Football Girls Strut Stuff for SYAG Stingrays

The SYAG Junior Stingrays won the Super Bowl last weekend and the opening touchdown of the game came at the hands of 8-year old Angelina Schicilone. Her center is 7-year old Suzanne Scaccio.

You read that right. Angelina and Suzanne are a rarity, young girls playing the bruising game of tackle football amongst their boy peers.

Scaccio joined after seeing her brother play in the Pee Wee Division, according to head coach Mike Pazienza.

“She has not missed a beat,” he said.

Schicilone followed the brotherly love and joined her brother Alex, 7, on the team.

Both of Schicilone’s parents were a bit hesitant about allowing her to play for obvious reasons.

“It all came down to my son who plays on the team,” said Alex Schicilone, her father and another coach on the team. “She came down to a practice one day and wanted to take part in some drills. She strutted her stuff and asked if she could play.”

Cherie Schicilone, Angelina’s mother, was originally against her playing, but when she heard that Suzanne was on the team, it made the decision easier.

“I'm one proud mama,” said Cherie. “She scores that touchdown on the field and comes running to me so excited. There's nothing better than that. I’m so proud that other parents stop us and say, ‘Wow, your daughter is on fire, your daughter is awesome!”

Throughout the season Schicilone used her speed and athleticism to pass and throw for numerous touchdowns, including under the pressure of championship games.

“She’s pretty athletic and she could run the plays and take control in the huddle,” her father said.

Midway through the season she converted on a 64-yard touchdown run on a quarterback keeper. On another play, she dished a close-range pass to a receiver, who turned that into a 60-yard touchdown.

“I love playing football,” said Angelina. “It makes me feel special and confident, especially when I make a touchdown.”

Angelina watches pro and college football with her father and brother, often analyzing quarterbacks and plays. She picks out if a running back makes a nice cut or if she recognizes a formation.

For now she wants to continue playing, but the game will continue to evolve and grow more physical and rough around the edges as she gets older. Her parents will “go with the flow” and see what the future brings.

If there’s any way to measure her ability, aside from the big offensive numbers, maybe it was the time she made another boy cry when she tackled him on defense. Her father spoke of it proudly.

“She was happy about that one."