More titles for Niagara Youth Flag Football
The Niagara Youth Flag Football travel teams continue to shine.
At a Family Day tournament in Woodbridge, two NYFF squads won championships while the other two teams made the finals.
The Grade 7/8 team, coached by Dan Pepe, John Casasanta and Nathan Green, went 6-0 and won most of its games in dominant fashion. The team has won two straight tournaments, beating strong programs such as Flight Academy, Under Armour Canada and other competitive programs.
“This group defines teamwork, hard work and staying together,” NYFF founder Matt Hill said.
The team has the association’s two longest-serving girls, Cate Hawkings and Teagan Clark, and both were menaces on both sides of the ball. Carson Casasanta, the longest-serving league player, was dominant all day and led the tournament in touchdowns. Quarterback Richard Jaynes was unmatched, throwing 13 touchdowns on the day. He joined the league last July new to football and since then has become the No. 1 quarterback on the team. Other strong performances in the tournament were contributed by: Liam Matthews, who was making big plays all over the field on both sides of the ball; Ryder Hall, who was a dominant possession receiver, making catch after catch all day; Jacob Ianizzi, a new addition to the squad, who fit right in while making massive plays in the championship game; and, Charlie Barnowski and Owen Saunders, who were strong on both sides of the ball.
“Whether it was touchdowns, pulling flags or interceptions, they did it all,” Hill said.
The Grade 3/4 team was the youngest team in the tournament.
“This was their first competitive tournament and they sure didn’t show that, taking home gold,” Hill said. “Led by coaches Stefanie Caporicci, Scot Watson and Alex Hill, MVP-calibre play from quarterback Jagger D’Orazio and absolute dominance on both sides of the ball by Matteo DiFelice, the team won the tournament.”
Other top performers were: Amy Caporicci and Jasmine Rivard, the only girls at this age group, were leading the charge with Caporicci topping the tournament with flag pulls and making many big plays on offence; and, Jackson Lupish, Jake Seravale and Declan Boekma, who made plays all day long and were key contributors in the team’s success.
The Grade 5/6 team, coached by Jeremy MacLeod, Cliff Ivory, Terrance Murray and Matt Hill, lost in the A final.
The Grade 5/6 team, coached by Herdy Christian, Alexia Tam, and Alisa Stephanie, lost in the B final.
“The teams battled hard all day and at times it looked like a potential for an all Niagara finals, but we were faced with some stiff competition from Toronto,” Matt Hill said. “The fact that we can make two travel teams at one age group is a testament to the program’s strength with players and coaching.”
Niagara Youth Flag Football recently staged a free girls attended by 50 athletes.
Hill thanked Tam for designing the program and practice plan, and all the players and coaches for making it such a fun event.
“This is a big step in us putting in the ground work to get more girls involved in flag football,” Hill said. “Everyone had so much fun and we were so impressed with the girls’ understanding of basic football drills. They’re catching and flag grabbing skills were on full display. Many girls also had amazing footwork, likely transitioning from other sports.”
Niagara Youth Flag Football is continuing to register for its spring season and more than 300 kids have already signed up.
