H-ton Girls’ Flag Football Continues to Grow

The Huntington varsity girls’ flag football took a few more steps this spring toward establishing itself as a solid program capable of competing against the Suffolk powers.

While some might wish for more rapid success, just how far the program has already come needs to be acknowledged. Head coach Shea Scully and assistant coach Gabrielle Valela created the program from scratch last year, recruiting and training players, many of which were unfamiliar with the skills and strategies inherent in the sport of football.

This year’s team featured 10 first year players and 14 returnees from the 2023 team. “The biggest accomplishment for us this season was building a strong family dynamic within our team,” Scully said. “Win or lose, the girls always have each other’s back and support one another, which I couldn’t be more proud of as a coach.”

Huntington was captained by seniors Ariana James, Zaida Correal and Aylana Powell and sophomore Kymora Dorvilus. James (wide receiver) and Dorvilus (running back) led the Blue Devils.

“AJ (Ariana James) is such a natural born athlete and her IQ on the field makes it seem almost effortless to make plays happen,” Scully said. “Kymora and her were constantly collaborating throughout the season to come up with new plays that would benefit the team in upcoming games, which proved to be successful every time. Her presence will be sorely missed next year.”

Dorvilus emerged as a flag football star. “Kymora was our No. 1 flag grabber this year, making it almost impossible for the competition to gain yardage when she was in their way,” Scully said. “She has so much grit and heart and love for the game, which is contagious to everyone around her making her such a great leader. I’m so excited to see what she brings to the table next season.”

The Blue Devils hope to hold flag football intramurals at both the high school and at J. Taylor Finley Middle School in an effort to stimulate additional interest in the sport in Huntington UFSD.

“We have only three players graduating this year, which means we should have 21 players returning next season,” Scully said. “I am excited to see how we compete with teams when we have our full squad healthy and able to participate.”