SHS’s flag football squad starts games this week

While the learning curve might be tall, coaches and players with Sequim High’s inaugural season of girls flag football find there’s a lot of enthusiasm for the new sport.

Sequim’s three seniors Raimey Brewer, Sidney Thomas-Harris, and Kiley Winter all said at a recent practice there’s no better time to try the new sport than their last year of high school.

“I realized it was my last year here, so I decided why not try something new,” Thomas-Harris said, who has always had an interest in playing the sport.

Other girls echoed giving the sport a chance too.

“I don’t really have a winter sport, so I figured, ‘why not?’” Brewer said. “And I don’t know anything about football, so it’s a good way to learn.”

Sequim School District’s board of directors just gave their approval for the team on Nov. 3 with the sport being sanctioned on Aug. 1 by the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA). Girls flag football is Sequim High School’s first new sport since girls bowling in 2001-2002.

Practices started on Nov. 17, and head coach Kathleen Rose said she’s found the group to be really athletic and eager to learn.

“I think that they want to have fun, but they want to compete and have fun,” she said.

Sequim has 19 girls practicing with enough players for both varsity and junior varsity teams in seven-on-seven games against Olympic League foes, such as Port Angeles, Bremerton and Kingston.

“We’ve got really good, solid numbers,” Rose said of the turn out.

That’s league-wide too, she said, with likely enough opponents for both varsity and JV squads to each play two games a week.

The Wolves scrimmaged in Port Angeles a few days before Thanksgiving, and are set to travel to their first official games in Bainbridge on Thursday, Dec. 4 to play North Kitsap and Port Angeles.

Games will all be played in two 20-minute halves at 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. Thursdays at one host site for four teams with two games going at the same time.

Sequim hosts games Dec. 18 (playing Klahowya and Port Angeles) and Jan. 29 (against Bainbridge and Bremerton) on Myron Teterud’s Field in the district stadium (stáʔčəŋ, a S’Klallam word pronounced “stah-chung” meaning “wolf”).

Learning curve

As mentioned, players said they’re coming into the game with little to no knowledge about football.

“I think we’re all the same level right now,” Winter said. “We’re all just growing together and I think that’s the fun part. We’re all getting to experience that at the same time.”

Winter, also Rose’s daughter, is the only one who has played flag football before, which was during the COVID-19 pandemic while she was in middle school.

Rose asked Athletic Director Ian Henley about forming a Sequim team in the summer, which led to a student survey and significant interest.

To familiarize players with flag football in general, Rose said they incorporate definitions into practices, such as what is the line of scrimmage.

She’s found flag football can be slightly easier to follow with less positions and different rules.

“If you’re not a quarterback or running back, you’re a receiver, but even if you’re running back, you’re still a receiver,” Rose said.

A few key rules, she notes, include no quarterback sneaks, and there can be a dedicated blitzer on defense but they have to be seven yards back and cannot be screened/blocked.

In Washington’s girls flag football, Rose said there won’t be kickoffs, punts or extra points.

A touchdown is worth six points and the scoring team has the option to take an automatic extra point, or go for two points with one down from the 10-yard line, or to go for three points with one down from the 17-yard line.

According to the WIAA, on fourth down, teams will have the option of “punting” by relinquishing possession to the opponent’s 5-yard line, or “going for it” and forfeiting the ball on the line of scrimmage to the other team if the line to gain is not crossed on fourth down.

Coming off the fall soccer season, Winter said she’s found she needs to be more strategic in her flag football moves because there are no slide tackles.

“It is a little bit harder than I expected it to be,” she said. “But I think we’re all learning pretty fast, so it’s just coming together really nice.”

“It’s a great experience,” Brewer said of the sport.

Rose said the team is fun, smart, and young with most of the roster freshmen and sophomores.

“That’s exciting for (development of the team) for the next couple of years,” she said.

Helping Rose with coaching are assistants Terry Wopperer and Cody Buckmaster.

Players this year, include Sophia Berglund, freshman; Raimey Brewer, senior; Olive Bridge, junior; Audrey Cabage, sophomore; Sophie Clayton, sophomore; Kayla Countryman, freshman; Stella Dennis, sophomore; Shaylee Furbee, sophomore; Anella Henning, freshman; Olivia Jameson, sophomore; Ruby Moxley-Horgan, sophomore; Xyla Reichner, freshman; Harlow Smith, sophomore; Lily Sparks, junior; Mackenzye Tate, sophomore; Taylor Thai, sophomore; Sydney Thomas-Harris, senior; Maryclair “MC” Torres, junior; and Kiley Winter, senior.

Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash Ruby Moxley-Horgan attempts to take the flag of teammate Raimey Brewer during a recent practice for Sequim’s girls flag football team.

Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash/ Olivia Jameson, right, looks to move past teammate Harlow Smith during a drill for SHS’ flag football team.

Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash/ The Wolves’ inaugural team of girls flag football players suit up for drills and a scrimmage during a recent practice.