NYS Flag Football Superbowl crowns new champs

Niwot Youth Sports hosted three simultaneous flag football championships on Sunday, Oct. 23, at Niwot High School. At the end of the day, three new Super Bowl Champions were crowned.

In the JV Division, the Bills and the Colts battled it out in the wild card game early in the morning. The Colts started the year rather cold, with only one victory in their first six games, but made a roaring comeback late in the season and kept that streak going with a win over the Bills.

Next up were the Broncos and Cardinals in the first semi-final matchup of the day. The Cardinals were able to shut down the Broncos' passing game and were victorious, sending them to the finals later in the afternoon The Colts then played the undefeated Rams in the other semi-final game. Colts running back Ethan Lawson kept the game close with his speed and agile running, but the Rams came back with rushing TD's from Ben Walker, Victor Powell, and Troy Niles to win, sending them to the finals as well.

The JV Super Bowl pitted the Rams, coached by Rob Herchert, against the Cardinals, coached by John Getter. Both teams had many Niwot Elementary second graders on their rosters, making the game a must-see, with a large crowd lining the field.

The Rams were able to keep their undefeated streak alive, beating the Cardinals 44-0. Both teams ran the ball most of the game, but it was the Rams' defense that was stellar, shutting down the Cardinal offense all afternoon. Coach Herchert had lots of praise for his squad. "Our team continued to improve all season long, and still were able to save their best games for Super Bowl Sunday. I am proud of their efforts, and to see them rewarded for it was awesome."

The Varsity Division brought excitement and energy to the turf at NHS all day. The Saints and Broncos played early in their wild card game, with a victory going to the Broncos. The Broncos then had to face the regular-season champion Rams for their second game. The Rams came out on top, which won them a ticket to the finals.

The Steelers played next, meeting the Giants in the other semi-final matchup, and won rather handily, 18-6. Steelers coach Jeremy Yazinski gave his defense the player of the game award, and thought that defensive coach Kirk Fronckiewicz was a crucial part of the team's victories all season long. Key flag pulls from Mason Paradis and Chance Yazinski kept the Giants from scoring and helped secure the Steelers victory.

The Varsity Super Bowl pitted the Rams, coached by Micah Hayes, against the Steelers, coached by Yazinski and Fronckiewicz. The weather turned rather brutal for the 3 p.m. game, with heavy wind gusts and microbursts of rain.

Both offenses struggled at first due to the conditions. Later in the second half, Steeler quarterback Darby O'Gorman threw a pass into the end zone, which bounced off another player's head and landed in the hands of Steeler receiver Dylan Talbot to hand the Steelers the trophy, with a final score 6-0.

Rams coach Micah Hayes praised his team's resiliency and also expressed his appreciation to NYS football commissioner Adam Robinson for securing the Niwot High School field this season and for creating and running a weekly concession stand which kept players and fans alike happy all fall.

Finally, the All Pro Division saw three NYS 5th-grade teams pitted against three guest teams to create a double elimination, all day 5th-6th grade tournament. Last year's league champions, the NYS Bills, came into the tournament in third place and first amongst the NYS teams.

Coached by Gabe Amaya, the Bills played two hard-fought games, but lost to the 49ers-Gold and the Hilltoppers. The NYS Giants, coached by Randy Morse, lost to the 49ers-Gold as well. The NYS Cardinals, coached by Brad Schildt, lost to the 49ers-Red but then edged out a victory against the NYS Giants 6-0. They were sent home in their third game by the Hilltoppers. The All Pro Superbowl saw the 49ers-Red play their rival 49ers-Gold for the second time in the day, with the trophy going to the 49ers-Red team coached by Brandon Baker and Chris Weaver.

The NYS flag football season was a huge success, with record numbers of female athletes competing, new fields to compete on, and a solid squad of Niwot and Longmont high school football players on hand to referee the games and motivate the young athletes.

NYS boys and girls basketball registrations for the winter 2023 season are now open. All youth K-6th grade are invited to sign up. Go to http://www.niwotyouthsports.org for more information.