By Tom Nader

Publisher and Editor

A new sport has officially landed in Ohio.

The inaugural high school girls flag football season is set to kickoff on Friday, with four teams in Portage Count sponsoring the sport: Field, Kent Roosevelt, Rootstown and Streetsboro.

Field opens on Friday vs. Tallmadge and Barberton; Kent Roosevelt also opens on Friday vs. CVCA, while Streetsboro opens on Friday as well, with matchups against Cuyahoga Falls and North Royalton. Rootstown begins its season on Sunday vs. West Branch and Howland.

Here is a preview for the Falcons, Rough Riders, Rovers and Rockets.

RULES OF PLAY

   • 5-on-5 format (seven offensive players vs. seven defensive players).

   • Field dimension: 70 yards long by 25 yards wide.

   • No tackling, blocking or contact allowed. A player is down by pulling a flag.

   • Two 20-minute quarters (running clock).

   • Four-down series to cross midfield, then a four-down series to score in the end zone.

   • The center is the only player required to be on the line of scrimmage.

FIELD FALCONS

Coaching Staff: Jeff Eldreth, George Wetzel, Erin Peterson, Jared Collins.

Team Outlook: “The excitement for year one is definitely there,” coach Jeff Eldreth said. “The girls want to come to practice and they want to learn. It seems like they are having a lot of fun.

“Our goal is to have a positive season and that the girls enjoy it enough that they want to come back and play again next year.”

Positions: Freshman Paige Eldreth and senior Morgan Stoicoiu will share the duties at quarterback.

McKinley Wetzel and Maddie Radabaugh will both see time as the team’s centers.

At wide receiver, sophomore Audrey Richmond is a standout.

Area of Strength: “Our knowledge of the game,” Eldreth said. “They are really grasping the game. We can throw the ball pretty good, and our specialty players can really catch it.”

Cause for Concern: “We are a really young team. We only have one senior and a lot of freshmen. We also don’t have a lot of depth.”

ROSTER

No., Player, Year

1, Brooklyn Marchette, junior

2, Jaylynn Thomas, freshman

3, Serenity Kelly, junior

4, Asa Frost, freshman

5, Morgan Stoicoiu, senior

6, Maddie Radabaugh, freshman

7, Dre Maione, junior

8, Adeline Graham, freshman

9, Audrey Richmond, sophomore

10, Rylee Stoicoiu, sophomore

11, Paige Eldreth, freshman

12, Zuri Chancellor, sophomore

15, Melinda Walker, junior

23, Carly Eldreth, senior

24, Winter Matijakovic, junior

25, McKinley Wetzel, sophomore

KENT ROOSEVELT ROUGH RIDERS

Coaching Staff: Jay Wilson, Josh Schoenberger.

Team Outlook: “As a first-year club, our primary outlook is centered on building a strong competitive foundation and a culture of teamwork,” head coach Jay Wilson said.

Positions: Quarterback duties will be shared by junior Brooklynn Frank and sophomore Grace Schoenberger.

Both have flag football experience, playing multiple seasons in youth leagues growing up.

“They have a great command of the offense and can make plays all over the field with their arms,” Wilson said. “Their experience playing flag football is a huge benefit for our team.”

Jenna Al-Sherifi, Desiree Holliday, Ella Chambers and Lilly Karpinecz will all see time at center.

“Jenna is one of most dedicated players. She has improved so much since the first day. Ella is an athletic route runner that we are going to rely on coming out of the center position.

“We threw Desiree in at center the other day out of nowhere and she worked hard on getting the snaps down. Lilly is obsessed with getting better. She is motivated to be out on the field and has taken this as serious as anyone.”

Receivers will be made up of the group that includes Marcy Barksdale, Sam Cartwright, Ava Elliott, Molly Flynn, Mahlia Friedman, Nolan Hubbard, Ty’Yana Johnson, Sammy Maccarone, Jeanne Polanco Fernandez, Alexandra Ross, Lainey Schuck, Taylor Smith, Nevaeh Sowers, Claire VanDamme and Lindsay Wills.

“Claire is an extremely athletic receiving weapon. She can make plays over the middle or deep. Her height and great hands make her a great Red Zone target.

“Lindsay is a versatile player who can play running back or wide receiver. Sammy is one of our players who will be good for yards after the catch. She has football jukes I wish that I could have done in high school.”

Defensively, Wills and Schuck appear will be an impact players and Wilson described Elliott as a ballhawk.

“Ava always seems to know where to be and will make the play. Her instinct is something we can’t coach.”

Area of Strength: “We have some pretty great athletes on our roster. Some top speed in Lindsay Wills, Mahlia Friedman, Marcy Barksedale, Molly Flynn and Sammi  Maccarone.

“Claire Vandamme is an imposing match up for defenders.

“Ava Elliott and Lainey Schuck have been giving our offense headaches at practice on the defensive end.

“We also have a dedicated group of underclassmen who have been getting better each week and will see time on the field.”

Cause for Concern: “Learning an offense in year one has been a hurdle. We need reps, reps, reps.”

ROSTER

Seniors: Marcy Barksdale, Mahlia Friedman, Lainey Schuck, Claire VanDamme, Lindsay Wills.

Juniors: Brooklynn Frank, Desiree Holliday, Lilly Karpinecz.

Sophomores: Ella Chambers, Ava Elliott, Nalani Hubbard, Jeanne Polanco Fernandez, Grace Schoenberger.

Freshmen: Jenna Al-Sherifi, Sam Cartwright, Molly Flynn, Ty’Yana Johnson, Sammi Maccarone, Ally Ross, Taylor Smith, Nevaeh Sowers.

ROOTSTOWN ROVERS

Coaching Staff: Alexis Ayers.

Team Outlook: “Our main focus is learning the game, developing fundamentals and building a strong team culture,” coach Alexis Ayers said, referencing the team navigating year one of the program.

“The players have been working hard, learning the plays and understanding roles. We are excited about the progress so far, and we are looking forward to seeing how the team grows throughout the season.”

Positions: Ayers spent the preseason trying to identify personnel and placing them in positions to be successful.

“We have several strong players competing for the quarterback position,” Ayers said. “They have shown strong leadership and a willingness to learn.”

Ayers pointed a strong group of athletic players at receiver, who have “good speed and good hands.”

“They should be able to create opportunities in our offense,” she said.

“Overall, the group is working hard to learn the system and improve each day.”

Area of Strength: “We have several athletic players, who are eager to learn and have the potential to make plays in space.”

Cause for Concern: “As a first-year program, our biggest challenge will be experience. Many of our players are still learning the game and adjusting to the pace and physicality of football, but they are improving every day.”

ROSTER

Seniors: Cloe Bengston, Haley Dick.

Juniors: Raylee Kahn, Ellianna Shepherd, Elliot Smallfield, Savanna King.

Sophomores: Addison Pownall, Kassadie Denison, Ceci Krieger, Amber Lucas.

Freshmen: Emma Haws, Summer Lucas, Emily Lucas, Johanna Tullas.

STREETSBORO ROCKETS

Coaching Staff: Jon Hannan, Steve Suchy, Margie Spinnr.

Team Outlook: “We are very excited for the season,” said head coach Jon Hannan, who was excited with the team’s first-year roster size of 25.

“We are inexperienced, but we have some very athletic girls who have decided to play, which will benefit us,” Hannan added. “We will line up in multiple different offensive and defensive formations to try things out and see what works best for us.”

Offensively, the Rockets will run spread-influenced sets.

“We want to get our fast girls on the outside and also mix in some short passes. As we get more advanced, we want to mix in some reverses and trick plays, if we can.”

On defense, Hannan plans to implement a series of zones and man coverages.

All of it has Hannan enthusiastic about the upcoming season.

“For me personally, getting to coach football has been a dream come true,” he said. “I come from a football family so it is exciting to be part of one of the first Portage County girls flag football teams. It is very exciting for the girls to get the chance to play football and overall we want to have fun with it. We are hoping to be competitive and do well in our games, but as long as the girls are enjoying it and want to come back next year, or play in college, then we are doing something right.”

Positions: “Multiple girls have shown a lot of promise in our first couple of months, but we want to give every girl opportunities so we are mixing in different groups to focus on rotations and rests throughout the games,” Hannan said.

ROSTER

No., Player, Year

1, Olivia Johnson-Wilson, senior

2, Willow Bessem-Asu, senior

3, Jameelah Oshodi, senior

4, Ariana Nichols, junior

5, Kennedy Waugh, freshman

6, Riley Suchy, senior

7, Maria Gerome, sophomore

8, Jayda Glave, freshman

9, Madison Austin, freshman

10, Kendall Epple, senior

11, Ashleigh Denvir, senior

12, Zoie Dunn, senior

13, Jennaba Fall, junior

14, Ava Scisciani, junior

15, Tea Eagle, senior

17, Gabby Hawkins, senior

18, Kenzie McIntosh, senior

19, Ruby Dao, sophomore

20, Audrina Russo, junior

22, Melanie Royal, senior

23, Toshuana Williams-Palmer, senior

24, Jazlynn Crudupp, sophomore

25, Aaliyah Woody, sophomore