The girls from Amos P. Godby High School flew in from Tallahassee, Florida, for a pair of flag football contests on Saturday — but in retrospect, it was far more than just the competition that drew them out.
On Friday, we previewed the first-ever interstate flag football contests featuring PSAL schools, and the coaches of all three programs mentioned their desires to help grow the game.
On Saturday, the state-ranked No. 3 Godby delivered a 19-6 victory over New Dorp before topping Tottenville, 12-0, but there was more than just football to be played.
“It was a highly competitive game, we just made a couple of mistakes that led to touchdowns that are correctible this early in the season,” said Tottenville coach Jeremy Goldman.
The girls from Godby, who had scheduled visits to Manhattan to see the Statue of Liberty and 9/11 Memorial, joined the Pirates for a post-game meal at the Huguenot school.
“After the game we hosted a pot luck at Tottenville, both teams got to eat and hang out with one another and everyone had a great time,” said Goldman. “It was nice to see after the competitive game both teams were able to just be high school students with similar interests.”
Godby senior Gisele Jones enjoyed the trip for reasons other than football.
“New things and seeing new people and meeting new people,” she said. “It’s always good to meet new people, and it’s always good to see new things, to open your mind about stuff.
“I think it’s more about letting people see who we are, who Tallahassee really is,” added Jones.
Fellow teammate Kaylene Colburn added, “New York is a really beautiful place and I can’t wait to see the beautiful sites.”
Godby assistant coach Ricky Hufty said he was happy to be a part of the experience.
“We’re very excited to be part of it. It’s very humbling to think about the magnitude of the trip,” he said. “We’re glad to get to be a part of it and do it.”
The programs will attempt to link up again in 2020, for hopefully the second annual Florida-New York challenge.