The flag football season started a few weeks ago, and our girl’s flag football team has been putting in work. Playing 11 games so far, the varsity’s record is 8-3. JV has played 7 games so far and their record is 2-2-3. They are also ranked 1st in the 2A D5 District.
Even though they have multiple wins, the team has had some losses, but those aren’t stopping our lady darters from fighting. The Blue and White interviewed Junior Nyla Johnson who plays Varsity to ask her what game she felt had been their hardest game. She answered, “I think physically our hardest game was when we played Horizon. It was just as hard physically as it was mentally, because there was a lot of pressure we put on ourselves alone.” The game was tough, and even though they lost, the Lady Darters fought like champions.
Although flag football can be a challenging sport, there are plenty of positives to experience. Junior Jhenelle Francis is captain of the Varsity team, she has been playing flag football for about five years. When asked about her favorite qualities of the team, she said she looks forward to creating tight relationships and bonds, also mentioning Apopka’s good energy. Although they may sometimes be lacking in strategy, teamwork and leadership must translate into a team’s performance. Junior Hannah Cribbs also touched on this: “On both offense and defense we stress the importance of communication on the field. We must communicate to find the open gaps in the opposing team’s defense/vice versa. My favorite part of playing on the Apopka team is getting to bond with my friends over a sport we love. I believe each team has an area they can improve. Whether it’s their offense or their defense, no team will ever be perfect, and that’s something everyone should take into consideration.”
Coach Wilson is the head coach of both flag football teams. She has her expectations for this year and wants to focus on growth. In her interview, she stated, “They are making adjustments on offense and defense as they make strides toward their team goals. I will say they’re adapting in practice and playing hard and being very competitive with each other to get better.” The team has made many improvements and has fought hard throughout the season. “I feel like they’ve risen to all the challenges that they’ve faced,” Coach Wilson expresses. Both teams this year are great and have risen against challenges many times. She then also reveals, “This is like a great group of girls. I enjoy coaching them. They come into practice every day working hard and you could tell with the amount of time that they put in it and they give that same energy on the field”
On Wednesday, April 10, Apopka defeated the West Orange Warriors with a score of 18-7. Come on out and support our Lady Darters as they enter the playoffs.
On Thursday, Apr 11, 2024, the Apopka Varsity Girls Flag Football team lost their game in the first round of district playoffs against Ocoee High School by a score of 12-13.
