Last year Yamhill-Carlton High School made history with their first ever girls flag football team. This team was composed of athletes that had little to none experience with this sport. With a record of six wins and four losses, three of them were to play off teams.
Head coach Matt Opitz set this team in motion when the school’s athletic director showed him an email sent from OSAA. This email talked about how in the past year Oregon had eight teams and this year more schools have had an interest in this sport.
Opitz heard some girls were interested in playing. So to kick it off he started a J term class, with assistant coach Mark Rodriguez, for the girls who wanted to know more about it and get some experience.
In late March the season began. With early morning practices to long weekend matches, Senior Madison Gregor said, “It’s a heck of a lot of fun.”
The excitement that comes from this sport is amazing. Gregor mentioned, “The coaches are great, it’s a good way to stay active, and the parents and players are very supportive.”
Opitz’s favorite part of coaching this team is, “Seeing the excitement of the girls when they played, and as their knowledge grew.”
According to Gregor the only scary part to this sport is, “When the other team had creepy mouth guards.”
The players on this team are looking forward to the upcoming season. With new students interested, Opitz says, “Most likely there will be two teams this year.”
Last year the team only had 14 players on the team, but it’s estimated that around 25 people will try out for this sport. Gregor says, “I’m looking forward to having new teammates and for having a lot more experience under our belts for this upcoming season.”
