Although the Ohio High School Athletic Association officially sanctioned girls’ flag football on June 24, the Berkshire Badgers had already established a structured girls’ flag football program over six seasons.
“It is nice to be recognized on the same platform as every other sport, having us work for six years toward this, it has been a fun journey and it is nice to see us be able to be sanctioned,” said Coach Josh DeWeese.
The Badger girls just ended their sixth season finishing as a state quarterfinalist and capturing its first conference title, and a year removed being a state semifinalist and two years removed from finishing as the state runners-up.
According to the six-year coach, it is safe to say that the program is flourishing.
“It is really just about belief, confidence and trust,” DeWeese added. “Trusting that you are learning what you need to do and believing in what we are doing and having the confidence to go out and perform and that is true with any sport. The girls are committed, they have done well, and we are blessed with having a lot of great athletes come through the program so far.”
DeWeese acknowledged the challenges of starting a new athletic program at Berkshire, as existing athletic programs have recently struggled to maintain stable rosters.
He said that when the girls’ flag football program originally started, interest was low as the team averaged 15 girls on the roster in the first two seasons, but the roster size has steadily increased over the last several years, with the most recent season having the Badger girls field a team of 30 athletes.
Now that the OHSAA has officially recognized the sport by sanctioning it, DeWeese said that the roster size can only continue to increase.
“It is nice to see the opportunity to continue to compete for a state championship and to have all of those things that are afforded to sanctioned sports,” he noted.
DeWeese, who has served as the varsity football coach for 13 years, said the girls’ flag football program started six years ago when word of a girls’ flag football team being started in Mentor spread throughout Northeast Ohio.
He added that he was approached by several Berkshire female athletes to lead a girls’ flag football program because of his experience as the varsity football coach.
“The interest has always come from the girls, I just want to be able to provide them the opportunity and it has been a great ride and an amazing run,” he said.
DeWeese said that flag football had already started planting roots in the Berkshire recreation league as well as the development of the Geauga County Youth Flag Football Association, which includes Chardon, Middlefield and Burton and is entering its sixth season.
Although DeWeese had already been the football coach for several years, he said that coaching girls’ flag football has helped him evolve further as a coach.
He credited the commitment of the girls, as although most of them are already varsity athletes for several different athletic programs at Berkshire, they still showed patience as a fair amount of them were unfamiliar with the game.
“We have girls who were great athletes from those who know nothing of football to girls that know everything of football and everything that they learn is through hard work,” he said. “I would say it is across the board of people knowing the game and not knowing the game and learning the game but that is the common bond, that they all want to learn the game.”
As successful as the Badger girls’ flag football program has been the last several years. DeWeese said that the sport has been a nice outlet for varsity athletes who have sought a change of pace as they await the beginning of the volleyball, girls’ basketball and girls’ soccer seasons.
“A full season of training in sports, between volleyball, basketball and soccer, they go all year so having a season that is different with definitely a lot less pressure I believe so I see a lot of girls flourish and flock to the sport because it is fun,” he said.
DeWeese added that the future of girls’ flag football looks extremely bright for Berkshire given its recent run of postseason success.
“It just comes down to getting it done in the moment and that is the biggest part, being prepared and ready for it,” DeWeese said. “These girls were playing in quite a big few moments so that confidence is growing and trust is growing so hopefully we can march through that door again in the future.”
