Freehold Township High School is making history this spring with its inaugural season of flag football for the girls. A preview of the team in action was held at Marlboro High School on Thursday, March 19, in a joint scrimmage with Marlboro and Colts Neck. The team looked impressive out there, especially on the defensive side of the ball.

What do you need to know about the first-ever flag football team at FTHS? Let’s break it down.

Schedule

The team will play nine regular season games: five at home, and four on the road, and have the potential to qualify for the playoffs. Since flag football is not considered a varsity sport, the team is not able to schedule games on Saturdays.

Home games: Red Bank Catholic (March 26, 4:30 PM), Manalapan (April 8, 4:30 PM), Neptune (April 15, 4:30 PM), Colts Neck (April 28, 4:30 PM), and Trinity Hall (May 5, 6:00 PM)

Road games: at Shore Regional (April 10, 4:00 PM), at Ranney (April 16, 4:00 PM), at Marlboro (April 21, 4:00 PM), and the inaugural girls Duke at Freehold Boro (April 30, 4:30 PM).

**All dates and times are subject to change.**

Roster

The roster consists of many familiar faces from different sports disciplines at FTHS. Among these include…

• Girls Soccer: Kaylie Fata (Sr.), Sihera Karce (Jr.), Isabelle Hanna (So.), Skyler Rausch (So.), Rachael Marsella (So.), Gabrielle Ramiz (Fr.)

• Girls Basketball: Chloe Glickman (Sr.), Shiloh Harris (So.)

• Track/XC: Katie (Sr.) & Maria Bulawa (So.), Holly Matthews (Sr.)

• Battle of the Classes: Julianna Viesta (Fr.), Leila Perez (Jr.)

• Other notable players: Delila Martinez (So.), Abby Valasa (Jr.), Joelle Ganon (Fr.), Fiona Cellina (So.), Antonella Moreano (So.), Geovanna Pecoraro (Sr.), Lily Naik (Fr.)
• Fata, Pecoraro, and Valasa are competing for the coveted starting quarterback job.
• The team will be coached by Mr. Patterson, who also coaches girls soccer in the fall.

Cam’s Prediction

In year one, I predict that the Patriots flag football team will finish with a record of 5-4 in the regular season, with wins over Manalapan and Colts Neck at home, and wins over Ranney, Marlboro, and Freehold Boro on the road. The other schools: RBC, Neptune, Trinity, and Shore have all fielded flag football teams in the past and thus are more experienced at the game. FTHS’s “Quality over quantity” roster and coaching will propel them to wins over the other inexperienced programs.

Be sure to pack the football stands for a historic first game on Thursday, March 26, against the RBC Caseys at 4:30 PM.

Cheers to a great season and stay classy!