Lamorinda flag football still in the growth stage
November 1st, 2024
By Jon Kingdon, The Lamorinda Weekly


After only one-win last season, Miramonte has five wins midway through the season. Head Coach Jennifer Lezcano has a young team with nine freshmen and sophomores. "At sports night in the spring, we had a really good turnout of freshmen inquiring about flag football along with a lot of our returning players who encouraged others to come out for the team," Lezcano said. "We have a great group that really clicks and that's made a huge difference because they all really want to support one another and with Kevin Newby, we have a committed assistant coach whose extra guidance has been huge for everyone."
 "For a number of our players, it's a whole new sport where football was a foreign concept," Newby said. "Winning some early games has really helped a lot. We have some rigor in our practices and the kids are learning the basic skills on running routes, pulling the flags, and understanding our different defenses. The players are having a lot of fun, though they can be hard on themselves, but they're sharing in their successes and supporting each other, particularly the freshmen, when they get down."
 The offense is led by quarterback Penelope Hagan and Chance Newby, Lucy Daoust, Katelyn Soe, and Julie Quinn Ferguson. "Penelope has been a great player," Newby said. "She is very sharp and understands the game. Chance has great hands and is good over the middle and really reliable on third downs. Lucy has been great on the deep routes and Katelyn is getting more comfortable catching passes out of the backfield. Julie may be the best athlete on the team as a halfback and free safety, making a lot of catches and tackles."
 The defense has shown improvement as the year has progressed. "We've added some defensive plays and have a variety of blitzes and that's part of the education that's been fun," Newby said. "Riyana Habarakada, Harriet Olson, and Anaia Singh have been very effective with their speed and quickness."
 "Ultimately, our goal is to give the players reasons to come back by making it fun out there," Newby said. "We will run them hard, and they will sweat a lot, but they do enjoy coming to practice and enjoy the vibe of what the team has been built around. We had nothing to lose from where we were last year so we're having fun surprising people."


Read more .... https://www.lamorindaweekly.com/archive/issue1815/Talent-and-potential-in-Lamorinda-football.html