ST. PAUL – Dozens of young athletes hit the field this spring for St. Paul’s first-ever youth flag football season, which wrapped up last week with a championship game at the St. Paul Athletic Park on June 23.
Coach Kurtis Stolth organized the program, which ran for about eight weeks and drew 50 Grade 4 to 6 players from across the Lakeland, including students from Flat Lake and Bonnyville. "I used to organize [flag football] up in Northern Manitoba, so it was easy," he said.
Throughout the season, players were grouped into four teams named after NFL franchises: the Steelers, Raiders, Dolphins, and Seahawks.
The program was developed as a feeder program into the St. Paul Bengals’ bantam tackle football team, but also to help teach interested youth in the region about the fundamentals of football without the physical risks that come with contact sports.
"I think we got 20 coaches here. At the beginning, there were more coaches than there were players," he said. Coaches include familiar names from the St. Paul Football Club like Bengals head coach Derek Zapisocki, coach Todd Tanasichuk, and St. Paul Lions head coach Mark Tichkowsky.
St. Paul Lions is the high school football team in St. Paul. Players from the Lions also helped out with coaching or as referees.
Stolth commended all the youth who participated in the program this season. “They should really be proud of themselves,” he said.
"There's all different kids out here, all different walks of life. And they all came together," Stolth added.
He also thanked everyone who supported the program, from football teams in the Lakeland, community members, and the St. Paul Football Club who decreased registration fee from $125 to $100.
Based on the success of the season, Stolth said the program will return next year, and encourages more parents to sign up their youth. The long-term goal is also to expand and possibly develop a Lakeland league in the future.
