By Kyle LoJacono
Alyssa Dawson puts the collective sense of the Steinbrenner flag football team in simple terms.
“On a scale of one to 10, I’m at a 10 for excitement level, and everyone feels the same way,” said Dawson, a senior running back/linebacker.
The Warriors (2-1) have a lot to be excited about.
The fourth-year program is coming off its first playoff berth last year, a season that also included their first postseason win, while finishing as the District 16 runner-up to Alonso.
Gregg Puskas, who was named The Laker/Lutz News Flag Football Coach of the Year following last season, said the success has created interest.
“We had 58 girls try out and we kept 18 on varsity,” said Puskas, who is in his second year at the helm. “That’s the most we’ve had. The success we had last year has helped push us up in interest level. … It’s come a long way and really progressed nicely.”
The numbers included athletes the squad was unable to attract in previous years, such as senior wide receiver/linebacker Justice Thigpen and sophomore rusher/running back Paige Cimino.
“Justice coming out from the basketball team is a huge addition, and Paige is splitting time with the softball team,” Puskas said. “Those are some of the athletes we haven’t been able to get out here before.”
Thigpen, who was a first team The Laker/Lutz News selection in basketball, said she wanted to give the sport a try in her final high school season and is happy with the passion and ability on the squad.
“Our team is really competitive, and we’re really striving to be the best,” said Thigpen, who played flag football growing up. “I like competition. … We have a lot of players who are versatile. We have a lot of athletes. I feel like people don’t really expect us to go that far, but we will. We’re going to states.”
The confidence is mutual with the returning players.
“It was heartbreaking losing to Alonso, but now we’re ready, more ready than last year, and we’re really hungry,” Dawson said. “We have a good group of seniors who know this is our last chance to get what we want.”
Dawson, a first team The Laker/Lutz News selection last year, was a key member of the Warriors defense in 2012, racking up a team-high 27 sacks.
The offense brings back sophomore wide receiver Jessica Taylor, another first team The Laker/Lutz News member who racked up 1,023 total yards and 10 touchdowns last year.
Steinbrenner also returns senior quarterback Alexa Fernandez. The third-year starter completed 130-of-253 passes for 2,433 yards and seven touchdowns while adding another seven rushing scores last season, and was named The Laker/Lutz News Flag Football Player of the Year following the campaign.
Fernandez said having Puskas back is also big for the program.
“We had different coaches the first two years, so I think having coach Puskas as our coach the last two years has helped,” Fernandez said. “We’re running the same plays and doing the same things. We know what he’s going to say and do before he tells us. A lot of that comes out to success.”
Puskas also made an addition to his staff.
“We’ve brought in Austin Dacanay from the football team,” Puskas said. “He was a professional rugby player, and he’s helping us with our pitching, and that part of our game has gotten much stronger. Coach (Cathy) Tintera has done a great job with our defense, and she’s been here from the first year. We have a good coaching group, and the girls have really bought in.”
The Warriors have had to replace five graduates.
“We lost some really good kids and some good athletes, but with some of the new kids and the young ones who have progressed, we really haven’t lost a step,” Puskas said. “Not to say we don’t miss our seniors, because it’s tough to replace players like Cary Anne Bame, Heather Zweben and Melisa Stankovich, but the team’s unity has brought us to a new level.”
Steinbrenner’s fast start began during its 2-0 performance in a preseason tournament, including a victory over an East Bay squad that has won its district the last five years.
“It was the first time we’d beaten (East Bay),” Taylor said. “I’ve got butterflies every time I step on the field for a game, but it’s because we think we can beat a team that even last year we didn’t think we’d be able to beat. We’ve come so far.”
Steinbrenner plays at district rival Sickles March 25 at 7:30 p.m.
*Last year’s stats
—Follow Kyle LoJacono on Twitter: @Kyle_Laker
