Within the spring of 2020, Doug Caines was burned out and completed teaching soccer.
“The COVID season most likely broke me,” he mentioned.
He had been head coach at Dos Pueblos Excessive since 2018. He had been head coach at Santa Barbara from 2012-14. He remained at Dos Pueblos as a media arts instructor and centered on his personal children.
Then, in 2023, he was approached about turning into the women’ flag soccer coach within the first season of the game. It modified his life.
“Actually, I’ve by no means had this a lot enjoyable teaching soccer,” he mentioned. “Man is it enjoyable. The women are simply coachable and wish to play and most are different athletes first.”
Dos Pueblos flag soccer receiver Brooklyn Hedricks, left, and quarterback Kacey Hurley.
(Michael Owen Baker/For The Instances)
That feeling of enjoyable, gamers eager to be taught and fogeys watching to benefit from the sport as a substitute of worrying about school recruiters greatest describes the third season of flag soccer. Everybody realizes this purity most likely received’t final for lengthy. Gamers are already getting provided flag soccer scholarships to schools. Excessive faculties have began to hunt out gamers.
But for now, the members are having fun with simply having the prospect to play a sport that was reserved for boys.
“Earlier than freshman 12 months, I had by no means performed and by no means heard of it,” mentioned star Dos Pueblos receiver/defensive again Brooklyn Hendricks, whose father, George, is head baseball coach and likewise an assistant flag coach.
Dos Pueblos head coach Doug Caines, middle, talks along with his gamers throughout halftime.
(Michael Owen Baker/For The Instances)
She was a journey ball participant for years in softball. Her mother and father spent plenty of money and time taking her to video games across the nation. Guess what has occurred in her junior 12 months of highschool?
“Softball was my greatest sport, however flag soccer actually is my greatest,” she mentioned. “To get a scholarship supply is loopy.”
Dos Pueblos is 18-2 and a part of a powerful group of groups from Ventura County and the Santa Barbara space able to problem the highly effective groups in Orange County. Dos Pueblos’ took 18-1 Orange Lutheran to extra time earlier than shedding.
“That was essentially the most intense sport I’ve performed in,” Hendricks mentioned. “It was such a battle backwards and forwards. It was a lot enjoyable.”
In addition to Hendricks, who has greater than 30 interceptions in her flag soccer profession, quarterback Kacey Hurley has been a key contributor. Final season Hurley was the middle snapping the ball to the quarterback. Now she’s the one firing spirals, with 49 landing passes to date.
The common season ends on Oct. 15. The playoffs are Oct. 21, 25, 28 and Nov. 1 with the championship video games on Nov. 8.
Caines has been revitalized and rejuvenated.
“It’s been magical,” he mentioned. “The primary 12 months was so enjoyable. No expectations. All the things was new — the primary sport, the primary landing, the primary interception. We’ve been in a position to maintain that going.”
Based mostly on Caines’ teaching expertise, an actual development within the coming years may very well be veteran 11-man soccer coaches switching to flag soccer to get again to the times of gamers studying from scratch and appreciating each second at apply and video games.
In the meantime, the gamers will maintain having unusual dances earlier than and after video games, making use of eyeblack prefer it’s make-up and, most of all, having enjoyable taking part in a sport that isn’t their predominant one however may very well be sooner or later.
“This crew has nice chemistry,” Hendricks mentioned. “There’s by no means any drama. We’ve an excellent set of coaches, We concentrate on having extra enjoyable. We love a win. That’s nice. But it surely’s extra of a household.”
