Shoreham-Wading River flag football scores spot in Suffolk Class C final in inaugural season

Being a first-year program, girls’ varsity flag football at Shoreham-Wading River was expected to go through some bumps in the road.

But with the amount of elite athletes who came out for the team, combined with a seasoned head coach in Bob DeSilva, the Wildcats finished their regular season 8-4 in Division II and earned the No. 2 seed in the Section XI Class C playoffs.

For all intents and purposes, the season has already been a success. But the Wildcats took it another step further on Tuesday. Playing in front of a home crowd, SWR knocked off No. 3 seed Riverhead Charter 48-12 to punch its ticket to the Suffolk County Class C championship.

“When I first got here I knew we would have the athletes to compete right after the first practice,” DeSilva said. “We struggled in the basic stuff like throwing and catching and understanding football terminology but they’re athletes here. It was just a matter of time before things clicked and here we are competing for a Suffolk County championship.”

Most of the core of the team comes from the soccer program, which produces champions nearly every season. Two years ago, the soccer team went to the New York State final four, so these Wildcats are familiar with winning tough games.

Two of those soccer players have been leading the way for the flag football team: Shealyn Varbero, the quarterback, and Mia Mangano, the running back/wide receiver.

“It’s a smooth transition from midfield to attack in soccer to a quarterback and wide receiver in football,” Varbero said. “The concept is similar. We want to move the ball forward and we want to get the ball in our best athlete’s hands.”

Varbero threw four touchdown passes by halftime on Tuesday to put the team up 35-0 and sat out the second half. Mangano scored two receiving touchdowns and found the end zone in the first quarter on a pick-six.

“It’s all about team chemistry,” Mangano said. “We just have this ability to find each other on the field at all times. Playing three years together on the soccer team definitely helps. We’re just really comfortable even though we’re playing a new sport out there.”

Coming into the day, Varbero was ranked fifth in all of Suffolk County with 866 yards rushing. She has also thrown for 1,315 yards this season. The junior has combined for 36 touchdowns. Mangano is in the top 10 among Suffolk receivers with 51 receptions, 691 yards and eight touchdowns. She also has seven interceptions this season and is among the top echelon in flag pulls.

“You think these stats are impressive but when you think about it, they should be even better,” DeSilva said. “In the games we blew out our opponents, all of our starters sat out half a game. Imagine if we played a full game every time out.”

On the other end of the bracket, there was a massive upset as No. 4 Kings Park took down the No. 1 seed, John Glenn. After jumping out to an 18-0 lead, Glenn did not score again as Kings Park scored 19 unanswered points to secure the win.

Shoreham-Wading River and Kings Park didn’t match up during the regular season, though the two schools have become very familiar over the years in soccer and basketball. SWR most recently defeated Kings Park in the Section XI basketball playoffs en route to a Suffolk County crown. Varbero was a major part of that success, and she’ll need to be again for the team to win a Suffolk County championship in flag football.

“Shealyn has gotten so much better from the start of the season to now,” DeSilva said. “She has full command of the offense and throws the ball so well now. I’m really proud of the effort she’s put in.”

What would a Suffolk County championship mean to DeSilva?

“Would mean the world to me and the girls,” he said. “Shoreham-Wading River is rich with championships across every sport. The community cares so much about its athletes and the success of its teams. Why not add a banner for flag football? Show everyone we want to be part of that history.”

The championship game will be played Wednesday, May 27, at Patchogue-Medford High School. Game time is slated for 3 p.m.