Story Written by: Rob White @ CHSAANow.com
AURORA – After going 8-8 last season and reaching the Class 4A state tournament in CHSAA's first year of sanctioning the sport, the Elizabeth flag football team is 4-0, including a 13-8 victory last week against Steamboat Springs and a 13-6 win Tuesday against Fountain-Fort Carson.
The Cardinals are ranked No. 3 in 4A in the CHSAA seeding index.
Having started the program three seasons ago, Elizabeth's Summer Katzoff has been recognized for her efforts by being named this week's Broncos High School Flag Coach of the Week.
Interview with Summer Katzoff:
Talk about your coaching experience. What else have you coached?
SK: This is my 25th year of coaching. I started teaching and coaching right after college, after playing soccer in college. Playing sports in college helped me figure out the path I wanted to take. My first coaching job was with a soccer team. I've coached soccer pretty much every year except for one, but I've also coached softball, boys soccer, boys golf and now flag football.
What else are you coaching right now besides flag football?
SK: Girls soccer in the spring.
How long have you been the girls soccer head coach at Elizabeth?
SK: About 15 years.
What is your background in flag football? How did you get into this area?
SK: By luck! And chance. In high school I played twice, my junior and senior year, good ol' Powderpuff. Three years ago some of the girls here were interested, and our athletic director asked if I would be interested in coaching. It was a good opportunity for me to try something new in the coaching realm. This has been a big blessing to be able to learn about a new sport and stay ahead of it. I've always watched football and supported the high school team here by doing the clock. It was just an opportunity to teach girls something new that they'd never really experienced before.
How was the learning curve for you for coaching flag at the high school level? Where do you go for answers and ideas?
SK: The InterWeb (laughing)! The good ol' Internet. YouTube has a lot of helpful videos. Coaching, to me, is more about encouraging these girls to believe that they can do something that they didn't think they could. The growth and maturity of some of these brand-new girls … We started some practices and summer league this summer, and the ones who participated in summer league – and even some of those who didn't – have just grown so much. For me it's more about teaching them that they can do something if they believe they can do something. And then it's fitting in the rules and tidbits of the game, and making practices as much game-like as possible so that when we did start playing games they weren't too unfamiliar with it.
What's your coaching style and where did that come from?
SK: Again I'm just very passionate about getting girls to understand that they can overcome things and do things. I'm not much of a yelling coach anymore – that doesn't work with kids these days. So it's driving home the passion that I have for sports, and watching girls be involved in team settings and continuing to encourage them, continue to keep building the mental side, being positive for them. There's frustration at times, but it's staying positive and helping them get through it when they're not as confident as they should be.
How have you seen flag football impact the lives of some of your athletes?
SK: When you're able to see in their faces, or in their body demeanor, when they are able to do a skill or task that they were unable to do for a few days or even a few weeks, it's cool to see and watch that growth in them. For a lot of the girls who have chosen to be part of the flag football program, it's been really good for them. They talk highly and positively about it, and they're very supportive of each other. It's kind of a close-knit group, and I'm excited about it.
How is your program supported by your community?
SK: It's definitely growing. Most of the time there isn't huge attendance at games other than basketball and football. But we've played two home games, and when you look in the stands and see the amount of people who are coming to watch and support the players, it's really neat. I'm hoping the district can get a team at the middle-school level and encourage younger girls to play parks and rec so that they have more knowledge of the sport before they get to high school.
Tell me about the start of the program there and how is the participation?
SK: We started it three years ago and had one team, then last year we had two teams but we were in the mid- to high-20s. And we're probably in the low- to mid-30s now. A few more have been participating each year, but we've also had big senior classes – 10 this year, nine or 10 last year.
What have you seen from the growth of the sport over the past few years?
SK: It's been amazing to watch just how many schools have adopted it and are giving girls the opportunity to be out playing. There are a lot of soccer players out there, and I think it's a good crossover sport for the soccer players who don't typically play a fall sport. The growth in numbers at each school each year is really exciting, and now there are opportunities at the next level in college and those are going to grow even more. I'm excited to see what opportunities are there for my girls in particular once they're done with high school, to see if they can find an opportunity. They should, because there seems to be more and more colleges adding it every year.
You're 4-0 after going 8-8 last season and you've obviously had to replace a number of key players, so what has been the key to starting off so well?
SK: Definitely the knowledge of our returning players has been big. And although we were 8-8 last year, we lost to some top teams multiple times. So even though we weren't real strong in the win column, we were battling against teams that were ranked higher than us. The new girls have also brought some excitement – and we've gotten some new girls from other sports that have chosen to come out for flag football and they are great athletes who have really picked up the game quickly. We have a great team atmosphere. They are willing to work for each other, even though many of them are still learning. What we came off last year – we made it to state – we're hoping to repeat that. The work they put in over the summer is definitely paying off.
Who are some of the players you would like to recognize for their leadership or skills?
SK: Our senior quarterback, Lacy Antinora, is new to the program and has been great about learning the game and being very positive with her teammates when she's not understanding or makes a mistake. I have another senior who is a returner, Madilyn Franklin, who has been very strong for us on defense and has been a strong leader. One returning junior, and this is her second year with us, Emma Guhl, is playing both sides of the ball and has been a very impactful player, and she's very good at helping brand-new girls understand certain situations within the game. And Olivia Nelson, a sophomore returning from last year, is one of our girls who played middle-school tackle football, so her knowledge of the game is pretty strong. She's very reliable and also plays both sides of the ball.
What are your goals for the rest of the season, and has anything changed because of the way you've started the season?
SK: We definitely want to finish above .500 this year, which I think is very achievable for this group of girls. We're trying to get them to the top four at state, which I don't think is unrealistic for them if they keep putting in the work, staying together as a group and supporting each other.
