On March 22, Section 1 Flag Football teams celebrated the start of another season with a special kick-off event at Somers High School.
Like last year, however, the girls weren’t the only football stars there, as the event was hosted in conjunction with the New York Giants, who sent a trio of Big Blue’s finest—Andrew Thomas, Tyler Nubin and Anthony Johnson—to support the fastest-growing varsity sport in New York State.
This season—the third official varsity campaign for flag football teams in the state and the fourth total when counting the pilot year in 2021—is the largest to date, with over 200 players across Section 1 showing up for the kickoff event and several schools, including Mamaroneck, launching flag teams for the first time ever.
“We started out with eight teams in Section 1 and now we have 33 varsity squads and seven or eight JV teams,” said Somers coach Katie DiChiaro. “We are so excited about this growth.”
Tara Belinsky, the Community and Youth Football Manager for the New York Giants, applauded the girls for the growth of the sport and said that the Giants organization stands behind them as they forge a new path in interscholastic athletics.
“I just want to say thank you all for everything that you’re doing,” said Belinsky. “The energy that you bring makes us want to do what we do on a daily basis and we really appreciate you.”
The Giants in attendance put the athletes through a series of drills to get them ready for the upcoming season, running two distinct clinics to accommodate the fast-rising number of girls looking to compete in flag football.
Nubin, a second-year defensive back who hails from St. Charles, Il, said he was eager to watch the girls’ season unfold, noting that New York State has been one of the tone-setters in terms of growing the sport.
“This is just awesome,” he said. “Where I’m from, girls didn’t really have the opportunity to do this.”
“I love the juice, I love the energy, and I love being out here,” added Thomas, a sixth-year offensive lineman. “Give it your all today because it’s a blessing to be out here managing your craft.”
The girls flag football season officially kicked off this week.
