NYS Flag Football season opens

There was plenty of sunshine and throngs of bold colored, crisp NFL flag jerseys running around the outfields of the Biff Warren Baseball Complex on Sunday, Aug. 28, for opening weekend of the fall 2022 Niwot Youth Sports Flag Football season.

Two outfields at the complex are transformed each Sunday into regulation size NFL flag fields for the 13 teams competing this fall. Each team chooses an NFL team to represent, complete with reversible jerseys in team colors and with team logos. Back to run the officiating this year is head Niwot High School football coach Nik Blume and his players. All-Pro Cardinals coach Brad Schildt said, "It was great to see the high school referees out there again. We had 2-3 referees per game and the football players overall did a great job."

There are three competing divisions of flag football this fall: JV (1st/2nd grades), Varsity (3rd/4th grade) and All-Pro (5th/6th grades).

In the JV Division, the Bills beat the Colts 6-0 in a close match-up at 10 a.m. Following the Bills' victory, the Broncos and the Rams went head to head at 11 a.m. The Broncos played tough but were ultimately beaten by the Rams 30-0. The Broncos then played again to complete a double header, but lost to the Cardinals 33-0.

The Varsity Division has five strong teams, all with several veteran returning players. The Rams started the morning with a victory over the Saints, 17-7. The Steelers won a super tight game, 6-0 against the Broncos, but the Broncos recovered and played hard in their second game, beating the Giants 24-6.

The All-Pro Division houses three teams this year, all of which have competed with NYS for the past several seasons. This week we will highlight each team in this division a bit more in depth.

The Cardinals are the most veteran team in the league, with Schildt coaching in his fifth straight season. Four of their players, Tristan Schildt, James Anderson, Parker Rickett and Clayton Thomas, have been together for all five seasons. The Cardinals team name is new, however, as the team was the Ravens for the past three seasons. Schildt's nephew, Trace McSorley, was drafted into the NFL by the Baltimore Ravens three years ago, and this year is now with the Arizona Cardinals. To show support, Schildt has taken on the same team name as his nephew McSorley. This is yet another reason why NFL flag leagues are so fun for players and coaches alike.

The Cardinals faced the Giants in the first All-Pro match up of the day. The Cardinals came away with the victory 19-14, with all three touchdowns on long passes over the top. Quarterback Willem Seaton-Wisman connected twice with wide receiver Tristan Schildt and then the roles reversed when Tristan Schildt took over at QB and threw a touchdown pass to Seaton-Wisman. Giants quarterback/wide receiver Gavin Hay had a rushing touchdown and then scored on an interception that was run back. Strong defensive plays on both sides kept the game close, with the Giants' John Ramsey and the Cardinals' Gavi Ross leading the way.

The Giants, coached by Randy Morse, have several new sixth-grade players, including a squad of female athletes. The league has the highest female athlete participation ever this year as NYS hopes to continue to attract and is excited to have so many talented female players participating this fall.

Coach Morse said he continues to be impressed with the NYS flag football program, stating, "Every year we have great kids, great families and great coaches in this league. It's competitive, but respectful, which makes games exciting and fun to watch." He highlighted Giants players Gavin Hay on offense and John Ramsey and Hazel Campbell-Beig on defense for their effort and performance this past week.

The Bills, coached by former Niwot High quarterback Gabe Amaya, are the defending league champions. Led by quarterback Brooke Amaya, the Bills beat the Cardinals in the final game of the day, 26-6. She found wide receiver Santi McKinley twice in the end zone on deep routes that were difficult to defend. Wide receiver/strong safety Grady Walker had two picks, running one back for a touchdown, and running back/cornerback Michael Johnson also had two interceptions and some explosive runs down the middle. New player Henry Robinson ran for a TD and linebacker Dawson Young kept the pressure on the opposing team's QB all day with his effective blitz.

The next weekend of competition is Sunday, Sept. 11. All NYS Flag Football games that day will be played at the newly refurbished Niwot High School football field.

Other events throughout the season include:

• NYS Youth Night-Niwot High School's Homecoming Football Game on Friday, Sept. 9, at Niwot High School. Young fans just need to wear a Niwot Youth Sports shirt or jersey to get in free.

• NYS Youth Day-NYS athletes and parents can purchase tickets to attend a Colorado Buffaloes football game. This year's event will be Sept. 24 for the Buffs' game against the UCLA Bruins. Tickets are $45 with $5 from each ticket going back to NYS. Details for the big pre-game tailgating event will be announced soon.