A look into the newest addition to South’s sports program and the community around it.
This year South introduced a new sport to the long running line up of offered teams: flag football. This addition was very exciting and intriguing for many female athletes since South has never offered flag football as a sport. The team immediately brought in many athletes looking for a new less traditional sport to play this spring season. There are a little under 30 girls playing on the team for the inaugural season, a number similar to other mainstream sports teams.
Flag Football is currently a club sport, but Oregon School Activities Association (OSAA) is strongly promoting the sport to become an OSAA sport in the coming seasons. Flag football is unique in the amount of excitement it holds and how it’s backed up by larger organizations, including OSAA and Nike. Nike and OSAA are pairing together and because of this Nike is donating jerseys to any school who is adding flag football to their options of sports.
The creation of a new sport may seem like it would bring up issues such as lack of players or skill as it’s always hard to start or restart a program. Despite this, the flag football team is highly optimistic about the new season and about the opportunities it’s bringing to create more community within South.
“It’s a brand new team and sport in South and I’m excited to see how it’ll be on the first team,” said sophomore Kristina Kunik-Arciniega.
The addition of flag football to South allows for a new community to form as it’s bringing together individuals from different athletic and non athletic backgrounds together. Often in sports there’s a stigma that by the time you get to highschool you should already have been involved in the sports you play. However, this isn’t an option when it comes to the flag because no one has ever played on South flag. Junior Chloe Ward said that “it opens opportunities for especially people who haven’t played a sport to be new at something together.” Flag is inclusive for anyone interested in playing to try without any pressure of making the cut or coming into an age old program.
Coach Tommy Simonis, who is also the assistant coach for South’s football team, is the backbone behind the creation of flag at South. In an interview with The Axe earlier this year, the Athletic Director, Jim Moore, explained how there were two possible activities that could be added to South: Boys Volleyball and Girls Flag Football. How was the choice made to add a flag? It’s simple, Coach Simonis volunteered to coach the brand new team in its inaugural season. Due to the combination of Nike’s donation and Coach Simonis volunteering, South was able to introduce flag for the 2024 season. Simonis expressed his appreciation for the other people that made the program possible, including other teams accommodations,
“I also want to thank AD Moore, Marlee Hansen for all the help. And thanks to the other spring sports for sharing the field with us. Hope to see lots of students out for our games, the ladies are working hard and deserve to be cheered on.”
As far as the team dynamic goes, the flag team is “really nice and supportive despite not all knowing each other,” according to Kunik-Arciniega who plays center on offense and linebacker for defense. However, her opinion isn’t alone; Ward shared a similar view of the team.
“The girls are super awesome and energetic and it’s a new sport new to everyone and it’s fun to learn and grow as a team,” Ward said. It’s very important that sports teams build a welcoming environment, especially with an entirely new program. This season sets the scene for seasons to come and the current program is building a great foundation.
“In tackle the best football teams are player led. I see a lot of great leadership on this flag team and with a good amount of seniors willing to try something new, I think we could have great success.” said Simonis.
Despite not starting their season off exactly how they’d imagined, with a loss for varsity to Thurston on April 11, 2024, the team is optimistic about upcoming games. Loss aside, Simonis is not down in spirit, “I’m looking forward to the girls having fun, scoring some touchdowns, getting some interceptions and hopefully giving them a fulfilling football experience.” he says. The Axe have no more home games but the team plays again on April 22 at West Salem and April 25 for the season closer at Sheldon. So, show up and support the Axe as they pave the way for a brand new program at South. Go Axe!
The Axe 