to get involved” with this new flag football club “to play with my friends who have played all these other sports, great athletes combining on one team.”
Colombo, a sophomore, said getting a quarterback sack was fun. “I never thought I would be here doing this,” she said. “This is something I’ve never done before and the team is really connected. That’s fun.”
Head coach Andrew Monroe, supported by track coach Mike Colombo, is an assistant coach with the Mustang boys football team. He is enjoying himself as much as his players.
“These girls are a blast to coach. I’m having so much fun with them. We’re all learning something new, we’re creating new memories and we’re excelling,” he said. “We’re finding success – 6 a.m. practices two times a week on top of these girls having another sports, having jobs, other fulfillments for school, AP tests, all that. For these girls to juggle and perform the way they are, it’s really inspiring and I really admire these girls.”
“It’s something new. Everyone grows up loving football. It’s just different because these girls can’t put on helmets and shoulder pads, but they can still understand football concepts,” Monroe said. “They love learning something new and being good at it. I think it’s great. This sport is going to grow and it’s great for the whole South Jersey community.”
They were 2-1-1 going into Friday’s game with Ocean City. The girls tied with Hammonton but won a coin toss between the schools so if they beat Oakcrest Tuesday (after the Sentinel sports section went to press) they will be playing Cedar Creek Wednesday at the NovaCare Complex in Philadelphia, where the Philadelphia Eagles practice.
“It will be a great experience,” Monroe said. “The girls had a great time at the Eagles Jamboree and it will be a great experience for the girls to go back up there and play a team that they fell short against at the beginning of the season. But they’re a different team than we were at the beginning of the season. I’m looking forward to it, but we do have to handle business in the upcoming days.”
Asked the difference between coaching girls and boys, Monroe laughed.
“These girls, they’re smiling, they always ask questions. They’re not afraid to go out there and attack it, attack something new. That’s why it’s a blast coaching these girls. I love it. I love every single one of them. They’re awesome.”
The team walked onto the football field before the game led by part of the Mustang Marching Band. They walked off the field together.
Just before they left, Bretones and Paytas, both multi-sport athletes, explained why they love being on the flag football team.
“I’ve always loved football so I think it’s a great opportunity for our school and for all of our female athletes to go and play and see what we can do,” Bretones said. “The boys are always talking to us, saying that it’s way harder, but we can prove to them what we can actually do.”
The volleyball, basketball and spring track athlete doesn’t mind the 6 a.m. practices.
“I know every time we step on this field it’s going to be fun and I’m with my friends, so why not get a quick little workout with my friends?”
Paytas said all her friends were going out for the team.
“It’s a great community thing and it does feel good to be up early with my friends,” she said. “It does feel good to be up early in the morning and to get a workout in. It’s just a really fun sport to be playing.”
Asked whether they prefer flag football or wish it were tackle, Paytas said she was fine with the flags.
Bretones grinned.
“Tackle,” she said.
She added there is joy when they score.
“We all get so excited and it’s fun. We get to do our little dances and celebrations so it’s great.”
By DAVID NAHAN/Sentinel staff
