By Rich Chrampanis
OAKHURST – Middletown South’s Steve Antonucci has won state championships and molded countless college football players as well as NFL talent. One of the state’s respected football coaches is now leading the way to bring girls flag football to the Shore Conference.
“For years and years I’ve been asked in all my physical education classes, “Coach, can we play football?’ ” Antonucci said. “Well, now you can.”
The Shore Conference will begin an eight-team girls flag football league in May with the backing of the New York Giants and Nike. The Giants presented a $64,000 check to cover costs for the seven-week league and Nike will provide each school with 30 uniforms.
“The New York Giants are thrilled to be able to support the launch of the Shore Conference Girls Flag Football League,” said Ethan Medley, the Giants director of community relations and youth football. “There is plenty of excitement for the opportunity to play this great game, and we fully expect that this is the beginning of a period of dramatic growth of girls flag football at the youth, high school and college levels. Our goal is to see this sport grow and become a state-sanctioned varsity sport, and we look forward to being engaged in the process with the Shore Conference and add additional moments or resources to help make this season a success.”
A clinic last Sunday in Oakhurst saw nearly 100 girls come out to be introduced to flag football. Joining Antonucci and a number of Shore football coaches was one of the sport’s pioneers. Jennifer Welter, who became the first female coach with an NFL team when she interned with the Arizona Cardinals in 2015, was inspired to see such a large turnout.
“This is the future,” Welter said. “Everything that everybody has grinded for to establish, we see it in these girls right here. This area is about to explode.”
Three former NFL players were also on hand to show support, including Jonathan Casillas, a two-time Super Bowl winner with the New Orleans Saints and New England Patriots who finished his nine-year career with the Giants.
“It’s the first time I’ve actually seen not just girls but all girls,” Casillas said. “It’s huge. This is a pioneer type program that changes the way we look at the sport.”
Scott Simonson played for Antonucci at Middletown South and went on to a seven-year NFL career as a tight end with Oakland, Carolina and the Giants. He knows that a battle of Middletown in flag football will add to an already great rivalry.
“When you would watch the Powder Puff games when I went to South, those were intense,” Simonson said. “You combine the North/South rivalry and women’s flag football, they might have to take the primetime spot on Thanksgiving that the boys usually do.”
For now, it’s a club sport, but that could be just the beginning. The new Shore league has not only the support of the Giants but the NFL which is keeping a close eye on the launch.
“If you create the opportunities girls will show up and play,” NFL vice president and former Giants lineman Roman Oben said. “It’s beautiful for me to see how much it’s grown in the last year of girls playing football.”
Antonucci is used to the Friday night lights in the fall and gets the thrill of building a new faction of the sport this May.
“When I got into this and I started putting this together and started thinking about this, I didn’t realize the impact it was going to have,” Antonucci said. “The girls are so excited to be here. What a great thing for these schools to get involved in this and to have these girls get an opportunity to experience this.”
SHORE CONFERENCE FLAG FOOTBALL TEAMS
Middletown North, Middletown South, Middletown (combined), Mater Dei Prep, Holmdel, Shore Regional, Matawan, Pinelands.
OPENING WEEK SCHEDULE
May 4 (Shore Regional) 6:30 p.m. – Pinelands vs. Shore Regional; Middletown vs. Mater Dei Prep.
May 6 (Middletown South) 6:30 p.m. – Middletown South vs. Holmdel; Middletown North vs. Matawan.
