Flag Football
In February 2022, the Wayne Board of Education received an $8,000 grant from the New York Jets to establish a girl’s flag football team at Wayne Valley. Popular from the start, many Valley students showed interest in joining such an inclusive and historically important team. Like any other sport, tryouts were held and 28 girls made the team.
Flag football allows three-sport athlete Sam Servideo an opportunity to branch out and try new activities. “I’ve always wanted to play football and I finally had the chance to,” Servideo recalls. Her teammate, Ally Berger, also states, “I’ve loved the game ever since I was little. Being given the chance to actually play was an opportunity I just had to jump on.” The creation of this club not only gives girls the chance to learn how the game works but allows them to see how it differs from NFL football. As Servideo says, “It’s a totally different game.”
However, flag football is still considered a club and other established sports have priority. Sometimes this has caused some players to arrive late to games and practices or occasionally missing them altogether. As both a lacrosse and flag football player, Servideo remarks, “It’s so difficult to balance both sports because if we need to skip football practice, we miss out on a lot of new plays and material.” On the other hand, many players hope that flag football will remain as a club so they can still participate in other sports during the spring season as well.
Berger exclaims, “There are so many milestones and achievements we are accomplishing together as a team, it’s all quite surreal.” Wayne Valley made history this year with an astounding push to break gender barriers in high school sports. At the start of next season, Wayne Hills will also have a girl’s flag football team, creating yet another hometown rivalry.
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