When the Pittsburgh Steelers handed off the high school girls flag football program to the WPIAL, it was a new beginning for established teams of varying degrees and new programs ready to make an impact.
Plum and Deer Lakes returned with programs hoping to improve, and girls from Kiski Area and Fox Chapel formed new teams set to make their mark.
With flag football making its debut in the 2028 Olympics and more colleges establishing programs, Mustangs coach Francis Sciullo said many of the high school teams have felt the energy and momentum.
“The level of play and competition amongst the teams has significantly increased from several years ago,” said Sciullo, whose Plum team was 11-0 overall and 9-0 in Section 3 heading into Tuesday’s game.
“Girls are entering the flag football field with both experience and understanding. No matter what the team’s record is, the game will be competitive, fast and exciting.
“Plum has had the opportunity to play (Fox Chapel, Kiski Area and Deer Lakes) in scrimmages and nonsection games and was amazed at the level of preparation and game plan execution each team brought into the games. Both Fox Chapel and Kiski, for first-year programs, are athletic, well-coached and competitive. Deer Lakes brought experience and athleticism to our game. I believe this is a tribute to the girls’ training, coaching and availability of resources (such as HUDL game film) to support. There is such a desire to get better. The collegiate playing opportunities are there, and many girls are now aware of this.”
Plum has had its fair share of convincing wins, but its undefeated mark was challenged April 21 as it had to rally in the second half for a 20-18 win against Penn Hills.
The Indians, who picked off three Plum passes, led 12-0 at halftime. But the Mustangs, with a 66-yard TD run from junior Isla Fila and a pair of passing TDs from Peyton Charrie to juniors Caydence Morgan and Tamia West, pulled out the win.
“One of our team’s goals is to be resilient in the face of adversity, and up to this point our team has demonstrated this on several occasions,” said Sciullo, who helped celebrate seniors Kami Swartzwelder, Kailey Burton, Hayden Wawrzyniak and Hannah Woltjen before a 20-7 win over Propel Braddock on April 17.
“We knew going into the Penn Hills game, given the rivalry nature, that it would be tight. Penn Hills is a well-coached team. When Penn Hills jumped up early, you could see on the girls’ faces the determination to bounce back. We made several adjustments at halftime, and the girls responded. It was a special victory for us.”
Plum and Kiski Area, 9-3 overall and 9-2 in Section 1 after a 25-0 section win over Fox Chapel on Monday, have clinched berths to next week’s playoffs at North Allegheny and Upper St. Clair.
Fox Chapel, 9-4 overall and in the section after the loss to the Cavaliers, and Deer Lakes, 8-6 overall and 7-5 in Section 1, will finish in the upper half of the section standings.
Kiski Area coach Jason Clouser said he sees the growth in his program. In addition to having 34 on the varsity/junior varsity roster, 196 girls from kindergarten through eighth grade came to a skills camp two weeks ago.
“It has really taken off, and everyone is on board with it,” said Clouser, whose team closes out the remainder of its regular season this week with games against New Castle and Seneca Valley.
“We’ve played a lot of teams that came in with three to four years of experience already under their belts at the club level. Everything was new to the girls at the start of the season, so it took us a while to get going. But to be a part of this league which is growing in numbers and excitement, the girls couldn’t wait to get started together.”
Cavaliers senior Gianna DeVito, also one of the WPIAL’s top girls high jumpers, said it was great to have a lot of her teammates from other sports come together on the flag football team.
“We already had that chemistry. We are all athletes, so we had a good head start. I think it’s the case with a lot of new teams. We have good height and speed. It came down to just learning the plays on offense and defense, the rules and the other specific parts of the game.”
Kiski started 0-3 with setbacks to section leaders Shaler (20-13) and North Allegheny (38-14) and Plum (28-18) in nonsection play.
The Cavaliers averaged 40.2 points in nine consecutive wins through Monday.
“We played some hard teams in the beginning, so we got some good experience that is helping us win games now,” DeVito said.
In Kiski Area’s win over Fox Chapel, DeVito had four catches for 95 yards and two touchdowns, and Jada Blanciak and Bristol Rogers also caught TD passes. Senior Hannah Hill and junior Olivia Strellec combined to throw all four TDs.
Brooke Zoldak fronted the defense with 10 flag pulls, and Allie Smith added nine.
Fox Chapel, a team with one senior, AJ Johnson, closes the regular season Wednesday afternoon with senior recognition against Deer Lakes before a nonsection game Thursday at Bethel Park. The Foxes won five in a row before shutout losses to North Hills and Kiski Area.
“When we play, we can play with anyone,” Fox Chapel coach Brandon Rios said. “Sometimes in games, it has taken us a quarter or two quarters to really get revved up. But the girls have made great strides in all areas, and it’s been great for them to play meaningful games at the end of the season. There’s been some growing pains, but it has been a wonderful experience with the girls learning and enjoying the sport while forming a solid foundation for the future. All the girls, not just at Fox Chapel but in all of Western Pennsylvania and throughout the state, are doing something historic with opening more doors for this sport to keep growing.”
Deer Lakes went 3-8 last spring in the program’s inaugural season, but the foundation was set for improvement.
Led by a quartet of seniors — Riley Parise, Makaylah Potter, Sydney Sharkins, Gracie Spagnolo — Deer Lakes will finish with a winning record as it closes the season Wednesday at Fox Chapel.
Deer Lakes beat Hampton, 33-20, on senior night Monday for its third win in a row.
The Lancers also own victories over Seneca Valley, Pine-Richland, Mars, Ellis, New Castle, Nazareth Prep and Valley in non-league play.
The New Kensington-Arnold School Board approved a team at Valley right before the season began, so the Vikings played an independent schedule against the Lancers and McKeesport, Jeannette and Greensburg Salem.
Valley hasn’t been able to secure a victory in any of its games. Its finale is Thursday at home against Jeannette.
Athletic director Joe Skura said it has yet to be determined if Valley will become a full WPIAL member next season.