BLOOMFIELD, NJ — Girls flag football has been all the rage throughout the country.
The craze has hit Bloomfield High School.
For the first time, BHS will have a girls flag football program this spring.
The Bloomfield Educational Foundation has generously supported the program with a $10,000 grant donation.
“We are so excited about the first flag football season at BHS,” said head coach Deb Schulze. “The momentum just keeps building! We had 70 girls come out for tryouts last week, and landed with a full varsity and JV roster. We have 10 games this season, along with two tournaments, the most recent one being this Saturday, March 28, at the Passaic Jamboree. “The support from the community has been incredible.”
Schulze has been impressed by the players’ enthusiasm and dedication.
“It feels great to be a part of this pilot program. I am in awe of the girls’ determination to launch the team,” she said. “From designing their own uniforms and managing their own marketing, the girls on the team make me feel honored to be a part of such a driven and dedicated group. I am proud to be their coach.”
The program has 28 varsity players and 15 JV players.
The future of the program is definitely promising.
“Our goals for this season are to establish ourselves as a varsity team with strong fundamentals skills on the field and a strong community presence off the field,” Schulze said. “We want to build a strong bond among our team and build a solid foundation for seasons to come. Our hopes are to make it to the playoffs and have one of our players join the North Jersey All Star team. Our long-term goal is to build a strong pipeline of young players from the Jr. Bengals Flag Football League in Bloomfield, all the way to the college level.
“Our senior varsity captain, Leanna Noel, was just offered a partial flag football scholarship to one of her choice schools, and we couldn’t be prouder of that! Our high school players are currently coaching some of the elementary and middle school girls teams in town to begin creating those connections.”
BHS athletic director Steve Jenkins said, “The excitement around flag football is palpable.
Turnout is excellent. We are all excited about our first NJSIAA flag season. Coach Schulze has done a remarkable job building this program from scratch. We are fortunate to have her on board.”
Editor’s note: This story has been updated with the mention that the Bloomfield Educational Foundation has generously supported the program with a $10,000 grant donation.
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