Paramus, off to a 2-0 start after a 3-3-1 season in 2023, is no longer in club mode.
“Two of the losses (last season) were on me because I was in club mode and not competition mode,” said Paramus head coach Ted Evans, a line coach for the boys football team. “The girls forced me to step up my game. In the games we lost, they were upset. That was a turning point for us.”
After dominating wins over Indian Hills (42-6) and Ramapo (27-6), Paramus faces its biggest challenge against undefeated and powerhouse Ridgewood. Paramus is schedule to meet Ridgewood at home on Tuesday, 8 p.m.
“We were in the game with them (Ridgewood) last year,” Evans said. “I think that showed the girls they could compete with anybody.”
“After last season, we have full confidence in ourselves as a team,” said senior receiver Himani Patel, who also plays soccer. “As a group, we’ve been good at learning each piece of the game and then putting them all together.”
Paramus runs an option offense that is keyed by running back Megan Mok, who played in last year’s North-South All-Star Game, and QB Isabella Mannina.
Mok has run for 210 yards in two games. Mannina has 114 yards rushing and 180 passing.
“Meg (Mok) is who makes us dangerous,” Evans said. “We have a short to intermediate passing game.”
Mannina has completed passes to six different receivers – four to Laetitia Miksi-Sahdo.
“We’ve been pretty good on defense, too.” Patel said.
Paramus has 34 tackles as a team in two games.
“In this game it’s really not easy to score unless you have a quarterback who can really throw the ball,” Evans said.
The Paramus defense is led by its stellar linebacking corps. Mok, on the outside, is the team’s leading tackler with nine stops. She has also returned an interception for a touchdown. Amanda Martorano has been a force at inside linebacker.
Ava Warne has made her presence felt at safety. She has an interception and seven tackles.
“Working with the girls has reinvigorated me as a coach,” Evans said. “I was wondering if I was going to have to coach differently than I do with the boys, but I’ve discovered the girls love every element of the game. The boys sometimes find parts of practice mundane, but the girls are extremely coachable.”
Rulebook update
While girls flag football continues to grow in leaps and bounds in states across the country including New Jersey, the writing of a national rulebook is inching along.
In its most recent newsletter, NFHS Chief Executive Officer Karissa L. Niehoff wrote the the organization “has been asked by its member associations to consider publishing national playing rules for flag football.”
In some states, New Jersey among them, different rules are used in different parts of the state. A national rulebook would standardize rules – among them field size along with blocking and blitz regulations.
In an interview with NJ.com last May, Niehoff said an NFHS flag football rulebook would be in place for the 2024 season. That is not the case, however.
In the newsletter, Niehoff wrote: “A task force is currently being assembled to formulate plans, including appointment of a rules committee and a timetable for implementation.”
That implementation will hopefully be for the 2025 season. Flag football in New Jersey is in the first of a two-year pilot. If all goes well, flag football will be sanctioned sport in the spring of 2026 and then be under the NJSIAA umbrella.
There was another interesting statistics about the ballooning flag participation numbers in the newsletter. According to NFHS, in 2023, about 500,000 girls ages 6-17 played flag football – a 63 percent increase since 2019.
Upcoming big games
- Livingston and Mount Olive are both off two 2-0 starts in the Super Football Conference Colonial Division. They are scheduled to meet on May 26, 4 p.m., in Flanders. Livingston has won close decisions over Orange (14-6) and Morristown (14-7). Meanwhile, Mount Olive has a 20-6 win over Morristown and a 13-0 victory over West Orange. Mount Olive is coached by Brian O’Connor, who was the NJ.com New Jersey Coach of the Year during the boys tackle football season in the fall.
- Brick City bragging rights will be on the line when Newark Central (2-0) plays at Shabazz on April 25, 4 p.m. In two games, Central has outscored opponents, 74-7. Central features a balanced offensive attack. Quarterback Dyshana Austin has passed for 243 yards in two games while backs Emani Bradley and Aishat Hassan have combined for 100 rushing yards. Bradley has also been a monster on defense, accumulating tackles and three sacks. Meanwhile, Shabazz has prevailed in two close games. It defeated Newark Lab, 12-6, and then squeaked past Weequahic, 13-12.
Nutley defender Danielle Goode (5) gets the pull on BelovED Charter runner Kalis Bullock in Monday's high school flag football matchup in Nutley. The Owls soared over the Raiders, 18-13. 04/15/2024 Steve Hockstein | For NJ Advance MediaSteve Hockstein | For NJ Advance
Other highlights
Here are selected highlights from recent games around New Jersey.
- Alexandra Grinis threw for 150 yards and Rowan Tabor made five tackles, helping Kent Place win its first game, 27-6, over South Hunterdon.
- Darexy Monroy hauled in a 33-yard pass from Edixza Cabrera-Pena helping Pleasantville score a 12-2 victory over Delsea.
- Kyla Massenburg ran for 113 yards on six carries including a 65-yard scoring run, powering Hunterdon Central to a 24-14 win over North Plainfield.
- Senior A’layah Vincent caught four passes for 73 yards with an extra point and a TD in Long Branch’s 25-20 win over Manasquan. Long Branch QB Emmaleigh Raymond connect of 10 of 12 passing attempts with three TDs.
- Nora Roseboro ran for two TDs in Collingswood’s 34-12 WJFL win over Timber Creek.
- Piper Brink threw four TD passes and threw for a pair of PATs in Middletown North’s 32-18, season-opening win over Red Bank Catholic.
- Janderlys Reyes-Mendez scored on a 30-yard run in Hammonton’s 21-12 win over Pleasantville.
- Armani Mejia ran 70 yards for a TD in Middle Township’s, 13-12, loss to Cedar Creek.
- Katie Bisgrove connected on 9 of 10 passing attempts for 153 yards and three touchdowns in Ridgewood’s, 46-6, victory over Hackensack. Bisgrove spread the wealth, completing three passes to Logan Mikita and two each to Audrey Schildkraut, Danielle DeNoy and Gabby Winn. DeNoy and Penelope Pace had four tackles apiece.
- Mastery of Camden scored all 21 points in the first half and held off Kingsway for a 21-19 win. Elaysha Vereen was 13-of-21 for 215 passing yards and three TDs. Arianna Clark caught seven of those passes for 166 yards and two scores. Za’Myra Holmes had seven tackles for Mastery. Makayla White had five tackles in the loss for Kingsway.
Attention coaches: To have your team’s highlights considered for publication, enter your scores and statistics into njschoolsports.com or e-mail Joe Zedalis at the address below. Updates accepted from coaches only.
Joe Zedalis can be reached at jzedalis@njadvancemedia.com
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