In an NJ town without varsity HS football, the girls carry the flag
In an NJ town without varsity HS football, the girls carry the flag
HARRISON − Football in Harrison is alive and well.
It's just that now, the Blue Tide logo wears a white belt with two flags around its waist. The quarterback throws the ball flat-footed, if she throws it at all. Most importantly, Harrison wins almost all the time.
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The small Hudson County school − a New Jersey soccer powerhouse forever − dropped the boys football program after the 2023 season for multiple reasons, mainly a lack of willing players, but the girls flag football program has filled the void. The Blue Tide has become a powerhouse, reaching the state semifinals last year.
For the Harrison players, flag football has become something they grew to love in a short period of time.
Check out the photo gallery, then continue reading.
For the Harrison coaches, like so many others of flag programs, it's been refreshing, a chance to teach football to a whole new audience.
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'To those that think that Harrison might not have football anymore, I would tell them we do, and they should come here and watch them,' Harrison flag football coach Dan Nankivell said. 'Once they see it once, I think they'll believe that this is something special.'
Building the girls flag football program
Nankivell, 'Nank' to everyone, would know. He played football for the Blue Tide and coached in the boys program before it folded.
'It's devastating for me as an alum,' Nankivell said. 'I coached in 2017 and we went to the playoffs that year. To watch it go from there to a non-existent program is heartbreaking.'
Apr 3, 2025; Harrison, NJ, USA; Ridgefield Memorial flag football at Harrison. H #10 Alma Camila Garcia Diaz celebrates as her team scores in the first half.
When then-athletic director Kim Huaranga asked Nankivell about coaching the flag football program at Harrison, she assumed he would say no, but something about the job appealed to him. He could run his Wing-T offense − Harrison's offense looks more like a single wing than anything else − and he could work with his friend Chris McKnight to run the defense.
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As far as the players, Harrison doesn't have a track program in the spring. The softball program struggles to compete at a high level. So there were female athletes walking around Harrison, they just needed a chance to show it.
'My whole family, my brothers, they all played football, so we were very involved in the sport already,' Harrison senior quarterback Hailey Scocco said. 'I knew I wanted to play. I always had the arm. As soon as they were doing tryouts, I wanted to play right away.'
'When I came to my parents and said I am going to play flag football, they said, 'whaaaat?' I said I didn't know what it was, but we will find out together,' Harrison junior Mya De Jesus said with a laugh. 'They never said no, that's a guys sport. They have been open and supportive of me and they know how much I love it.'
Apr 3, 2025; Harrison, NJ, USA; Ridgefield Memorial flag football at Harrison. H #15 Mya De Jesus on her way to scoring in the first half.
Finding success in Harrison
Nankivell has gone all in on flag. His coaching staff includes two women: Jenn Svec (special teams) and Kate Gigl (offense assistant). He runs the social media account with help from Camilla Garcia and Francisco Apollo.
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The Instagram account has highlights and pictures from each game. The Blue Tide did a 'schedule drop' video that included a walk through the hallways and a meeting with school principal Matthew Weber. You can't help but think everyone is having a blast.
Winning certainly helps. Entering this season, the Blue Tide were 22-3-1 all-time in the regular season, 24-6-1 overall.
'I think they might not say it, but there is a bit of a chip on their shoulder,' Nankivell said. 'I grew up here and can attest to it, but people always count out Harrison kids and it's especially true of female athletes here. They grow up in an environment where outsiders − the town has always been supportive − but outsiders have the idea that you're just a kid from Harrison and this is your ceiling, and I think they take that personally.'
On the field, Harrison takes no prisoners. Last Thursday night, they routed Ridgefield, 48-0. The score wasn't a huge surprise, Ridgefield is a new program, and the Blue Tide looked like a well-oiled machine. They scored on offense, defense and special teams.
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The crowd grew to around 80 people. They girls ran through blue smoke coming on to the field. After every touchdown, 'Twist and Shout' blared over the loudspeakers.
Apr 3, 2025; Harrison, NJ, USA; Ridgefield Memorial flag football at Harrison. Harrison celebrates defeating Ridgefield Memorial.
De Jesus said it's disappointing not to have a boys program. 'Every school has one and you have Friday Night Lights. It got to a point where we had to look forward to watching soccer on Friday nights. It's not normal. I'm not saying it's bad − our soccer team is good − but it's not the same feeling as going to a football game.'
Nankivell loves the idea of the girls playing on a Friday night.
'Maybe we could work that out,' he said.
'We usually play on Thursdays and Wednesdays, and it's not the same,' De Jesus said. 'We look at Harrison and it's known for soccer, but we want to make it known for something else… flag football.'
What comes next?
Flag football has grown exponentially in New Jersey since the New York Jets and Nike partnered up four years ago.
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It's still considered a 'club' sport, meaning it's not officially sanctioned by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association and athletes could participate in both flag football and another spring sports. But it looks like it will become sanctioned for the 2027 season.
There are concerns from coaches in other spring sports, notably softball and track, that flag football will take away talented athletes and leave their programs depleted. Those concerns are valid, but flag football is a fun, exciting alternative. Girls clearly want to play. Colleges are adding the sport. The Jets are sponsoring a regional club team.
The tide is rising. Harrison is too.
'I hear that Harrison is not a football town anymore, I would argue that it is, it just looks different,' Nankivell said. 'Girls football is the thing now. I hope we can be trailblazers on the field.'
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Harrison NJ girls flag football becomes a dynamo despite no boys team
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