Flores and Kuper’s team finished its season with a 5-1 record, ranking third among 10 teams of fifth and sixth graders.
They’re proud of improvement from all their players, who were receptive to coaching and consistently cheered one another one.
The young athletes didn’t shy away from suggestions of their own, either.
“Really when it comes to the offense, there’s really only five guys on the field, so it’s really getting them to do what I’ve been showing them, talking them through the play card,” Kuper said. “That’s what we’re focusing on. We’re gonna get a thousand suggestions from the kids in the huddle, but no, ‘We’re doing this so that guy can get the ball. You’re gonna run off as hard as you can on a go route so we can hand the ball off to the runner and pull the corner out of there.’ “
Flores also fielded plenty of ideas, from route proposals to an abundance of blitz requests.
“We’ve gotta reel ’em in a bit sometimes,” he said.
Flores and Kuper also have to rein themselves in a bit from time to time.
During the rain-soaked game, for instance, Kuper recognized his quarterback was having a tough time hanging onto the snap and getting the ball out. He pivoted to handoffs rather than the downfield passes he’d initially planned.
“We have to emphasize taking care of the football,” he noted.
Kuper and Flores are grateful for the NFL’s support of flag football and the opportunities the sport opens up for so many at a young age.
Kuper shared from personal experience the way bigger-statured youth will often get assigned early on to the offensive or defensive line in tackle football – but the omission of linemen in flag means other positions can be introduced.
“We’ll have players out there who may be snapping the ball, but they’re also catching balls down the field,” Kuper said. “They’re getting to learn a different skill set than they would with a tackle football team.”
Flores believes flag football is a great sport for anyone to try, regardless of age or skill level.
“I just think it’s good for kids to get out and spend time with other kids – get some of that camaraderie, go through some failures, which happen in all sports, and come back from them,” he said. “That’s happened so many times this season, where somebody’s had a bad play and then bounced back, got an interception and scored a touchdown.
“I would encourage…
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