MVHS Flag Football Builds On Strengths

By GANNON HANEVOLD

Moapa Valley Progress

The Moapa Valley High School Flag Football team had high expectations going into last season. But a few tough losses, and bad luck with injuries, contributed to what ended up as a 1-9 season in league play for the Pirates.

This year, the Moapa team hopes to compete in a difficult division with a new lineup of athletes, including first-time varsity players, foreign exchange students, and the return of Lexi Schraft, who missed last season due to a leg injury.

On the sidelines as head coach for the Pirates will be Dave Belcher, in his second year at the position for the team. Belcher has high hopes for this season. “We’ve got a lot of inexperienced girls,” he said. “We got our annual load of exchange students but this year they seem to be more athletic and are definitely very fast. We’re going to have a lot more speed than we’ve had. If we can just execute and catch the football, we’ll do well.”

While a lack of experience may be a factor, the team certainly has more numbers than they’ve seen in past seasons, according to Belcher. Sixty players tried out this year, a record in the program’s short history.

Belcher also highlighted the importance of developing the team’s passing game. “Flag football is a passing game for the most part,” he said. “Even though we’re going to be faster than we’ve been, we still don’t have the speed that Vegas schools have. We’re going to have to put the ball in the air.”

In order to thrive as a team that likes to pass the ball, an offense needs a quarterback and weapons. This season, the Pirates can invest confidence in both of those resources.

Under center for her second season for Moapa will be junior quarterback Alex Peay. Belcher spoke highly of Peay, who was recognized as one of the best quarterbacks in the region last season. “Alex is very smart,” he said. “She knows the game very well and she is just a natural leader. That’s her biggest strength.”

As for weapons, Belcher is confident the team is set in that department as well, after an influx of foreign exchange students.
“Last year, Felicia Perez was pretty much the only girl we could go to as far as passing,” Belcher said. “Now, Alex has more girls that she can throw to. We have some exchange students that can catch. Maxime Van der Laan and Benedicte Johannsen can catch the ball very well and Christie Eriksen is just

a natural athlete and I expect a lot of her.”
Belcher also highlighted the importance of the return of Lexi Schraft to the field and the athleticism she brings.

While the offense has plenty of raw talent, the defensive side of the ball hopes to build on that speed and athletic ability as well. Belcher highlighted various players that will have a major impact on the defensive side. “We have some girls that aren’t afraid to cross the line of scrimmage,” he said. “Charitti Manis is a really good safety and we have Hailey Williams, who is just an animal. Elena Ramirez is very quick and good at pulling flags and people have a hard time blocking her. She just has a sense of where the football is and where to pull the flag.”

As for the defense as a whole, Belcher says the team’s philosophy will see a change, thanks to the new found athleticism from various positions. “We’re going to be pretty much rushing two the whole time. Just the overall athleticism of the team makes us so much better this year. It allows us to do a lot more things and take a few more chances.”

With all that optimism in hand, it should be an exciting year for a still young and up-and-coming program.
“As they get more experience, we could really do something,” Belcher said. “I feel we could make the playoffs. It just depends on if the girls are really willing to spend extra time learning plays. If they’re dedicated, even just a little bit, I really think we could make the playoffs this year.”

With their end goal in sight, the Pirates hope to see success on the field this year. It all starts with a preseason tournament this weekend, and two home games against Legacy and Rancho on Thursday and Friday.