By David Weinberg
It didn’t take long for C.C. DiMauro to learn how to play football.
The Middle Township High School senior delivered a spot-on impression of Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown during a recent visit to the Eagles’ practice facility.
DiMauro caught a dozen passes and scored three touchdowns for Middle in a scrimmage against Absegami as part of the Girls Flag Football Jamboree at the NovaCare Complex.
“It was a really cool experience to be able to play there,” DiMauro said. “I can’t wait for the season to start.”
Girls flag football has quickly developed into one of New Jersey’s fastest growing and popular sports, thanks in part to a financial commitment from the NFL. The Eagles, New York Jets and New York Giants are teaming with Nike to sponsor over 70 teams in the state this spring.
Nike is outfitting every team with 25 custom uniforms while the NFL teams are providing $3,000 to each school for transportation costs and other expenses.
While the program has been existence for three years, this marks the first time local schools will be competing. Absegami, Cedar Creek, Hammonton, Mainland Regional, Middle Township, Oakcrest and Ocean City form the Shore Division of the West Jersey Football League. Teams will play six regular-season games, followed by playoffs. The championship game is scheduled to be held in Philadelphia either at the NovaCare Complex or Lincoln Financial Field.
If officials were said to be initially skeptical about adding the sport to their schools, they were worried for nothing. Flag football is currently recognized as a club sport by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Associaiton (NJSIAA), meaning that student-athletes who are playing a spring varsity sport – crew, golf, lacrosse, softball, track and field – are free to join the flag football team.
As a result, female athletes have been flocking to the gridiron.
“We had 47 girls sign up and at least 40 play another spring sport,” Absegami athletic director Steve Fortis said. “We only have 25 uniforms, so we’re splitting the team up for games. We’ll have 25 players for one game and then 25 for the next game and so on.
“Some schools might have been worried they’d have enough players, but I knew it would be popular here. Our powder puff football game in the fall is only for seniors, but we always have freshmen, sophomores and juniors wanting to play. And that’s only one game in November.”
Because most players also participate in varsity spring sports, coaches, administrators and the athletes are going to have to perform some juggling acts.
That group includes DiMauro, who runs the 400 and 800 meters for the track team while also competing in the high jump and long jump.
“It’s tough sometimes because I also play (travel) soccer,” said DiMauro, who is planning on playing soccer and competing in track and field for Clarion University (Pennsylvania) in the fall. “But it will work out. I’ve always enjoyed watching football and as soon as I heard we were starting a team, I wanted to play.”
Middle principal Sharon Rementer was the spark behind getting flag football at the school during her tenure as the school’s athletic director. Now it’s current athletic director Josh McCarty, along with head coach Frank Riggitano and assistant coaches Nick Eidenberg and Monica Gannon and .
Riggitano, who is also entering his 22nd season as Middle’s varsity football coach, also had to make some adjustments. Flag football is seven vs. seven and is a non-contact sport, meaning no blocking or tackling is permitted. Also, all seven offensive players are eligible to touch the ball.
DiMauro and freshman quarterback Payton Abrego have emerged as early standouts for the Panthers, along with Chloe Frame, Ellen Muller, Layana Hayward, Isis Munoz and Armani Young. Abrego and DiMauro combined for three TDs in their scrimmage against Absegami, Frame ran for a TD, Muller had two sacks and Hayward, Munoz and Young were also defensive standouts.
Absegami, Hammonton and Middle players also participated in a funny Instagram video featuring Eagles Pro Bowl tackle Jordan Mailata at the Jamboree in which Mailata asked them to name their favorite Eagle.
The rest of the school is getting behind Middle’s team. The Panthers open their regular season Thursday at Cedar Creek, then are scheduled to host Hammonton on Tuesday, April 4 at 7 p.m.
“The kids love it and so do I,” Riggitano said. “They’re really excited to learn the game and have really been doing well so far. I just wish field goals were allowed because some of my soccer players have really strong legs.”
The challenge for the schools will come when/if the NJSIAA designates flag football as a varsity sport. It’s already happened in some states. California sanctioned it as a sport last month, following the lead of Alabama, Alaska, Florida and Nevada.
Given the way it’s catching on at the shore, it may not be long before “Friday Night Lights” are shining on flag football.
Local fighters earn wins
Atlantic City boxers Justin Figueroa and Francisco Rodriguez both registered convincing victories Saturday night at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall’s Adrian Phillips Ballroom.
Figueroa (4-0, 4 KOs), a Holy Spirit High School graduate and Atlantic City lifeguard, scored two knockdowns en route to a second-round knockout over Mauel Moreira (0-4), of Sheridan, Wyoming in a super-welterweight bout. Figueroa dropped Moreira for the second time behind a flurry capped by a right hook to the body, prompting referee David Fields to stop the scheduled four-rounder without a count.
Rodriguez (1-0, 1 KO), a Pleasantville High School grad, needed even less time to win, earning a first-round TKO over Marco Dorame (0-1), of Sierra Vista, Arizona, in a four-round, super-featherweight fight.
Rodriguez dropped Dorame with a body shot, then kept up the onslaught until the referee stepped in with 1 minute, 12 seconds left in the opening round.
