“I felt like I was on top of the world for a couple minutes.”
— Kiara Hernandez-Crespo
With the addition of flag football to Seminole County, it was expected that there would be a lot of firsts. And at the Oviedo vs. Hagerty game on February 20th, Oviedo took many of those firsts.
After about two weeks of practice, Oviedo’s girls faced Hagerty at the first-ever girl’s flag football game with Oviedo’s players. The girls took home their first victory as a team and the first victory for our school when they beat Hagerty with a final score of 20-0. Also during this game, multiple girls made county firsts, showcasing the athleticism and ability of Oviedo High School.
After winning the toss and deciding to keep the ball and start on offense, Oviedo’s girls started their first game for Oviedo High School strong. During one of the first few plays, rusher Eva Decesare got a safety for Oviedo; the first safety in Seminole County’s history.
And the game just continued getting better from there.
With a team made of mostly first-year flag football players, most of the players were experiencing some pre-game nerves; sophomore Kiara Hernandez-Crespo was one of them. “I was nervous and excited like a mix of both,” said Hernandez. “I was really motivated to beat Hagerty, we were not going to lose to them.”
It seemed that most of Hernandez’s teammates might have shared this feeling, and they played hard throughout the game.
The second cheer-inducing play in this game was the first touchdown, made in the first half by junior Madeline Walsh. “Making history was something we knew we were gonna do but actually doing it seems crazy,” teammate Reese Sanderson said.
One thing that should be understood about this team is their reliance on each other during, and even outside of, practice and games. Through their few weeks together, this team has learned how to work well together, which will help them in future games.
“I think I love the way that everyone came together and kind of formed a bit of a family even though it’s like our first year, being a team. We got used to each other very quickly and I love the friendship that we’ve all created,” said Hernandez.
Sanderson also shares a deep love for the team that has been created and has high hopes for the future. “I’m just really excited to see how far our team can go and how our talent will continue to shine. I’m also looking forward to seeing the other girls’ reactions when they see our quarterback throw the ball forty yards down the field.”
Every team experiences success together, and success as individuals. Sophomore Julietta Decesare experienced individual success through an interception in the first half of the game. And this wasn’t just any interception, it was the first interception in Oviedo High School’s flag football history.
As a 5th year player, Decesare was excited about the addition of flag football to Oviedo High School and ready to make history for the school. “I was more excited than nervous because it was our first game and the first ever Seminole County game,” said Decesare. “I’m looking forward to doing it again and being able to make more history.”
For an experienced player, making history is thrilling, for a first-year player, it’s a whole different feeling. First-year player Hernandez realized this when she made the first-ever pick-six in Seminole County. A pick-six is when a defense player makes an interception and then runs the ball in for a touchdown in the same play.
“It was a very awesome feeling. I felt like I was on top of the world for a couple of minutes. It felt very special and I just loved celebrating it with my team,” said Hernandez.
These players have high hopes for the future of the team and hope that there is more success to come.
Mady • Apr 6, 2024 at 4:52 PM
I enjoyed reading this article and it really puts into depth how they felt and how confident they were feeling even before the game. This was definitely a moment that they will think about for a long time. And I liked in the article how they said they all bonded so quickly and was able to communicate very well throughout the game and I think that is very important to winning.
Lily • Mar 28, 2024 at 10:44 AM
I really liked this article. It gave insight about how the players felt about the game which was interesting. It was also interesting to read how they set multiple different records and how it is the first time in seminole county that girls flag football has been played.
Emily • Mar 25, 2024 at 9:30 AM
This article was really good and very interesting. It really showed how the players felt before, during, and after the game. It also really highlighted how this was the first girls flag football game for our school and any school in Seminole County. I liked how a bunch of records that were set were mentioned in the article.
Barbara Principe • Mar 13, 2024 at 7:12 PM
I’m honestly super proud of our school and the girls in the team, they all did such a great job and showed their good school spirit and athletism, hopefully we get to see more of this flagfootball team, excited to see those wins come in! Go Lions!
Bridgette • Mar 5, 2024 at 8:53 PM
I really like this article because it really put into perspective of how they felt at the beginning of the game or when they did something amazing in a game like a touchdown. I also liked that it kept highlighting how much more important it is this year than any of the others because it is the first year of Oviedo High Schools’ flag football.