History in the making

By having a girls varsity flag football team, Monroe-Woodbury will be making history this spring as one of 15 teams in the Section IX to start the sport in 2023.

The Crusaders 16-game schedule will include competition against Warwick, Goshen, Middletown, Newburgh, Saugerties, Kingston, Pine Bush, Minisink Valley, and Washingtonville. At the end of the season, the winner of the Section IX championships will play either the Section I or the Section VIII champions in a regional title game scheduled for June 10 at MetLife stadium in East Rutherford NJ.

On February 1, the New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) announced that girls high school flag football will be a state championship sport in the spring of 2024. This year, 140 high schools across the state have formed teams. As a result, the New York Jets donated uniforms and flag football gear to all participating schools.

The games are played seven-on-seven. All players eligible to catch passes.

Crusaders head coach Elaine Schellberg and assistant coach Kate Santoianni will lead the team during its inaugural season. According to Schellberg, the interest level is “overwhelming.”

Watch the team’s first-ever game when they host the Newburgh Free Academy Goldbacks on April 3, at 10 a.m.