SWR finding success in their inaugural girls flag football season

Girls’ flag football has started to grow local roots.

Interest in the sport has skyrocketed over the years, with it even reaching collegiate and professional heights. Recently, the NFL has backed the Women’s National Football Conference as the premier women’s flag football platform aimed at building a liaison for players prepping for the 2028 Olympics based in Los Angeles. 

Long Island high school teams started forming four years ago, and this year, Shoreham-Wading River decided to make one of their own for the first time.

“I usually did spring track during this time of year to basically just stay in shape,” quarterback Shealyn Varbero said. “We’ve been seeing this sport growing across the island, and I’ve seen my friends play at other schools. It’s just something I wanted to always do.”

Varbero, along with several other girls, approached administration with the proposal to do an inaugural flag football season. Initially, there was a concern that they wouldn’t have enough numbers to fill a team, but the student response was outstanding.

“We ended up having to turn away a bunch of eighth graders just because we wouldn’t have any spot to play them,” Varbero said. “We knew we could gather enough girls to start a team. We just needed help from the athletic director and administration to make it happen. They were very supportive of the idea.”

Twenty girls, ranging from ninth to 12th grade, made the final roster. Some familiar faces took the field who dominated in other sports. In addition to Varbero, who starred most recently on the basketball team and soccer team, Mia Mangano joined as well. She won several championships as a striker on the girls’ soccer team.

“I’ve always had an interest in football,” Mangano said, who plays running back and wide receiver. “I’ve always thrown around a football in my backyard with my family. I love watching football, and the idea of being able to play the sport was exciting for me, especially in my senior year.”

Bob DeSilva was named the inaugural head coach and comes to the program with as much experience as possible on the Long Island scene. DeSilva spearheaded the Patchogue-Medford program four years ago and most recently led the Raiders to a 16-0 record before falling short in a quest for a Suffolk County championship with a tightly contested loss against Sachem East.

DeSilva, who lives in Shoreham, felt like this was a perfect fit for him going forward.

“Right now, it’s about building fundamentals,” DeSilva said. “Pulling flags and making sure we’re sound on defense. On offense, we just look to find ways to get the ball to the explosive athletes.”

And there’s no shortage of athletes at Shoreham-Wading River. 

“We’ve got soccer players, field hockey players, basketball players. There’s so many athletes in our program, and we’re definitely blessed with that,” DeSilva said. “We’re setting a standard of excellence this year and for the years to come. Learning the game the right way and coming up with a plan to win championships.”

So far, the Wildcats have posted a 2-2 record, only losing to West Islip and Hauppauge in close games. Though there are only two divisions in Suffolk County, there are four different classifications come playoff time, so many of the teams SWR will play won’t be seen again.

“I think we have a great chance at winning a championship this season with the amount of talent we have,” DeSilva said. “There’s only seven teams in our classification, and I think we have as good a shot as any.”

Varbero and Mangano are among the rushing leaders in the county, piling up 277 and 210 yards, respectively, through four games. Brenna Molinelli also cracked the top leaders with 149 yards.

Mangano has also tallied 262 receiving yards for the season. On the defensive side of the ball, Mangano and Luciana Politi are among the top flag pull leaders with 23.

“I think it helps that we’re all willing to put in the effort to be the best we can be,” Mangano said. “Our coach came from a winning background, and we believe we have what it takes to make some noise even though this is just our first season.”