If high school girls wanted a turn at football, they have one now, as some local schools have come on board for girls flag football in recent years.
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If high school girls wanted a turn at football, they have one now, as some local schools have come on board for girls flag football in recent years.
And on April 7, Great Lakes Cheese Stadium at Berkshire High School got its first chance to showcase girls flag football in front of live fans. With Willoughby South, Lake Catholic, Hawken, Warrensville Heights and Mentor bringing teams to Burton, and both a varsity and junior varsity team from host Berkshire taking part in the action, it felt nearly like a clear fall evening if one didn’t know the exact date of the event.
Leading the Berkshire girls was football coach Josh DeWeese, who has been building a solid program for boys fall action and is now totally focused on building the school’s flag program just as strong.
“This is the third season now for us to have flag football for the girls,” he said. DeWeese has coached all three years, as well. “I am just proud for us to be able to finally host some games here on our new field. We usually play in Mentor, but playing at different places can only give the game more exposure so everybody can see how much fun flag football can be.”
Playing at the club level, as schools learn more about the sport’s benefits, is key to getting started, and many hope more local school boards will soon take a chance on the sport. Then the hope is to petition the OHSAA to sanction the sport for high school play.
The Badgers took on the Lake Catholic Cougars in their first game Friday night. Football is a staple for the Cougar nation, and they showed why by scoring a long touchdown on a pass play to start the game, and ultimately claiming it for themselves, 33-20. The Badger girls, though, have also come to know some pretty good football in recent years, and they ran the ball in typical Berkshire style.
With seven players on the field, all eligible to catch passes, flag football is a different game. That said, skill sets will be very similar to what fans see in the fall.
Taking advantage of zero linemen on the field for blocking purposes, the Badgers used a variety of fast runners to move the ball upfield in a hurry. Then they took to the airways as well, with junior Madelynn Metzel operating from the quarterback position.
While keeping stats is a chore without markings on the field for positioning, Metzel was a cool customer for Berkshire. Overall, she hit on 10 of 22 passes in the game for three touchdowns, saw the field well, and was usually on target with her passes. Watching how well Metzel and her Cougar counterpart led receivers with passes was classic.
“I have always loved football,” Metzel said. “This is just a great opportunity for girls to be enjoying the sport so many of us enjoy. I just want to learn and to push myself into a better mindset in playing the game.”
Senior athlete Brooke Ruchalsky has been a top player in all the girls sports in her Badgers days, and came out of every play on this day with a smile on her face.
“I’m just having a lot of fun playing,” she said as she tried to warm up this chilly evening. “There are a lot of good athletes who like to play this game. It’s just a special time for all of us; it took a long time to get soccer going, and now we have a chance to build more into flag football.
“I’m glad to be a part of getting it going. It’s fantastic to be playing in our own stadium tonight, too.”
Sophomore Meredith Bors also appreciates the opportunity.
“It’s so exciting to be able to play wearing a Berkshire jersey, knowing we’re all part of getting something really good going in our community,” she said. “This is just so much fun, and I think we’re also seeing some good football.”
For Coach DeWeese, football means getting fired up to guide his players no matter the season. With intensity, he walks the sidelines between plays, back and forth, in both seasons, but the differences in the game can be stark.
“This is a different type of game with no linemen involved,” he said. “All the players are eligible receivers, but it still takes patience and skills to play. These girls have worked hard, I’m so proud of them, and they’re having a lot of fun playing, which is what high school sports really is all about in the first place.”
Football can be a game of stats, but that is not yet the case for girls playing flag. As more schools build programs, that may change. Meanwhile, this is something football fans can get a lot of fun out of watching. Several varsity boys players in Berkshire jackets were in attendance and kept warm by clapping for the ladies working on their skills on the field.
If you would like to try something different this coming Sunday, Great Lakes Cheese Stadium would be a good place to take root for a while.
