Girls flag football to have QB Challenge
Bellmore-Merrick quarterback Sofia LaSpina warms up before the inaugural Nassau flag football game against host Plainview-Old Bethpage JFK on April 11, 2022. Credit: Peter Frutkoff
Girls flag football continues its momentous surge at the high school level. The emerging varsity spring sport which will have state championships in 2024, now has a Girls QB Challenge.
The National Football Foundation announced the inaugural Girls QB Challenge to be held at Kings Park High School on July 16.
With girls flag football expanding, and with the support of the NFL, this Challenge will be a tri-state event.
“The National Football Foundation is all about promoting football and we are very excited about the most recent expansion of girls flag football on Long Island, and I think this type of event will go a long way towards highlighting those great female athletes that are playing throughout the spring season,” said Leonard Genova, President, James C. Metzger Suffolk County Chapter, National Football Foundation. “This skills event will focus on the athleticism of these girls in the tri-state area, and will look different than the inaugural Boys QB Challenge, which was for Long Island athletes only.”
The NFF hosted the first Long Island Boys QB Challenge in 2022 with Commack junior Jeremy Weiss earning the title. He can defend that crown in the Boys QB Challenge at Kings Park on July 23.
All quarterbacks from the tri-state area will be eligible to participate in the skill event overseen by former college coaches who will measure the player’s anticipation, accuracy, football knowledge and overall QB play. The football part of the event will be coordinated by Jonathan Gill, long-time QB Coach/Pass Game Coordinator at LIU.
Long Island has a total of 41 flag football teams for the 2023 spring season. The girls and boys events will be livestreamed by T&D Sports Video Productions.
Gregg Sarra is Newsday's high school sports editor and has been on the beat since the mid-1980s.
