The first ever girls varsity flag football team played this spring season at Monroe-Woodbury High School. I was excited and privileged to be on the team as a senior, and the experience has been incredibly rewarding. 

Our team’s first practice was somewhat awkward because it was everyone’s first time playing football competitively. We spent a lot of time practicing the basic moves: passing, catching, and running routes. Coach Schellburg and Coach Santoianni were also learning how to work and plan due to how new this team and regimen was, but they were always supportive and encouraging. 

As we became more comfortable with the game, we started to have practice scrimmages against other schools. This was to create better outlines for the rules and practice with other schools without the tension of winning or losing. During this time, I quickly realized how fast-paced the game was and how critical communication with my teammates was. My position was a defender, so I needed to constantly be aware of the opposing team’s movements and know where I was on the field at all times. 

The first few games were nerve-wracking. We didn’t know how well we played in comparison to other schools. In our minds, they always seemed to have taller, stronger, and faster girls. But as our coaches always said, “Ignore the score, and play like you’re in a tie.” 

We put in our best efforts, and throughout the season, we continued to mature our skills and train our mindsets to be more focused and positive. We won some games and lost others, but we always gave it our all. By the end of the regular season, we had ten wins and three losses, putting us in fourth place in the seedings for playoffs. Because we were in fourth place, we were able to skip the first round of the playoffs and jump straight into playing in the quarterfinals. 

At the quarterfinals, we had a flawless win against Washingtonville High School’s team. Everyone was locked in and each play ran with near perfection. The downfall of our team started when we were matched up to play against Warwick Valley High School for the semifinals. They had just beat Minisink Valley, which was first place on the seedings chart, so tensions were at an all time high. 

Both teams fought tooth and nail, and neither one was able to get past each other to score a point. But after a crucial mistake that happened in just a hundredth of a second, Warwick’s offensive line managed to slip through M-W’s defense and scored a touchdown. 

By the end of the game, no matter how many acrobatic tackles and lightning quick passes we made, we were unable to score the touchdowns we so desperately and tirelessly chased after. Monroe-Woodbury’s first ever flag football season came to a close with that loss. 

Being a part of the first ever varsity flag football team at Monroe-Woodbury High School was a unique experience that I’m proud to have been a part of, and I definitely will never forget it. It was a challenging yet rewarding opportunity to be a part of something new and leave my mark on the school’s athletic program. I hope that future flag football athletes will be able to build on our legacy and become an even better team.