The spring sports season in Western New York can be grueling, with lingering snow flurries, April showers and soggy fields all wreaking havoc on schedules.
Take the Niagara Falls girls flag football team’s slate, for instance. Due to postponed and suspended games, the Wolverines on Wednesday played their seventh contest in 10 days to end a 1-6 regular-season campaign. That’s right — their entire regular season took place in less than two weeks.
“The girls really aren’t used to doing that — in any sport,” Falls coach Mike Esposito said. “But it was just the nature of the beast because of the weather.”
In a stormy season, no one has shone brighter for the Wolverines than Kierra Jones. The senior has rushed for 517 yards and two touchdowns in addition to being a talented pass rusher on defense.
Also of note, Jones will be the first from Niagara Falls to play flag football in college when she continues her career at Villa Maria.
“It means a lot,” she said, “especially because boys always think girls can’t do what they do, but it shows that we really can and we really improve the sport.”
Esposito described Jones as being quiet and reserved. But don’t let her soft-spoken nature and 5-foot-4 frame fool you. On the field, she’s a force.
“She leads by example,” Esposito said. “She could be a terror out there defensively. If she’s on her game, no one could stop her. She’s had games where she got like three or four sacks, two or three tackles for losses. We really rely a lot on her to get pressure on that quarterback.”
“I would describe myself as relentless, mainly,” Jones said. “I think I just play with a chip on my shoulder all the time.”
Jones decided to join the team as a sophomore. She gave up track for flag football when it was in its second year of play locally.
“I had seen everybody trying out, and I just wanted to give it a chance,” she said.
After one season, colleges began contacting her, offering scholarships.
According to NFL FLAG, at least 65 colleges sponsor women’s flag football at the club or varsity level, mainly NAIA and junior colleges. It appears on its way to NCAA status.
In 2028, it will be in the Olympics.
“After that, I think it’s just going to explode,” Esposito said.
For Jones, besides providing an avenue to college, playing flag football helped her grow as a person. Her grades improved. She developed the attitude she needed to succeed.
“I couldn’t get into any trouble … or I’d be benched,” she said. “So it kind of got me in shape. It’s really crazy how a sport changed me that much but in a good way.”
“She’s come a long way,” Esposito said. “She did a lot of maturing and a lot of growing up over the last couple years since she was a freshman. … For her to get a scholarship is really amazing for flag football.”
And Jones has a message to girls considering the sport: “Have fun with it. It’s really fun and a challenging sport, but I would encourage anybody to try and go out for it because it’s different and it’s just fun.”
PLAYOFF MATCHUPS SET
The playoffs for girls flag football get underway Saturday with pre-quarterfinal games in Class C. Section VI will crown three champions, who will advance to play the Section V (Rochester area) winners in the Far West Regionals on May 31 at Highmark Stadium.
The schedule follows:
CLASS A
Quarterfinals (Wednesday, May 21)
No. 8 Niagara Falls (1-6) at No. 1 Kenmore (12-2), 7 p.m.
No. 5 West Seneca (3-9) at No. 4 Jamestown (4-4-1), 7 p.m.
No. 7 Hutch Tech (1-8) at No. 2 Orchard Park (9-2), 7 p.m.
No. 6 Lockport (3-7) at No. 3 Lancaster (5-5-1), 7 p.m.
Semifinals (Friday, May 23)
Quarterfinal winners, at higher seeds, 7 p.m.
Final (Wednesday, May 28)
Semifinal winners, at Sweet Home, 7:30 p.m.
CLASS B
Pre-quarterfinals (Tuesday, May 20)
No. 9 Williamsville East (4-8-1) at No. 8 Frontier (7-6), 7 p.m.
No. 10 Amherst (5-11) at No. 7 Sweet Home (4-7), 7 p.m.
No. 11 Williamsville North (5-10) at No. 6 Niagara Wheatfield (4-5-1), 7 p.m.
Quarterfinals (Thursday, May 22)
Frontier/Williamsville East winner at No. 1 Clarence (11-1), 7 p.m.
No. 5 North Tonawanda (5-5) at No. 4 Grand Island (6-5), 7 p.m.
Sweet Home/Amherst winner at No. 2 Williamsville South (13-1), 7 p.m.
Niagara Wheatfield/Williamsville North winner at No. 3 Hamburg (8-4), 7 p.m.
Semifinals (Saturday, May 24)
Quarterfinal winners, at higher seeds, 7 p.m.
Final (Wednesday, May 28)
Semifinal winners, at Sweet Home, 5 p.m.
CLASS C
Pre-quarterfinals (Saturday, May 17)
No. 9 Lackawanna (3-6) at No. 8 Silver Creek (2-6-1), noon
No. 13 Southwestern (2-4-1) at No. 4 Iroquois (7-3), noon
No. 12 Dunkirk (2-5) at No. 5 Buffalo Academy of Science (5-7), noon
No. 10 Holland (3-5) at No. 7 Health Sciences (4-6), noon
No. 11 Akron (3-7-1) at No. 6 Maritime/Tapestry (4-4-1), noon
Quarterfinals (Monday, May 19)
Silver Creek/Lackawanna winner at No. 1 Depew (12-0), 7 p.m.
Iroquois/Southwestern winner vs. Buffalo Academy of Science/Dunkirk winner, at higher seed, 7 p.m.
Health Sciences/Holland winner at No. 2 Fredonia (11-1), 7 p.m.
Maritime/Tapestry/Akron winner at No. 3 Pioneer (10-1), 7 p.m.
Semifinals (Wednesday, May 21)
Quarterfinal winners, at higher seeds, 7 p.m.
Final (Saturday, May 24)
Semifinal winners, at Williamsville North, noon