It’s go time for the Plum flag football team.
The undefeated Mustangs (15-0) won two playoff games in one night Tuesday to advance to the inaugural WPIAL semifinals and are gearing up to face Moon at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at Upper St. Clair. Shaler (16-0) will face Mt. Lebanon (14-1) in the first semifinal, with the winners to square off later that night at 8 p.m.
Moon (12-3) won the last two district championships before it was an official WPIAL-sanctioned sport.
After just missing the playoffs last season, Plum was hungry to make it to the postseason and did just that. First-round opponent Oakland Catholic was the next obstacle.
“We were 8-3 and just missed the playoffs. Our goal this year was to make the playoffs, and they checked that box,” coach Francis Sciullo said. “They went out (Tuesday) and were dynamic and resilient, fought through adversity, and we asked them to get two playoff wins in one night, and they got over that hump.”
The Mustangs defeated the Eagles in crunch time in game No. 1, scoring a fourth-quarter touchdown to take home a 13-12 victory and advance to a quarterfinal matchup with Latrobe.
“Coming out against Oakland Catholic, we knew both teams were going to be in a very tight matchup, razor-thin, and it would come down to limiting mistakes and who could make more plays, grab more footballs, make more catches and grab flags,” Sciullo said. “The girls overcame that Oakland Catholic adversity and went out and played a really good Latrobe team and put together a complete game.
“At halftime, we talked and kept saying, ‘We’ve got this. Let’s go out there. Let’s feed off a spark, whether it’s a flag pull, an interception or just making a catch and securing the football.’ That’s what the girls did.”
Plum defeated Latrobe, 32-18, with quarterback Kaiden Young throwing for 247 yards and three touchdowns, completing 27 of 37 passes.
One of her leading targets, Hannah Woltjen, said the team is heading into its semifinal matchup with confidence.
“I’m super excited,” Woltjen said. “I’ve been on the team since we started my sophomore year, and it’s really rewarding to see how we’ve grown as a group. We’ve had a couple new people come in, and it’s made such a difference for our team. We’ve learned how to play together, and going into (Thursday), that’s exactly what we’re going to do. I’m just so excited to see where it takes us.”
The Mustangs are led by four senior captains: Woltjen, Hayden Wawrzyniak, Kailey Burton and Kami Swatzwelder. They are also the only seniors on the team.
“The leadership from them has trickled down to all classes, from freshmen to sophomores and juniors,” Sciullo said. “It starts with those four girls. People like Hannah Woltjen and Hayden Wawrzyniak, both senior captains and starters on offense and defense, have led the way. That leadership has resonated down, and we’ve seen underclassmen step up into starting roles, especially with injuries and other absences.”
Plum has averaged 30 points per game, including a 53-0 victory over McKeesport and a 49-0 victory over Greensburg Central Catholic.
When Young throws the football, she has a plethora of receivers in Woltjen, Isla Filo, Caydence Morgan, Taylie Auth and more.
“It gives us the ability to distribute the football and not rely on one or two players like some teams do,” Sciullo said. “We can spread the ball around, which keeps defenses guessing where the play is going or who is getting the football. It’s a luxury, and we’ve made the best of it with our quarterback and the other girls.”
Woltjen said the team is on the same page. Since a lot of the roster from last year is back, the team has a lot of experienced weapons, along with team chemistry.
“It’s great to have so many layers,” Woltjen said. “Even if our first option isn’t there, we have Kaiden at quarterback to make the decision to check down. We have people with good game sense who know when the first read isn’t there, we have so many people who can make plays. We’re playing as a team. We’re not relying on one person. Everyone has their chance to play, and when we play as a team, that’s when we play the best.”
The Plum team members play multiple positions and are all Swiss Army knives on both sides of the ball. Even Young can play everywhere.
“She can play any position,” Sciullo said. “She has grown into the quarterback position from Day 1. Her experience from earlier games has helped her as the season has gone on. Early in the season, she was still learning the position, and now, after this season and two playoff victories, she has grown a lot. We are going to need her leadership and athleticism as we move forward into a very tough semifinal against Moon.”
Tamia West and Filo spearhead the running attack and provide speed on both sides of the ball. They also make an impact in the receiving game.
“They are very fast, athletic girls, very smart like the rest of the team, and they use that athleticism and speed when they have the ball in their hands,” Sciullo said. “On defense, they make breaks on the football for interceptions or flag pulls. It’s an absolute game-changer that all teams want with quick athletes who can cause disruption on both sides of the ball. We are fortunate not only with Isla and Tamia, but with other girls, too, who are quick, athletic and smart.”
The Mustangs have made an impact in the first WPIAL season for the sport.
Most importantly, they are making an impact on younger girls, inspiring them.
“I helped coach our powder-puff team at the middle school, and seeing how many girls, even seventh and eighth grade, have talent is awesome,” Woltjen said. “It’s great to see it take off. The sky’s the limit for the next group coming up, even with college scholarships. Everyone will have their opportunity. When I started, it was so small and people didn’t even know about it. Now it’s a full-blown WPIAL sport, and teams are taking off. It has been an unbelievable feeling.”
Their impact has led to buzz in the community. Led by Pat McAfee, Plum alumni started the “We’re All Mustangs Here” fund, which supports the flag football team.
Sciullo said there’s something special with this group.
“The girls are extremely dynamic,” he said. “It took a while for them to believe there was something special here, but once they bought in, it carried us to where we are today. The dedication, determination, drive and resiliency of this team has propelled us into the semifinals. Working as a team was one of our goals, and they have fed off that. We are enjoying every second of it, and we don’t want it to end.”
Woltjen is still blown away, preparing for a semifinal matchup in her senior year.
“Honestly, if you told me this at the start of the season, I would have said that’s what we wanted as a team, but I could have never expected how well the season would go,” she said. “We’ve had challenges, ups and downs, but to be able to say we made it to the semifinals in our first season as a WPIAL sport, we’re making history. Our coaches tell us that all the time. It’s exciting to see we set goals together and accomplish them. Whatever happens (Thursday), we did it together and gave our best through everything.”