Oneida, N.Y. — It took most of the first girls varsity flag football game in the history of Section III on Monday for Oneida coach Tom Rose to figure out the one part of game-planning he’d overlooked.
Taking a knee.
Rose didn’t think that situation would come up in his team’s contest against Liverpool. But there his team was, trying to wrap up its 39-12 win with the ball and a little more than a minute left.
Rose told quarterback Izabelle Jepsen to take the snap and, when the Liverpool defense closed in on her, to hit the ground. Only something got lost in the translation. For three straight snaps, the Oneida players looked at each other with bewilderment before breaking out in their routes. Jepsen seemed ready to air it out before Rose yelled at her to pull it down.
“I didn’t expect to be in that situation,” Rose said. “They weren’t really sure what was going on. That’s something that’s not on our wristbands, so it’s not a play to call.”
No worries. The sport of flag football might be new to CNY, but Oneida was ready to go from the first whistle. If it keeps executing like this, it will get a few more chances to practice the strategy.
Oneida and Liverpool are two of the seven teams taking the field for the inaugural Section III flag football season. Baldwinsville, Cicero-North Syracuse, Syracuse East, Syracuse West and Syracuse Academy of Science are the others. Oneida and SAS play in Division II while the five other larger schools compete in Division I.
Liverpool and Oneida compete in the first-ever girls flag football game in Section III history at Oneida High School, Apr. 1, 2024
Liverpool and Oneida compete in the first-ever girls flag football game in Section III history at Oneida High School, Apr. 1, 2024
Liverpool and Oneida compete in the first-ever girls flag football game in Section III history at Oneida High School, Apr. 1, 2024
Liverpool and Oneida compete in the first-ever girls flag football game in Section III history at Oneida High School, Apr. 1, 2024
Liverpool and Oneida compete in the first-ever girls flag football game in Section III history at Oneida High School, Apr. 1, 2024
Liverpool and Oneida compete in the first-ever girls flag football game in Section III history at Oneida High School, Apr. 1, 2024
Liverpool and Oneida compete in the first-ever girls flag football game in Section III history at Oneida High School, Apr. 1, 2024
Liverpool and Oneida compete in the first-ever girls flag football game in Section III history at Oneida High School, Apr. 1, 2024
Liverpool and Oneida compete in the first-ever girls flag football game in Section III history at Oneida High School, Apr. 1, 2024
Liverpool and Oneida compete in the first-ever girls flag football game in Section III history at Oneida High School, Apr. 1, 2024
Liverpool and Oneida compete in the first-ever girls flag football game in Section III history at Oneida High School, Apr. 1, 2024
Liverpool and Oneida compete in the first-ever girls flag football game in Section III history at Oneida High School, Apr. 1, 2024
Liverpool and Oneida compete in the first-ever girls flag football game in Section III history at Oneida High School, Apr. 1, 2024
Liverpool and Oneida compete in the first-ever girls flag football game in Section III history at Oneida High School, Apr. 1, 2024
Liverpool and Oneida compete in the first-ever girls flag football game in Section III history at Oneida High School, Apr. 1, 2024
Liverpool and Oneida compete in the first-ever girls flag football game in Section III history at Oneida High School, Apr. 1, 2024
Liverpool and Oneida compete in the first-ever girls flag football game in Section III history at Oneida High School, Apr. 1, 2024
Liverpool and Oneida compete in the first-ever girls flag football game in Section III history at Oneida High School, Apr. 1, 2024
Liverpool and Oneida compete in the first-ever girls flag football game in Section III history at Oneida High School, Apr. 1, 2024
Liverpool and Oneida compete in the first-ever girls flag football game in Section III history at Oneida High School, Apr. 1, 2024
Liverpool and Oneida compete in the first-ever girls flag football game in Section III history at Oneida High School, Apr. 1, 2024
Liverpool and Oneida compete in the first-ever girls flag football game in Section III history at Oneida High School, Apr. 1, 2024
Liverpool and Oneida compete in the first-ever girls flag football game in Section III history at Oneida High School, Apr. 1, 2024
Liverpool and Oneida compete in the first-ever girls flag football game in Section III history at Oneida High School, Apr. 1, 2024
Liverpool and Oneida compete in the first-ever girls flag football game in Section III history at Oneida High School, Apr. 1, 2024
Liverpool and Oneida compete in the first-ever girls flag football game in Section III history at Oneida High School, Apr. 1, 2024
Liverpool and Oneida compete in the first-ever girls flag football game in Section III history at Oneida High School, Apr. 1, 2024
Liverpool and Oneida compete in the first-ever girls flag football game in Section III history at Oneida High School, Apr. 1, 2024
Liverpool and Oneida compete in the first-ever girls flag football game in Section III history at Oneida High School, Apr. 1, 2024
Liverpool and Oneida compete in the first-ever girls flag football game in Section III history at Oneida High School, Apr. 1, 2024
Liverpool and Oneida compete in the first-ever girls flag football game in Section III history at Oneida High School, Apr. 1, 2024
Liverpool and Oneida compete in the first-ever girls flag football game in Section III history at Oneida High School, Apr. 1, 2024
Liverpool and Oneida compete in the first-ever girls flag football game in Section III history at Oneida High School, Apr. 1, 2024
Liverpool and Oneida compete in the first-ever girls flag football game in Section III history at Oneida High School, Apr. 1, 2024
Liverpool and Oneida compete in the first-ever girls flag football game in Section III history at Oneida High School, Apr. 1, 2024
Liverpool and Oneida compete in the first-ever girls flag football game in Section III history at Oneida High School, Apr. 1, 2024
Liverpool and Oneida compete in the first-ever girls flag football game in Section III history at Oneida High School, Apr. 1, 2024
Liverpool and Oneida compete in the first-ever girls flag football game in Section III history at Oneida High School, Apr. 1, 2024
Liverpool and Oneida compete in the first-ever girls flag football game in Section III history at Oneida High School, Apr. 1, 2024
Liverpool and Oneida compete in the first-ever girls flag football game in Section III history at Oneida High School, Apr. 1, 2024
Liverpool and Oneida compete in the first-ever girls flag football game in Section III history at Oneida High School, Apr. 1, 2024
Liverpool and Oneida compete in the first-ever girls flag football game in Section III history at Oneida High School, Apr. 1, 2024
Liverpool and Oneida compete in the first-ever girls flag football game in Section III history at Oneida High School, Apr. 1, 2024
Liverpool and Oneida compete in the first-ever girls flag football game in Section III history at Oneida High School, Apr. 1, 2024
Liverpool and Oneida compete in the first-ever girls flag football game in Section III history at Oneida High School, Apr. 1, 2024
Liverpool and Oneida compete in the first-ever girls flag football game in Section III history at Oneida High School, Apr. 1, 2024
Liverpool and Oneida compete in the first-ever girls flag football game in Section III history at Oneida High School, Apr. 1, 2024
Liverpool and Oneida compete in the first-ever girls flag football game in Section III history at Oneida High School, Apr. 1, 2024
The coin is tossed to see if Oneida or Liverpool will receive the ball during the first-ever girls flag football game in Section III history at Oneida High School, Apr. 1, 2024
Liverpool and Oneida compete in the first-ever girls flag football game in Section III history at Oneida High School, Apr. 1, 2024
Liverpool and Oneida compete in the first-ever girls flag football game in Section III history at Oneida High School, Apr. 1, 2024
Liverpool and Oneida compete in the first-ever girls flag football game in Section III history at Oneida High School, Apr. 1, 2024
Liverpool and Oneida compete in the first-ever girls flag football game in Section III history at Oneida High School, Apr. 1, 2024
Liverpool players react to a play as they take on Oneida in the first-ever girls flag football game in Section III history at Oneida High School, Apr. 1, 2024
Liverpool and Oneida compete in the first-ever girls flag football game in Section III history at Oneida High School, Apr. 1, 2024
Oneida flag football player Raelyn Barlow addresses her teammates as they take on Liverpool in the first-ever girls flag football game in Section III history at Oneida High School, Apr. 1, 2024
Liverpool flag football coach Will Cutler talks with his players as they take on Oneida in the first-ever girls flag football game in Section III history at Oneida High School, Apr. 1, 2024
Oneida flag football coach Tom Rose talks to a player as they take on Liverpool in the first-ever girls flag football game in Section III history at Oneida High School, Apr. 1, 2024
Liverpool players watch from the sidelines as they take on Oneida in the first-ever girls flag football game in Section III history at Oneida High School, Apr. 1, 2024
From left, Layken Waldau and Gianna Tortorici of Liverpool, watch as their team takes on Oneida in the first-ever girls flag football game in Section III history at Oneida High School, Apr. 1, 2024
From left, Liverpool player Graceanne Sleeth shakes hands with Oneida players Brianna Molter and Lillian Gormley following the coin toss during the first-ever girls flag football game in Section III history at Oneida High School, Apr. 1, 2024
From left, Liverpool coach Will Cutler and Oneida coach Tom Rose share a laugh following the first-ever girls flag football game in Section III history at Oneida High School, Apr. 1, 2024
From left, Oneida ball carrier Raelyn Barlow slips past Liverpool defender Molly Brown during the first-ever girls flag football game in Section III history at Oneida High School, Apr. 1, 2024
Oneida players walk out onto the field to meet Liverpool players before the coin toss during the first-ever girls flag football game in Section III history at Oneida High School, Apr. 1, 2024
From left, Izabelle Jepsen of Oneida passes the ball as Liverpool defender Milan Jackson closes in during the first-ever girls flag football game in Section III history at Oneida High School, Apr. 1, 2024
From left, Graceanne Sleeth of Liverpool works to get past Alexis Amuse of Oneida during the first-ever girls flag football game in Section III history at Oneida High School, Apr. 1, 2024
Liverpool flag football coach Will Cutler talks with his players shortly before they take on Oneida in the first-ever girls flag football game in Section III history at Oneida High School, Apr. 1, 2024
Liverpool players Gianna Gallelli and Kyle Hampton react to a play as their team takes on Oneida in the first-ever girls flag football game in Section III history at Oneida High School, Apr. 1, 2024
Liverpool and Oneida compete in the first-ever girls flag football game in Section III history at Oneida High School, Apr. 1, 2024
Oneida flag football player Raelyn Barlow, center, celebrates with her teammates after they won Liverpool in the first-ever girls flag football game in Section III history at Oneida High School, Apr. 1, 2024
Heaven Levere of Liverpool takes a stumble as her team takes on Oneida in the first-ever girls flag football game in Section III history at Oneida High School, Apr. 1, 2024
From left, Liverpoo players Heaven Levere and Ziyon Harrison hug each other as their team takes on Oneida in the first-ever girls flag football game in Section III history at Oneida High School, Apr. 1, 2024
From left, Alexis DeGroat of Oneida, reaches out for Liverpool ball carrier Heaven Levere during the first-ever girls flag football game in Section III history at Oneida High School, Apr. 1, 2024
Liverpool and Oneida compete in the first-ever girls flag football game in Section III history at Oneida High School, Apr. 1, 2024
The sport has spread across the state in the two seasons since its introduction. Oneida was scheduled to be one of three schools hosting games Tuesday but it moved the contest to Monday to avoid potential weather issues. As a result, Oneida and Liverpool had the book of “firsts” all to themselves.
“I was very, very nervous. But throughout the day I was just thinking of how I need to know the plays, I need to think about the plays,” Jepsen said. “And not only just winning and getting all the touchdowns, but just making sure we’re all safe and we’re all happy and we’re all having fun.”
Let the record show that the first touchdown in Section III history was put up by Oneida’s Raelyn Barlow. She finished er varsity softball practice just in time to take a handoff on the first play of the game and scamper 60 yards for the score. Barlow scored four touchdowns on the night, three rushing and one receiving.
“(Rose) said himself this is the first game. Let’s make it history,” Barlow said. “I feel like I did so. (I’m) very proud. Very happy. And just overall very proud of this team.”
As with any startup venture, there were a handful of hiccups. It will take the players a few games to get used to infractions that differ from tackle football. The regulations that virtually eliminate blocking were a particular teaser.
Oneida’s jerseys hadn’t arrived yet, so the team played in soccer uniforms. The application of eye black was another lesson. Players are allowed just one horizontal smudge underneath the eye, no more.
The teams got a break on the topic of decorative eye sparkle. Many players had it on, a flag-football no-no. But because eye sparkle is very hard to remove with just a swipe of a towel, the officials gave everyone a pass for this game.
Jewelry was a red line in the sand, though. Many players had to yank off facial bling just a few minutes before the start, giving Liverpool coach Will Cutler another note to add to his list.
“Jewelry?” he said. “That wasn’t even on my mind.”
Liverpool’s Malana Schiano learned a hard and painful lesson on that rule. She had a small nose ring that wouldn’t come off, not even after a long pregame trip to the locker room. It looked like Schiano would have to sit out the contest, but a few minutes into the first half she finally twisted it off and threw it to the ground.
While that was quite painful, Schiano eventually laughed at the small price needed to pay to join the action.
“It hurt. But you know what? I played. That’s all that matters,” she said. “I had a lot of fun. I’m excited for the rest of the season. I’m really glad we could be the first people to play it. It went pretty smooth. I think it could have gone smoother if we knew every single rule. I just think we need to learn the rules a little better.”
But in between whistles, the play was every bit as intense and serious as all the other established varsity sports. Rose crafted a textbook of 15-20 plays, with the entire playbook crafted on players’ wristbands.
“Have fun. Trust me. Read your band,” Rose told his players before the game. “Do what your band says.”
Oneida’s offensive menu was even more impressive because it included several misdirection plays. While those were certainly high-reward calls on Monday, they were also high-risk because every dressed-up X and O was new to the players and could have been a recipe for miscues.
“I have high expectations for them. I showed it to them and said this is what we’re doing. I didn’t back down, and they rose to the occasion for me,” Rose said.
“With a coach like ours, he explained it very well, to the point where we understood it in one night,” Jepsen said. “It was pretty easy with his great explanation. There were some calls that we didn’t run perfectly, but it still went through. So in our players’ eyes, it was perfect.”
While Liverpool got off to a slow start, Cutler credited his players for persistence in scoring a pair of second-half touchdowns.
“We gave it our all through the whole game,” he said. “(Oneida) were kneeling at the end of the game. We were mad. We wanted to keep playing. I loved that. You can’t teach that kind of stuff. They didn’t complain. All they did was play hard. That’s all I asked them to do.”
While the sport is tackle-free, it was clear that the incidental contact with each other and the cold ground took its toll on both sidelines by the end of the game.
And that left them with the best postgame feeling of all. Finally, they felt like football players.
“I’m sore. I’m cold. I’m just numb. I think I’ve got a pulled muscle in my hammy,” Barlow beamed. “Other than that, I think we’re great.”
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