One of the new additions to the high school in 2024 was the Girls Varsity Flag Football team.
Since the start of their first-ever season, these girls have been on fire, ending the season with a 5-3-1 record, and making a beeline for the playoffs. They have been setting records left and right and creating history for Commack, but success comes at a cost.
“Being a part of this team has impacted my life on and off the field,” said senior Alyssa P.
Flag Football teammates and sisters Alyssa and Alexa shared their experiences with the stress and emotional baggage that come with the team’s success.
“I’ve made so many new friends, created stronger bonds with people, and gained more confidence on and off the field. Mentally I became stronger because being a part of a team makes you realize you handle everything as a team and can lean on people when you need to,” said Alyssa P.
Creating history for our school comes with a lot of pride, and dignity, and is certainly an honor, especially with all the headlines that come with it.
“I really like being a part of the first-ever girls’ flag football team,” said senior Alexa P.
“It gave me this new passion for a sport I wasn’t so sure about in the beginning, but I regret nothing. If you’re thinking about dipping your toe into a new sport, I say go for it, you might find yourself in a new thing you love,” said Alexa P.
The support of teammates, friends, and family affects the mentality of the athletes on the field, and their performance during games.
“The support we give each other is extremely important, I always make sure to cheer my teammates on, and be there when they need me,” said Alyssa P.
“It’s always that next-play mentality. We have to forget about the bad and focus on the good. We are a team and we win and lose as a team. If someone makes a mistake I’ll pick them up, if I make a mistake someone else will pick me up. We always have each other’s back and that’s what I love about this team,” said Alexa P.
Lots of preparation goes into the efficiency of a player, and ultimately the outcome of their game.
“I always find that listening to music gets me into the right headspace before the game, but having good nutrition and stretching is equally important to the outcome of my play. Running through plays in my head, giving me and my teammates little pep talks also helps to minimize errors during the game,” said Alexa P.
The coaches who lead and train play a huge role in the success of a team as a whole. Without the right guidance and a heart for the team, your team might as well be lost.
“This was brand new to me as well. I played football in college and here at Commack, so I leaned on a lot of my knowledge from that, and a lot of the skills do transfer,” said Coach Auggie Contressa.
Given that this team is brand new, every coach has their goals and aspirations for where they will take their team in terms of performance and personal growth.
“It’s funny the first meeting we had with the girls, we always told them one day at a time. One game at a time. I’m a big believer in living in the moment and seeing where things will go,” said Contressa.
“But you know on a bigger scale you know the goal is always playoffs and beyond from there. But it’s a good idea as a team to have that identity where you can adapt,” said Contressa.
Having a good mindset and positive mentality is a core value of the coach and the team.
“Right now, again as a young team, kind of in that first meeting as well, everybody’s out to get us. But we have nothing to lose though. As the new team on the block, especially teams that had a team already, don’t wanna lose to us. We are talented, we’ve lost some close games, we’ve won some close games, but we really have a great team. They battle, every game they battle, and I [have to] give the girls a lot of credit for that,” said Contressa. ◼️
