Last year, over 30 girls signed up for the inaugural season of girls flag football at Woodside.
With around 14 to 16 primary players, it had been hard to get everyone playing time. Flag football has been increasing in interest for girls of all ages, making the addition of a junior varsity (JV) flag football team at Woodside seem vital.
“I was shocked,” former assistant coach of the girls varsity team and head coach of the new JV team Dan Peterson said. “There were a lot of girls, way more than I thought.”
Peterson elaborated that last year, a lot of promotions were made to join the varsity team. The coaches were pleased that more girls had signed up than expected. However, this meant a lot of different levels of players.
“It’s good to have a JV and varsity team,” freshman Sierra Wasilewski, a wide receiver on the team said. “That way players can work their way up to varsity, so they have a higher level team with players who are more experienced while still having a team for new players.”
Wasilewski added that when Woodside added the JV team this year, flag football players were ecstatic. It meant there would be more girls who could play the sport at their level, and have the varsity team to look up to.
“It’s been a lifelong dream for me,” freshman Alana Caine, quarterback of the JV team, said. “I have always been interested in football so I was looking forward to playing it in high school.”
For freshmen such as Caine, the team was always something to look forward to growing up. Caine also looked forward to the team as a chance to meet new people. She hoped that the team would make her a better leader as she could help her teammates get better.
“At the beginning, my teammates had limited experience,” Caine said. “But they have become really great players over the course of the season.”
While the girls work hard at practice, they also play in a competitive league. The JV team plays over 10 high schools, which are all highly skilled and pretty evenly matched. Despite having tough competition, the girls are optimistic that they could have a winning season.
“I think if we keep practicing hard we could be successful,” Wasilewski said. “The teams are evenly matched, so we definitely stand a chance.”
