April 5, 2026
By Tina Moreno
Staff Writer
The flag football club team is gearing up for its home opener on April 13 against Secaucus High School.
With 44 new athletes and just three returning players on the team, first-year Head Coach Aiello said practices, which began on March 12, are focused on improving last year’s 1-5 record.
“We are working on becoming experts on our playbook and finding who our most athletic and talented players are,” Aiello said.
He said he decided to become a coach after some students asked him to mentor the team, and he saw this role as a good fit.
“I do this for the kids,” Aiello said. “Nothing pleases me more than putting a smile on their face[s].”
Aiello said his passion for coaching stems from a desire to support and motivate his players.
“I love coaching. I’m one year into teaching here and really look forward to getting myself out into the town a little,” Aiello said.
He said that, for now, he will not be appointing team captains.
“I don’t believe in captains, but we might have one or two. I prefer everyone working together in the field,” Aiello said. “It’s important that every player feels equally responsible and confident stepping up.”
Senior wide receiver Zeynep Celik, who joined the team last year, said she has high expectations for the team’s eight games this season.
“We have the talent, but now we have to focus on putting the pieces together and using our full potential.”
“My biggest goal is to win as many games as possible, and I really hope that happens,” Celik said.
She said she is optimistic about the progress the athletes have made so far.
“Hopefully, we can all be connected as a team, but I can see [the players] working [together] already,” Celik said. “We are all really positive and carry that with us.”
Like Celik, sophomore Jaylin Vuono Reid, a returning player who has not yet been assigned a position, said she enjoys the atmosphere at practices.
“As a team, we already cheer each other on and celebrate each other’s wins,” Vuono Reid said. “It’s a club sport and not varsity yet, [so] it’s more laid back compared to the other sports I play.”
With the season just beginning, Vuono Reid said there is still a lot of work to be done for the team to reach its goals.“We have the talent, but now we have to focus on putting the pieces together and using our full potential,” said Vuono Reid.
