Neptune High School will field its first girls flag football teams this spring.
By CHRIS CHRISTOPHER
History will be made in the Neptune High School athletics program in early March.
The Scarlet Fliers will field their first girls flag football teams.
Junior varsity home games will begin at 6:30 p.m. Varsity home games will kick off at 7 p.m. Home games will be played on artificial turf at the Summerfield Elementary School. The teams will begin play in late March. The seasons will run for eight weeks.
“The girls are very excited,” coach Louis Dal Pra said. “We have 45 girls who are signed up and are ready to go. Plus, another 12 girls are on the waiting list. Right now, the Shore Conference and all New Jersey teams are considered club level teams so that the girls can play other spring sports. The New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association will go varsity with the sport in either 2025 or 2026. That is soon to be decided.”
Dal Pra said juniors Adriana Siciliano, Gianna Massiminio and Rayna Poplawski approached him and athletics director Rick Arnao with the idea of forming the teams.
“Adriana was the main leader,” DalPra said. “The girls want to play so very much. I just want to make sure they play the game. Adriana, Gianna and Rayna are three very special Neptune High School juniors who just wanted a chance to play football for their school.
“They heard about other schools fielding teams and thought Neptune would be a perfect fit for the league since they and so many of their friends also wanted a chance to play. They worked with Mr. Arnao to see how to get this going. With his guidance, the girls asked classmates who were interested to sign a petition and more than 50 girls signed on. They wrote a proposal to our Superintendent of Schools (Dr. Tami Crader) and the Neptune Board of Education, explaining the team would cost almost nothing to the school. On Jan. 12, Mr. Arnao informed the girls they were good to go and all they had to do was find a coach.”
Dal Pra said there is a $1,000 goal to raise money for the team. For more information, contact Dal Pra: ldalpra@neptune.k12.nj.us. Bubbakoo’s Burritos, 36 Route 35, Neptune City, 07753, will have a fundraiser Wednesday, March 6, from 11 a.m.-9 p.m.
“The restaurant will donate 20 percent of any order to the team as long as customers tell the cashier the team sent you,” Dal Pra said. “The restaurant helped our field hockey team raise money last fall. I visited the restaurant and discussed the idea of raising money for our girls flag football teams and it loved the idea. One obstacle still in front of the team is that since flag football was added so late in the school year the girls have to raise funds for uniforms.
“The girls have already secured equipment donations from USA Football and the New York Giants have offered to pay for the team’s new Nike jerseys. We thank the public for its support.”
Dal Pra, 58, will also serve as the head coach of the Scarlet Fliers’ varsity baseball team. He has also coached baseball at Red Bank Regional, Ocean and Henry Hudson Regional. He’s a school safety officer at Neptune. He was the head coach of the St. Rose girls varsity flag football team last spring and doubled as its offensive coordinator. The Purple Roses were 4-4 overall in their first varsity season.
“Flag football is at night so athletes and coaches can do both,” he said. “I will be running crazy, but after being an athletics director and coaching at the same time (at St. Rose) I am used to it. The girls asked me to coach and I am willing to do it. I am honored to help them on this journey. Coaching at St. Rose was such a positive experience for myself and the girls. I am willing to help out these girls. I enjoy watching athletes who never played a sport learn the game and master it.
“I will be old school in terms of the X’s and O’s, but also new school since I have to coach the Sallies and the Joes. The vibe among the girls is incredible. These girls really want to play. I will lean on our juniors and seniors to lead the team.”
Dal Pra has set two goals for his Scarlet Fliers.
“My goal is for the girls to learn the game,” he said. “Sure, another goal is winning, but fun is also important, especially for first-year programs Girls flag football is a much different game than boys high school (tackle) football. In girls flag football, there is no tackling and no blocking and very little contact. Speed is the athletic gift necessary for a girl to be successful.
“I look forward to working with the girls and teaching them the great sport of football.”
The Shore Conference began sanctioning girls flag football in 2021 when eight varsity teams competed. There were 12 teams in 2022 and 14 last season. There will be 18 teams this spring. The teams with the top four overall records will compete in the Shore Conference Tournament. Neptune will compete in the Southern Division. Neptune will play eight regular-season games and compete in one scrimmage.
The other Shore Conference teams are Middletown South, Matawan, Trinity Hall, Rumson-Fair Haven Regional, Long Branch, Middletown North, Pinelands Regional, Henry Hudson Regional, Central Regional, St. Rose, Holmdel, Shore Regional, Raritan and Keansburg and first-year Manasquan, Red Bank Catholic and Brick Township. Rumson bested South in last season’s Shore Conference Tournament championship game.
“Girls flag football is the number one growing sport in the United States,” Dal Pra said. “It will be an Olympic sport in 2028. In 2026, it will be a varsity high school sport in New Jersey as it is in 12 other states. With the help of the National Football League and Nike, there are more than 80 high schools in New Jersey fielding club level teams that play for regional championships.”
Dal Pra, who retired as Red Bank Regional’s athletics director a few years ago, has also coached boys tackle football as an assistant at Rumson and Ocean.
“Neptune flag football is well on its way,” he said. “The girls look forward to the chance to play.”
