SUMMERSIDE -
SUMMERSIDE - The fourth season of the NFL/CFL Flag Football League is underway in Summerside.
There are five teams participating this season, with the winning squad representing P.E.I. at the under-15 nationals in Ottawa later in the summer. All games are played Tuesday nights at the SIS football field until the middle of June, when the provincial tournament will determine the P.E.I. representative at the nationals.
The three-time-champion Giants are back to defend their title, but will be in tough with two strong Grade 8 teams.
"We have a young, inexperienced Grade 7 team, and the kids are just learning the game," said Giants coach John Turner. "I preach to them that all we want to do is get better every week, and at the end I hope we will have a shot at the title.
"Both of the Grade 8 teams, the Dolphins and Falcons, are the teams to beat. Tuesday, we beat the Falcons and we are heading in the right direction, but we have a long way to go."
The Dolphins are coached by Jason Lyle and have six returning players from last season.
"We have a strong veteran team, but we need to cut down on the mental mistakes as we move forward," said Lyle. "We let the Falcons get up on us by 21 points the other night, and we battled back to win in double overtime. We do have character on this team, which is important."
Head coach Dom Vallee has the Falcons improving each week, and had a chance to upset the undefeated Dolphins.
"At this age, the mental mistakes can turn the momentum of the games in a hurry, and that's what happened the other night being up 28-7 and then losing in overtime," said Vallee.
The Bengals and Saints are the two other Grade 7 teams in the league. They are coached Brandon Adams, Kaleigh MacKinnon, Lucas Gaudette and Wylie Tanton, who are all graduates of the flag football program.
"I thank these kids for putting time back into the program after playing the last two seasons with the Giants," said Turner. "Kids like this will only make this program, and football, grow here in Summerside, which is the ultimate goal."
