SECTION IV FLAG FOOTBALL: AFTER SCRIMMAGE, WAVERLY'S SHAW OPTIMISTIC HEADING INTO INAUGURAL SEASON (2024-03-24)

By TIM BIRNEY
Valley Sports Report
WAVERLY —  Waverly will take the field Monday evening for its first-ever flag football game, and given his team’s performance in its scrimmage Tuesday against Owego, coach Dave Shaw is optimistic about the inaugural season.

“We didn’t know what to expect,” said Shaw of the scrimmage. “We had only gone against ourselves … but when we went out and were competitive against (Owego) that opened our eyes a bit.

““(Owego) coach Virkler was really surprised at our performance,” noted Shaw. “He told me once our girls figure it out, we should be right in the mix by the end of the season.

“I think we have the athletes to do it, and with the way they’ve picked things up, I don’t see why there’s any reason we can’t be in the mix,” Shaw added. “There’s no reason for us not to be optimistic with the athletes we have.”

Shaw was especially impressed with his team’s offense.

“I purposely scheduled a scrimmage with Owego because they were in the finals last year. I wanted to see where we were at,” he said.

“We looked really good on offense,” noted Shaw.“We moved the ball up and down the field.

“We’re using a lot of motions to get defenders moving, then running the ball where they aren’t,” he added. “We did a really good job, in the snow, of pitching the ball, and catching the ball on the options.”

Senior Paige Robinson will start at quarterback, with sophomore Brilynn Belles, and 8th-grader Lauryn Welles will also get reps.

Seventh-grader Gianna Rylot, freshman Clare Clemens, and Welles will handle the snapping duties.

Seniors Ally Barrett and Erica Ryck, junior Brinn Cooney, sophomores Mira Kittle, and Claire Clonch, and 8th-grade speedster Kaylin Twedt should all see time at running back.

“We have quite a few girls who can run the ball,” Shaw said.

Shaw noted that Twedt had caught his eye.

“(Twedt) can run,” said Shaw. “She looked good in our scrimmage, and I can see her getting more carries as the season progresses.”

Senior Ashlen Croft, junior Lea Cole, and sophomores Avalynn Boots, and Ashlynn Dragoo will all see time at wide receiver.

Of course, the scrimmage wasn’t all positive, but Shaw took the blame for the negatives.

“Honestly, everything the girls did well, we practiced. Everything we did wrong, we either showed the girls wrong, or we didn’t practice it,” said Shaw. “It had nothing to do with the girls.

“Blocking for instance, we were under the impression you blocked with your arm behind you back, like a moving screen in basketball,” he noted. “Owego came out with their arms across their chest … that makes a huge difference.

“So, we’ve gotten a lot better this week at blocking, which is going to help us,” he added.

Shaw notes the scrimmage was invaluable.

“We had only run plays against air,” he said. “Now that we know what teams will try to do to us defensively, we’re showing girls who to block, and where to block them, which will make a big difference, too.

“It’s just a lot of stuff … it’s a new program, we’re starting from scratch,” added Shaw.

His team’s inexperience showed on defense, but Shaw again said that was on him.

“We haven’t worked much on defense,” he said. “With what we wanted to do on offense, we knew it would take time.

“Defensively, we gave up some big plays,” noted Shaw. “But, this is Owego’s third year, and they have nine girls back from last year’s team that was in the Sectional finals.

“So, for us to come out with just five days of practice, in a blizzard, and compete with Owego … I thought the girls did a good job.

“Since then, we’ve started working defensively, and we’re certainly getting a lot better,” he added.

Shaw said the scrimmage also showed him that he and his coaches also have a lot to learn.

“We learned a couple rules that weren’t really in the book, but will help us,” he said.

“I think the big learning curve for us as coaches is to start teaching the correct things, things we were lacking Tuesday night,” added Shaw. “I don’t blame the girls, I think it was the (coaches) inexperience. I think we’re going to learn together.”

Defensively, Kittle and Clonch will start at inside linebacker, with sophomore Elona Holmes, and Rylott also see time there.

Belles and Robinson will start at outside linebacker, with Welles, Ryck, Cooney, and sophomore Sierra Allen vying for time there.

Croft, Boots, and Dragoo will see time at cornerback, while Barrett will start at safety, with Belles, and Cole seeing reps there.

Shaw said tackling (pulling the flag) is an art form, and he’s taken a different approach to coaching it.

“I didn’t realize how tough it was to pull a flag,” he said. “So, we have practiced that a lot.

“We had an extra set of flags, and I cut them down to three inches,” noted Shaw. “I figured if we could pull a three-inch flag, we should be able to pull a 12-inch flag.

“The game is a learning process for the coaches, right down through,” Shaw added. “The girls are picking it up. We’re a lot better today (Sunday), than we were Tuesday.”

And for anyone thinking, Shaw and his staff are giving any less to flag football than they do to the boys team in the fall, think again.

“I told the girls the first night: I’m not good at not getting after it,” said Shaw. “I only know one way.

“I just can’t say enough about these girls,” he noted. “They’ve shown up in the snow and the rain, on Sundays … it doesn’t matter what we’ve asked them to do, they show up and do it.

“And, they like it. They get along well, and they’re having a good time.

“The girls are giving us their best, it’s only right that we give them the best we have,” added Shaw.

Shaw realizes that most of the teams in Section IV have a season or two under their belts already, but he believes they can make up ground quickly.

“I think the big thing is, we’re going to get film on these other teams, and there’s nobody that watches more film than us,” said Shaw.

“And, there’s no one that does more 7-on-7 than we do,” Shaw said noting the similarities between the boys 7-on-7 games and flag football.

Around Section IV:  Vestal, Owego, Chenango Forks, and Maine-Endwell are expected to be the top teams in Section IV, Division 2. The top four advance to the postseason.

So what are Shaw’s expectations in Year One?

“Our goal is to get just a little bit better at everything we do every day, and at the end of the year be right there in the mix,” he said.

“We’re certainly athletic enough, and I think we can put them in the right spots to be successful,” Shaw noted.

“These girls want to be successful, so our goal is to be in the mix, and be one of the top four teams that makes the Section IV playoffs — that’s our goal as coaches, and that’s the girls’ goal, too.

“And, once you get in, everyone has a chance,” added Shaw.

Waverly opens its inaugural season Monday at 6 p.m. at Windsor.

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IN PHOTO: Waverly coach Dave Shaw. … PHOTO BY TIM BIRNEY