Trojans' flag football team is 3-0 and playing well early

Oak Ridge has won its first three flag football games, including a 6-0 win over defending Sac-Joaquin Section champion Ponderosa, with a very young team consisting of only four seniors and a slew of underclassmen. That bodes very well for the future, this year and beyond. On Thursday night, the Trojans earned a 26-0 win over Oakmont, as the team improved to 3-0 on the season. "I liked the way our girls showed some resolve, especially on offense," Oak Ridge head coach Eric Cavaliere said. "We didn't start off well on offense, and the team got better as the game went on, so it's good to know that a team can overcome some early challenges." A season ago, the Trojans had a great team featuring 22 seniors that made it all the way to the section championship game; this year they've got only four seniors on a team that features a large majority of sophomores and freshmen. The team's seniors are Rachel Groth, Siena Maher, Madeliene LeTourneau and London Sanders. "This season is going really well," Cavaliere said. "The girls are progressing and learning quickly. "Rachel Groth is a starter at cornerback and is also doing a fantastic job as a punt returner. Siena is a two-way starter at center and linebacker, one of only two two-way starters. Maddie is not a starter, but she plays linebacker for us and London is seeing significant minutes as a rusher, as she's one of the fastest players on the team." The seniors provide leadership for a young team that has a lot of talented players, beginning with quarterback Maya Scipio, who quarterbacked the junior varsity team a season ago. "Maya throws a good ball and it's not like she grew up with a lot of quarterback training," Cavaliere said. "Like most of the girls, she's new to football. What we're looking for out of Maya is steady improvement. When her eyes are focused on the right things, she's really good. She's a really good runner and she needs to learn to use her legs more. If she can figure out a couple things, we're going to become a very good team." Arguably the team's top player is junior Laurel Smart, as MaxPreps has her ranked as the 66th best flag football player in the nation. "Laurel caught a couple of deep passes for touchdowns against Oakmont," Cavaliere said. "She catches the ball really well and is our other two-way starter, as she also starts at free safety. She just has a knack to play football." Three other key players for the team are the Lampe sisters: sophomores Ilyana and Berkeley and freshman Luci. "Ilyana is a returning all-league safety and Berkeley is a beast of a pass rusher for us," Cavaliere said. "Her effort level is off the charts. Luci, on offense, has made a lot of big plays for us." Two other players Cavaliere mentioned are Becca Platt and Hannah Rivas, who are two first-year players who are making their mark at linebacker and inside receiver, respectively. "We've got a very young team, mostly sophomores and freshmen," Cavaliere said. "That's an exciting thing for a coach." This year there are new rules with the game of flag football, which make the game much different than a year ago. The biggest change comes on defense, where multiple players may rush the quarterback from a distance of only one yard off the line of scrimmage. Last year, one rusher had to be seven yards from the line of scrimmage. This makes the game much tougher for the quarterbacks, and offenses, in general. "I personally am not a fan of the rule changes," Cavaliere said. "It really puts the offense in a limited position and it's tough to score. If you look at the scores this year, it's a lot lower scoring and I think scoring touchdowns is what will help the game grow. "Having a rusher coming from seven yards out gives the quarterback two to three seconds to make a decision. Rushing from one-yard and utilizing screening with limited contact is like a screen in basketball without charging or walking. The referees are all over the map on making calls and I don't blame them because it's a judgment call. But now, the quarterbacks only have like half a second to set their feet and throw the ball and that makes it hard to score." Cavaliere might not like the new rules, but he and the Trojans are playing by them. Oak Ridge's next game is against Vista del Lago at home on Tuesday. The Eagles are 5-1 on the season, having lost to Whitney in their most recent game.