Play like a girl: Lee County begins its first ever girls flag football season

Author: Sylvie Sparks Writer: Elyssa Morataya
Published: Updated:

The first time Isabella Martinez played football was three weeks ago.

It felt weird for her at first, playing a male dominated sport, but she’s getting more comfortable on the gridiron now that Lee County’s first-ever girls flag football season has kicked off.

 “I feel like boys really always underestimate girls,” Martinez said, “and we can really show them what we’re made of.”

When the Bonita Springs freshman heard her school was hosting girl’s flag football try-outs, she couldn’t wait to get on the gridiron.

Girls all over the county are showing what they’re made of. Thomas Mcguire, Head coach of the Bull Sharks, told WINK News that 65 girls tried out for the team.

“They’re out here getting extra work after practices, and they really want to be the best they can be,” said McGuire. “They see this as an opportunity for something that they can be successful in, and we got soccer players, cheerleaders, softball players, basketball players, and then some kids that have never played a sport before. “

The girls are officially football players now, too.

“A lot of us don’t have background or anything,” said Martinez, “but as the weeks go on and as the days go on, we can see it all come together, and it’s just really like ‘wow, like we actually did that.'”

With every pull, interception and even every loss, the girls of Lee County are playing every down with the same goal: “To just have fun and show them who we are and that girls can do it too,” said Martinez.

The Green Wave swallowed up the Bull Sharks 33-0 on Tuesday night.

Bonita Springs will try to get back in the win column on Thursday when they host Lehigh.

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