Kevin Eick founded the flag football program to introduce children to the sport of football in “a safe and fast-paced environment.” Eick is an assistant coach on the Silver Creek-Forestville varsity football team alongside head coach Sean Helmer, the Athletic Director of Silver Creek High School.

“Kevin does a great job. Really, I can’t say enough about him and what he’s done for the community here,” said Cliff Golembieski, a coach of the 9-10 age group.

The National Football League supports programs such as Hanover’s throughout the nation as part of its NFL Flag initiative to develop fundamental skills “in a positive, inclusive environment.” There is no better local example of that than Hanover’s flag football program.

Hanover’s co-ed flag football program is open to all children in the Silver Creek and Forestville school districts, ages 5-12, of any skill level. The participants are broken up into age groups of 5-6; 7-8; 9-10; and 11-12. They each receive a jersey and flags to keep upon registration.

A ball carrier takes off upfield during a Hanover Youth Recreation Flag Football game on Wednesday night at Silver Creek High School. OBSERVER Photo by Braden Carmen.

Three years ago, nearly 100 participants joined the program as it launched. In the two following years, well over 100 children participated each year. This year, 121 children are participating in the program.

“It has just been really successful. Kids have seemed to really enjoy it,” Eick said.

In allowing the program to grow, Eick credited the support of the Hanover Recreation Board, comprised of Emily Cornwall, Natasha Souter, Kaitlin Gage, Forestville Board of Education President Andrea Spengler, and Hanover Town Supervisor Lou Pelletter.

“They have been incredibly supportive of me in helping me do this,” Eick said. He is also grateful for the support of his wife, Lesley, as he has grown the program over the past three years.

This past season began July 8 and ran six weeks, concluding on Wednesday. Games were played each Monday and Wednesday, with Thursday as a potential rainout date set up each week. The younger age groups played from 6 to 7 p.m., while the older groups played from 7 to 8 p.m., with all games held at Silver Creek High School. The culminating event was held under the lights on the Silver Creek football field on Aug. 14.

The 49ers and the Commanders faced off in the 11-12 age group championship game of the Hanover Youth Recreation Flag Football League on Wednesday night at Silver Creek High School. OBSERVER Photo by Braden Carmen.

Contests were 5-on-5 with rosters of eight to 10 players. The games featured two 20-minute halves and a five minute intermission. Rules were modified to fit the size of the field. The program was supported by volunteer coaches, including Matt Miller, Derek Cornwall, Cliff Golembieski, Eric Pryll, and Bob Stern.

“I have a really great group of volunteer coaches,” Eick said. “They are really giving their time to the community.”

Golembieski, a graduate of Silver Creek in 1999, player football at Silver Creek back in high school. He remembers kids playing football games “all over the place” throughout his childhood, but while the love of the game is still there, footballs are not flying through the air at as many fields as they once were. Hanover’s flag football program has changed that.

“I think it’s been great, bringing back interest in football a little bit,” Golembieski said.

Matt Miller coaches the youngest group of athletes in the program at the 5-6 age range. At that level, the teams do not keep score, instead focusing on giving all 27 participants a chance to play each position. Even if that means an extra down or two, everyone gets a turn.

The Hanover Youth Recreation Flag Football League has more than 120 participants, from ages 5-12, who all compete at Silver Creek High School every Monday and Wednesday through the late summer. OBSERVER Photo by Braden Carmen.

“It’s all about having fun. A few kids here or there will say, ‘What’s the score?’, but they all cheer each other on when something happens. … If the other team scores a touchdown, they all chase them to say good job,” Miller said.

Miller was the first coach to sign up as a volunteer for the 5-6 age group, where he coaches his son. After reaching out for more help, four more volunteers signed up to help out.

“It’s really touching to see all the townships that are involved in this be able to come together to be there for each other,” Miller said. “… It’s a really rewarding experience.”

Cornwall, a coach of the 7-8 age group this past year, has seen both ends of the spectrum as a coach, from newcomers starting at the beginning to experienced players building upon their skills at the higher levels. Cornwall was involved with the 11-12 age group for the first two years of the program as he coached his older son. Now that his older son has aged out of the program, Cornwall coaches the 7-8 group with his younger son. “It’s definitely a great experience,” he said of coaching his sons.

Though still competitive, the younger groups focus on having fun as they learn the skills of the game to set them up for future years.

“It’s fun to watch the kids progress and learn it,” Cornwall said. He noted that even newcomers to the sport begin to pick it up as the games go on. Cornwall likened flag football to a game of tag with a football, as everyone just chases after the ball carrier to pull their flag.

“Just watching the kids that didn’t have any experience kind of come out of their shell, that, to me, is one of the most rewarding parts,” Cornwall said. “… They don’t take it so seriously. Did we win or lose? I don’t really care, I just had a good time.”

The pace picks up a bit at the 9-10 age group, as the shift begins from having the games be about exposing the young athletes to the sport to more of a focus on specialized skills.

“Kids are understanding the game more. They are getting the route running down and they are understanding downs and distances more,” Golembieski said.

Still, even as the games get more competitive with a jump up in age, giving everyone an opportunity to play a big role in the game is a key part of the culture Eick has established, with buy-in from the coaches.

“We rotate the kids as much as possible. Everybody gets a chance to be a quarterback, everybody gets to catch the ball,” Golembieski said. “… Just the response from that, when somebody gets to see their kid out there running in the game, that’s kind of cool.”

Cornwall described how the flag football program has become a community get-together every Monday and Wednesday evening for several hours, all at a centralized location with the games taking place on the varsity football field and nearby practice field. Families and friends of the 121 athletes all come together to pack the stands, and even after the games are over, many of the kids stay and play together on the side fields.

“Having the type of program where everyone is together, it is really good for a community,” Cornwall said.

Last year, after the league concluded, a pair of coaches kept the flags and offered to hold flag football games on Sunday mornings for kids who wanted to continue to play. Cornwall said the weekly gatherings featured 20-25 kids from the ages of 10-14, showing up to play from around Labor Day until January.

“Kids would just show up, we’d pull the flags out and play,” Cornwall said. “It’s because the kids liked it so much, they just kept showing up. … It’s making a lasting impression on these kids.”

The impression is not left to just the kids playing on the field, but also to those officiating the contests. The referees for the games were a mix of current and former Silver Creek and Forestville student-athletes. Among the referees were recent graduates Mike Grisanti and Matt Woleben – a former varsity quarterback – along with current athletes Brady Eick, Bennett Pomroy, Jeffrey McWillson, Dom Anders and Jake Anders.

Eick said of the referees in the program, “It is a great experience for the younger kids in the community to interact and see the athletes that are involved in varsity athletics at the schools taking an interest in their games and activities.”

Flag Football is one of the fastest growing sports in the nation, and many schools across western New York have established girls flag football teams as a varsity sport. Locally, the Fredonia girls flag football team won a Section VI Championship last season.

Hanover’s program has the potential to serve as a feeder program for the varsity football team in future years once kids learn the fundamental skills of football. The Silver Creek and Forestville school districts have merged the tackle football programs for many years, and now this upcoming school year, the two schools will launch a merged flag football team in the Spring 2025 season. The program has been approved by the Board of Education and Section VI Athletics.

The cooperation between the districts, as well as the community members throughout the Town of Hanover and the Village of Silver Creek through the Youth Recreation league provides hope that both the flag football program and the tackle football program can be sustainable for many years to come.