By BRIAN TORTELLA
Correspondent
On X @tortreports
Girls flag football is one of the fastest growing high school sports in the country. Participation in the sport reached 42,955 nationally last year, nearly triple the amount from three years ago, according to Northjersey.com.
In New Jersey, the sport is about to enter its final year in pilot mode and will be an officially sanctioned sport by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association for the first time come next spring. Currently nine states have sanctioned girls flag football, according to the National Federation of State high School Associations, and two more — Colorado and Montana — are expected to sanction this sport this year. New Jersey is among 17 more states that are in pilot program stages.
The West Jersey Football League had 26 teams compete last spring and several new teams have hopped on board for this season, including Camden Catholic High. The Irish are one of the first parochial schools to launch the sport in our region.
“The sport of flag football is exploding in popularity amongst both boys and girls at the youth and high school levels,” said Jim McHugh, Camden Catholic’s athletic director. “Based on some internal conversations with students and administration, we were confident that we would have strong interest in a flag football program at Camden Catholic. We pride ourselves on being the flagship school in the Diocese of Camden, and the opportunity to be at the forefront on this emerging sport was something we were very excited about.”
McHugh and the Camden Catholic administration didn’t hesitate to implement the sport during the fall after realizing the amount of interest the sport was accumulating throughout the school.
According to head coach Barbara Hertline, 45 girls attended the first informational meeting and the Irish have since narrowed the roster to 24 players and five practice players who will also serve as team managers.
The Philadelphia Eagles have played an essential role in helping flag football take off in Pennsylvania and southern New Jersey. They provided Camden Catholic with the necessary equipment to help start the program.
“The NFL (National Football League) and Eagles organization have been integral in the inception of our program, as they are sponsoring our team locally,” Hertline said. “Not only have they provided us with uniforms and equipment, but they also offered us the opportunity to participate in the NovaCare Performance Combine and a coaches clinic sponsored by the Philadelphia Eagles. The support that we have received from all involved parties has been crucial in the successful rollout of this program at Camden Catholic. We are forever grateful for the opportunity that they have given the female athletes at our school, and can’t wait to see what the future holds for girls across the nation.
“Thanks to the Camden Catholic administration and athletics department, the announcement of the formation of the girls flag football team at Camden Catholic has created a tremendous amount of buzz and excitement among our school community.”
The success to come for the Irish will be shown beyond just wins and losses this season, Hertline said. Coach Hertline said she and her staff will aim to teach players the fundamentals of the sport. Establishing a firm culture for the program is critical, she said.
“This season, we hope to accomplish much more than just trying to win games,” she said. “We hope to create a foundation for these athletes, teaching them the fundamentals of the sport, but also the fundamentals of life. These girls will learn how to be good teammates and leaders, both on and off the field. We look to them to be coachable athletes that we can offer constructive criticism to, where they will then strive to get better.”
Camden Catholic will look to make history with a victory on Tuesday as the Irish travel to Cherry Hill West for the program’s first game.
Win or lose, it doesn’t really matter. The memories to come will have an immeasurable impact.
“At the end of the day, we want them to have fun,” Hertline said. “We want them to look back on this time in their high school career and have great memories of the time spent with teammates, while playing a sport that they have grown to love.”
“Being the inaugural coach of the Camden Catholic High School girls flag football team seems surreal,” she continued. “I have an amazing coaching staff, each with a special niche, and I couldn’t be more proud to work alongside each one of them. Girls flag football is sweeping the nation, and we are on the forefront of something very exciting. We are making history, and I am honored to lead the charge, in what will forever be etched in the history books here at CCHS.”
“In the short amount of time that we have spent with these girls, they have shown tremendous athleticism, grit, drive and determination. Each one of them has something special to offer and is an important piece of the puzzle we are putting together at Camden Catholic. We look forward to the season ahead, and can’t wait to take the field.”
Camden Catholic will participate in the WJFL’s Liberty Division along with Camden, Camden Eastside, Cherry Hill West, KIPP Cooper Norcross Academy and Mastery Camden. Here’s a look at the Irish’s inaugural schedule (all games at 4 p.m. unless otherwise noted):
March
25 @ Cherry Hill West
27 vs. Camden
April
3 vs. Camden Eastside
8 @ Mastery Camden, 7 p.m.
11 vs. KIPP Cooper Norcross Academy
14 vs. Ewing
15 @ Trenton
29 vs. Cherry Hill West
May
1 @ Camden
6 @ Camden Eastside
8 vs. Mastery Camden
14 vs. KIPP Cooper Norcross Academy
