City Flag Football Squad Enjoys Success

A fledgling Newark sports program has enjoyed remarkable success, recently making it to the second round of the playoffs in its first year of operation.

The under-14 flag football squad at Brick Avon Academy is the first Newark school to participate in the TeamX Sports National Flag Football Tournament, said Timothy Carr, an art teacher at Avon and the team’s coach.

The Newark kids played teams from Virginia, New York, Pennsylvania and from as far as Canada. Brick Avon also fielded squads in the 10- and 12-under categories for the 5-on-5 NFL-style football league. 

“We started off last year playing intramural games and I did some research and found that this is big in other states,” said Carr.

Carr said flag football offers yet another recreation option for city youth, and is also a viable alternative for parents concerned about their children playing a contact sport. Just as important, Carr said the discipline and teamwork learned on the field spills over into other aspects of his young players’ lives. He also noted flag football is a less expensive option than traditional Pop Warner.

“I just wanted to establish more recreation activities to improve their grades and lessen the influence of gangs,” Carr said. “Academics and athletics go hand-in-hand.”

Flag football can be played by both boys and girls, and a team for young ladies is in the planning stages, Carr also said.