Girls flag football debuting Friday; five county teams participating

When the OHSAA announced in mid-July it was going to sponsor girls flag football in coordination with the Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals, interest around Medina County was high. That held true when the time came to form teams, as Black River, Cloverleaf, Medina and Medina Christian joined Highland in the Northern Ohio Girls Flag Football League. Each team will be considered a club for two years before official school sponsorship, but overhead is low beside travel costs because the Browns provide all equipment and officials. The sport is drastically different than tackle football, beginning with five-on-five games that are played simultaneously from sideline to sideline on a tackle field. Girls flag fields are 25 yards wide and 50 long, not including 10-yard end zones, and games consist of 20-minute halves with a running clock. Possession begins at the 5-yard line, and the offense has four plays to reach midfield. It then has four more to find the end zone for six points and has the option to go for a one-point conversion from the 5-yard line or a two-point conversion from the 10. An offense consists of a center, quarterback and three receivers, and the QB is ineligible to cross the line of scrimmage unless it passes or hands off the ball. The center is eligible to catch a pass and handoffs are permitted, but a play is blown dead after seven seconds if a run/pass action is not achieved. Defenses are notable for one "rusher" who must declare before each play and start from 5 yards behind the line of scrimmage. Others blitzers are allowed from 7 yards. The rules are designed to limit contact as much as possible. Blocking, holding and shielding are prohibited, and any contact deemed intentional by an official results in an ejection. Black River, Cloverleaf and Medina will compete in the Western Conference Orange Division with Amherst, Avon Lake, Elyria, Elyria Catholic, Midview, Oberlin, Sandusky and Strongsville. The host sites are Sandusky, Avon Lake and Elyria. Highland and Medina Christian are in the Southern Conference Orange Division with Bedford, Copley, Cuyahoga Falls, CVCA, Nordonia, North Royalton, Roosevelt, Stow and Streetsboro. The host sites are Nordonia, North Royalton and Roosevelt. The regular season consists of 10 games — one against each division member — and most schools will play two per day on Fridays and/or Sundays to keep Saturdays free for track and field athletes. Medina Christian can't play on Sundays due to school policy, so the Knights will have triple-headers on April 17 and May 1. The tournament for the 121 Ohio teams begins May 4, with winners advancing to regionals May 11 at Huntington Bank Field. The state championship is May 16 at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium. Ohio is among 17 states with sanctioned programs, but all 50 states now have the sport in some form. Flag football will be a sport in the 2028 Olympics hosted by Los Angeles. Here's a closer look at the county's five teams: Black River Coach: Kyle Jenkin Record: 0-0 (1st season) Roster: Hailey Lambdin (sr.), Gabby Bright (sr.), Morgan Kubitz (sr.), Anya Koberna (sr.), Laura Szojka (sr.), Savannah Mullet (sr.), Hailey Grant (so.), Carlee Mennell (so.), Maddy Groesser (so.), Emma MacFarlane (so.), Savannah Landrum (so.), Payton Mullet (fr.), Leah DeJesus-Sayers (fr.), Gianna Paradise (fr.), Kimmi Norman-Williams (fr.), Payton Kubitz (fr.). Noteworthy: Jenkin is a former Cloverleaf and Heidelberg lineman who was an assistant coach for the Black River boys team. l The Pirates have six of the county's seven seniors, including basketball standouts Morgan Kubitz, Koberna and Mullet. l Black River is taking a wait-and-see approach to positions. Cloverleaf Coach: Sean Juszczyk Record: 0-0 (1st season) Roster: CherryAnn Nicholson (C/WR/LB, jr.), Rylee Winkelman (WR/C/LB, fr.), Lucy Mandato (WR/QB/FS, fr.), Madeline Blaha (WR/CB, fr.), Emma Haumesser (C/WR/CB), Riley Hall (C/WR/LB, fr.), Ellie Marshall (QB/FS, fr.), Maddison Steele (WR/SS, fr.), Kayla Schempp (WR/SS, fr.), Hailey Valure (WR/CB, fr.), Leah Monhemius (WR/FS, fr.), Jenah Gluckle (WR/SS, fr.), Nova Peer (WR/QB/CB, fr.), Liv McHugh (WR/QB/CB, fr.). Noteworthy: Juszczyk is the brother of NFL fullback Kyle Juszczyk and a wide receivers/defensive line coach for the Colts boys team. l Cloverleaf is the youngest team in the county with one junior and 13 freshmen. Highland Coach: Rob Peterson (2nd season) Record: 0-0 (1st season in OHSAA, 2nd overall) Roster: Vivian Bogdanski (RB/WR/CB, jr.), Laila Monter (QB/WR/CB, jr.), Aruna Pellani (WR/C/RUSH/Cb, jr.), Allie Green (WR/CB, so.), Katie Peterson (QB/WR/CB/S, so.), Katelyn Soha (RB/WR/CB, so.), Katelyn Zarkovacki (RB/WR/CB, so.), Alicia Grimes (QB/WR/CB, fr.), Ella Hazen (WR/CB, fr.), Annie Helsel (WR/C/CB/RUSH, fr.), Myla Lapointe-Papy (WR/CB, fr.), Maja McCarthy (WR/C/RUSH, fr.), Gracie Mostoller (WR/C/CB, fr.), Jillian Pesek (RB/WR/CB/RUSH, fr.), Amelia Price (C/RB/WR/CB, fr.), Brynn Stefanec (WR/CB, fr.), Faith Stiggings (RB/WR/CB, fr.). Noteworthy: Peterson is the director for Highland's youth program and also coaches the middle school rugby team. l Highland was the lone county school to play last season, going 5-4-1 with a roster included two players from Wadsworth because the sport did not have OHSAA designation. The Hornets have the largest roster in the county this spring and plan to have a junior varsity. Medina Coach: Kevin Bowers Record: 0-0 (1st season) Roster: Shaniya Dalton (WR/CB/FS, jr.), Gabriella Lavolpa (RB/LB/CB, jr.), Elisa Ratti (RB/WR/CB, jr.), Jaliyah Bayless (C/CB, fr.), Brooke Haycook (RB/C/LB/CB, fr.), Andreyah Ivory (C/CB, fr.), Sophia Lavolpa (QB/RB/CB/FS, fr.), Zakhia Long (C/CB, fr.), Haylie Perdue (QB/RB/FS, fr.), Norah Shumar (WR/FS, fr.), Courtney Snow (RB/CB/LB, fr.), La'Niyah Seay-Hatcher (WR/FS, fr.). Noteworthy: Bowers is the former Medina boys defensive coordinator and Highland offensive coordinator and has a bevy of experience. He was a starting guard for Mentor Lake Catholic's 2001 Division III state championship team. l Perdue saw action for the varsity girls basketball team in the winter. Medina Christian Coach: Brian Taylor Record: 0-0 (1st season) Roster: Julianna Subotnik (WR/CB, sr.), Deanna Pace (QB/RUSH, jr.), Helaynah Lambert (WR/S, jr.), Lilliana Rebba (C/WR/DB, jr.), Hailey Conwill (WR/DB, fr.), Addie Archer (WR, DB), Ember Zelinski (WR/DB, fr.), Olivia Haggerty (QB/DB, fr.), Ruchi Dhruv (WR/DB), Hailey Mendrea (WR/RUSH/S, fr.). Noteworthy: Taylor is a middle school science teacher at Medina Christian and the offensive line coach at Buckeye. The Brunswick native was a lineman at Taylor (Ind.). l Mendrea was a standout for the volleyball team in the fall, while Pace is a two-year starter for the basketball team. Contact Albert Grindle at (330) 721-4043 or agrindle@medina-gazette.com.