On May 26, The Brewster High School Girls Flag Football team beat Scarsdale 12-2 to cap off an 11-0 season in the inaugural section 1 flag football league. The flag football team’s first season was nothing short of historic as the team went undefeated, claiming the league championship, and they weren’t done after that: they went on to sweep the section 1 tournament, beating Somers, Lakeland, and finally Scarsdale, in convincing fashion to claim the Section 1 girls flag football Championship.

But how did this team start? Coach Michael Castaldo says “Girls Flag Football came about because the NY Giants and NY Jets funded Section 1 to start a pilot program for any schools that were willing to participate. 9 teams decided to take the chance and start a team for their school.”

One thing that makes this historic feat so impressive was that many of these girls either never played football or didn’t know all the rules of the game. What drew many of these girls in was the unusual opportunity to be able to play in an organized flag football league. Senior Grace Galgano said, “It was a lot of fun to have the opportunity to learn more about a sport that I’ve watched on Friday nights and on TV. I was super happy that Section 1 was the first Section in New York to launch this program because it gave us the access to play something we’ve always been interested in but were never given the chance to play.” When the opportunity was there, 16 girls jumped on and it joined a girls flag football league, representing Brewster High School.
Galgano believed that the strong connection between her teammates led to their ultimate success of going undefeated.

“My favorite memory so far has been being undefeated league champs our first year,” Galgano said. “The energy and team chemistry has made our team so successful, and made every practice and game fun.”

Coach Castaldo sang his praises of the flag football team and his experience of being a coach of the team.

“Being a coach on this team has been one of the best experiences I have ever had,” Castaldo said. “This is an extremely talented group that just gets the job done and is very easy to coach. The girls did an amazing job during the season, especially during close games when big plays needed to be made. Going 11-0 being league champs and winning the Section was an unbelievable accomplishment, and I am so fortunate enough to have been a part of it.”

Junior Madison Dakin had a slew of moments that defined the Girls Flag Football season for her.

“We definitely had a lot of memorable moments throughout the season,” Dakin said. “Meeting Daniel Jones and Blake Martinez at the Somers’ Jamboree, going undefeated, and winning both the League Championship and the Section Championship were highlights, but my favorite moment for sure was being able to dump water on Coach Cunningham’s head after we won the Section Title.”

As many seniors on this years team finish up their athletic careers, Gianna Gioielli pitches this to many girls who are interested or undecided in playing next year, “It [the flag football team] was the most fun thing I’ve ever been apart of, and I definitely recommend it for anyone interested in playing next year.”

In a span of just a few months, 16 girls took the rare opportunity to play in a flag football league and seized every chance whenever they could, going undefeated and being league champions, to winning the sectional title. The team looks to repeat this success in the league next year, with close to 30 schools all interested in joining the Flag Football League in the near future.