Penn Hills gearing up for 1st girls flag football season

By:

Josh Rizzo

Sunday, April 9, 2023 | 11:01 AM

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After trying track at a younger age, Penn Hills junior Asya Murray had fallen out of team sports as she got older.

Recently, though, Murray found a sport that piqued her interest.

“I’ve always been interested in football,” Murray said. “I go outside and play with my family.”

Penn Hills is gearing up for its first varsity flag football season. The Indians participated in a 17-team kickoff event at Acrisure Stadium on April 2, complete with uniforms provided by Nike and a visit from Steelers tight end Connor Heyward.

Penn Hills will open its regular season schedule April 23 at Yuhas-McGinley Stadium. The Indians will open up with games against Greensburg Salem and Woodland Hills.

Penn Hills had a good turnout for tryouts and wanted to keep a roster of 16-17 players. Due to commitments to other spring sports and activities, the Indians are currently at 11 players.

In the flag football league, each team plays with five players a side. The popularity of flag football has surged in the past few years as the NFL has made a push to get it included as an Olympic sport for the 2028 Los Angeles games.

Penn Hills coach Talisha Taylor-Robinson got involved with flag football as her kids grew up. Taylor-Robinson, who has three kids between 9 and 20, was asked if she’d be interested in coaching by Erik Cooper.

Cooper is the commissioner of a few youth flag football organizations in Penn Hills. A few of those teams took part in the national competition at the Super Bowl in Los Angeles two years ago.

Taylor-Robinson said she enjoys coaching the game.

“It’s been cool,” Taylor-Robinson said. “The girls were engaged and 90% of them were athletes already. They know as athletes what it takes to be locked in and know the dedication and hard work it takes. It’s been an easy transition for the girls to make.”

Freshman Ani-yah Hickman, who plays basketball at Penn Hills, didn’t have much flag football experience per se. However, she did spend a lot of time competing with boys growing up playing tackle football.

“I was excited when I heard Penn Hills was getting a girls’ flag football team,” Hickman said. “I think trying new sports is fun.”

Murray said that the Indians have been working on getting plays down for their first game. They only played a half of a scrimmage against North Catholic at the Acrisure Stadium event.

Having Taylor-Robinson’s guidance has helped.

“It was hard at first learning the plays,” Murray said. “Sometimes I have a hard time keeping my mind on something. Coach will go over everything step by step until everybody has it.”

Hickman said Penn Hills will have a fast team. She’s hoping that will allow the Indians to have a strong season.

“I have high hopes we can make it far and win a championship,” Hickman said.

Tags: Penn Hills