On May 21, the flag football team ended its triumphant season with a tough 21-13 loss to Plainfield. This defeat, however, did not represent how explosive the team was this spring. With an 8-4 record, the team solidified its place in the Westfield athletic atmosphere, especially when compared to its record from last season of 5-4 and the official first year with flag football as an NJSIAA varsity sport.
The team started the season strong with three wins in a row, two of which were 26-0. Then came some losses, but the team never lost its fight. Senior Captain Ana Sanchez explained some of the team’s challenges and said, “We had a sophomore quarterback, which is a huge position and a bunch of other positions with freshmen, so getting that chemistry down. Then, during the season, we got a few injuries which hindered our personnel, but we were able to come back from that.”
A key freshman was rusher Phoebe Lyons, who broke the record for sacks with 14 this season. The team values the young talent, and junior captain Harper Tarry said, “The eighth graders right now have been playing flag football for many years and play on club teams. So having them come to the team next year is gonna be huge because of the experience they have.” According to Sanchez, the younger players are a part of a flag football league in Westfield that has over 300 players.
The success that they found wasn’t by mistake. Instead, it was the result of intentional teamwide efforts to build camaraderie off the field that undoubtedly translates on the field. Tarry said, “Having team hangouts, team psych parties before games, and just being together the time, really made our success on the field, because we had better chemistry.”
With a winning record, the program is clearly trending in the right direction. Being that it is the program’s first year as an official varsity sport, the success that they found will aid in propelling the future of the Westfield flag football team. Another highlight of the season was Sanchez and senior captain Lea Passarelli being selected for the All-Star Game at TCNJ, playing with the best players in the state.
Head Coach Matthew Andzel also noted the positive overall energy that the 2026 team had. He thought that it propelled the team on the field and set them apart from the years prior. He said, “The 2026 team had great energy. We had question marks coming into the season, but we overcame many of them, leading to the program’s best record of 8-4 and our second division championship.”
Andzel also noted the talent of the underclassmen in the 2026 season, the most accomplished being Lyons and sophomore Lena Denner. With respect to Denner, Andzel said she had “a great season on defense, as she led the team in flag pulls with 53, as well as 5 interceptions. She was named nj.com defensive standout 2x this year.” While Lyons had a great season defense as well, she tied Priscilla Dayon’s QB sack record with 14.
Looking ahead, the depth shown by the 2026 team will shine once more in the coming season, where dominant names like Tarry, Lyons and Denner will look to improve on their record and continue to develop the future of Westfield flag football.
