In its inaugural season, the Glen Cove varsity flag football won its first-ever playoff game and made it to the county semi-finals and faced off against Levittown, Nassau’s No. 1-ranked team. Despite the team’s loss in the semi-finals, the varsity squad celebrates the end of its season, setting a a 14-4 record this year.
“They’ve already made history,” said coach Brett Rubin, a math teacher at the high school.
Rubin, an assistant coach on the varsity football and coach of the junior varsity basketball teams, said he has always wanted to be the head coach of a varsity sports team. In his 30-year career at Glen Cove, he hasn’t had the opportunity to until now.
“It’s always been my dream to be a varsity coach,” he said.
The team, comprised of 30 9th graders through 12th graders, is clearly off to a great start under Rubin’s leadership. They won their playoff game and advanced to the county semifinals.
Senior Aurora Seery “got the ball rolling” for the flag football team last spring when she collected over 100 signatures from girls in the high school who were interested in playing the sport, Rubin said.
Flag football has seen a rise in popularity since the New York State Public High School Athletic Association named it an “emerging” sport in 2021, according to its website. In 2022, the association named flag football a high school state championship sport, beginning in the 2024 season. This year, surrounding school districts, like Jericho, have also entered their first season.
Glen Cove’s team was approved after Seery submitted the petition to the Board of Education, and she then asked Rubin—her math teacher at the time—to lead the team, he said.
“It just took off from there,” Rubin said. He said at an initial interest meeting, 52 girls attended to learn more about the team.
The team came out of the gate swinging, winning its first three games in a row. Rubin said that after the Glen Covers had defeated Massapequa’s team, ranked No. 2 in the county, teams from across the county reached out to organize scrimmages and learn more about the team.
At their fourth game of the season, the team took its first defeat from Levittown’s Division High School, the best-ranked team in the county.
The Glen Cove squad went up against Levittown once more at the Thursday, May 22, semi-final match, where they lost in overtime 13-7, Rubin said.
Rubin said the team has practiced three times a week throughout the season, bolstering their strength on the field. While some of the student-athletes on the team are brand-new to Glen Cove athletics, many have competed for the high school in the fall and winter seasons.
Rubin said the team’s All-County athletes include Paulina Fonfara, who was also voted Offensive Player of the Year, and Makaylaa Chestnut. Gabriela Alvarado received an All-County honorable mention, and Diamond Golsby was named an All-Conference athlete.
Rubin said one of his favorite moments from this season was the 15th game when the team beat Roslyn High School and qualified for the playoffs. He said that after a season of hard work, the moment that they made it to the playoffs felt “unbelievable.”
“That was the moment that I got all choked up,” he said.
The team ended the season with a 14-4 record, Rubin said.
Rubin said he credits the team for their hard work and dedication throughout the season, which has allowed them to see such great success. He said the team will only go on to improve in the future.
