By Jeff Whitten, for the Effingham Herald
Effingham County Recreation and Sports Management Director Jeffrey Lonon said he’s been kicking the idea of starting up a girls’ flag football program for about two years.
The idea became reality and hit the ground running – and passing and catching – for real on June 18, when more than 20 girls ages 10 to 12 went through a handful of football drills as part of evaluations before a handful of coaches in preparation for league play beginning July 1.
The expectation is the number of participants will go up in seasons to come, Lonon said. For now, smaller works.
“The idea is to start it as a grassroots program,” he said. “Hopefully it’ll catch on and grow in our county and when kids get middle school and high school, they’ll already have some idea of how the game is played and what it’s about.”
Though ECRSM is among the first to offer flag football purely as a girls’ sport – some area rec departments have co-ed programs -- the sport has been gaining in popularity and import at the prep level. Georgia, where football of any kind is sure to be popular, became the fourth state in the U.S. to sanction girls’ flag football as a high school sport in 2019, and both Effingham County and South Effingham compete.
Additionally, flag football will be included in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic games.
What’s more, nearby Southeast Bulloch High School is a powerhouse, with three straight Georgia High School Association state titles. Calvary Day won a state crown in 2020, and other area teams have made runs toward a title as the sport gains traction at the GHSA level.
“I think girls want to have fun and challenge themselves and do everything they can do,” Way said. “They want to push themselves to the limit and not be constrained by any stereotypes.”
Among those ready to kick stereotypes to the curb are Giada DePietro, Lucy Horton and Bailee Bennett, all part of a group of players whose performance during tryouts went beyond the expectations of ECRSM Athletic Coordinator Teddy Smith.
“They impress me a lot,” Smith said, shortly after the drills ended. “I’ve never really seen this age group play flag football before, and they did a great job. They surpassed my expectations.”
DePietro, 12, is a SEMS and Savannah Club volleyball player. She grew up around the game in Philadelphia, playing in the backyard with her parents and supporting the local NFL team, the Eagles. Her favorite player is Philadelphia quarterback Jalen Hurts, DePietro said, but noted her mother is a former cheerleader and powder puff quarterback so “I feel like I’ve always played football.”
Horton, 12, is a SEMS student and ready to add another sport to her resume. The soccer player said she wants to learn to use her hands as well her feet and football is a good opportunity to do so.
And, there’s the chance to be among the first to get in on a sport that’s still growing in Effingham County, she said, adding that it’s “pretty cool to be among the first, and to try it now maybe go on to high school playing a real sport that you love.”
“If girls like to run, catch, and throw,” Horton added, “This is really a fun opportunity to try it.”
Bennett, 11, made no bones about her desire to play football. It’s something she’s “always wanted to do for a long time,” she said, adding, “My favorite football player kind of inspired me.”
That would be Justin Fields, formerly of the Chicago Bears and now with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Bennett said she may play quarterback but isn’t sure, and isn’t a one-sport athlete either. She plans on playing basketball in the winter.
“I’m more focused on football right now though,” she said.
That’s likely music to Lonon’s ears.
“Hopefully this will grow like our other sports have grown and become something our community will rally around,” he said. “I think it will grow, once people see it, and it will get bigger and bigger and bigger as we grow.”
