For the first time since 2012, it is time to hang a football banner. On Monday, October 30, the Varsity Flag-Football team became the first team sport to win a championship since New Community Jewish High School became de Toledo High School. They also won the first Jaguar team banner since 2014. de Toledo rolled through the playoffs, beating the then undefeated Shalhevet team, and then beating the defending champion AGBU Titans. The Jaguars finished at 6-3, winning their second championship in team history.

The Jaguars excelled this year under the guidance of Head Coach Corey Goldstein and Offensive Coordinator Steven Deutsch. Both coaches worked tirelessly in implementing the most effective offensive and defensive strategies, even staying up all night to perfect the schemes based on which opponent the team was preparing to face. This is Coach Corey’s second championship, as he also was the head coach of the 2012 championship team.

“The 1st Super Bowl win is great but the 2nd is so much sweeter!” Coach Corey said. He also went on to say that he knew that this team was good enough to win from the beginning, but the 25-0 shutout victory against Shalhevet was “the push needed to have this team believe that we were winning it all!”

This championship was not all because of the coaches, as each and every player had a huge impact on this team. One standout player was Chayson Greenfield, an all year starter who caught the opening touchdown of the game. He classified the win as “amazing,” saying that “being the 4 seed entering the playoffs and upsetting the 1 and 2 seeds to win it all was a feeling [he] will never forget.”

Quarterback Sam Koeppel also played a huge role on the team this season, getting better every game he started and eventually becoming one of the best quarterbacks in all of the Coastal League.

Junior Sophia Falk was an absolute beast all season. She played center for the Jags and was the most consistent player on the team. She always hit her blocks and always knew exactly what to do in any situation. She was also a very quiet leader, leading by example and always doing things the right way. Without good blocking, a football team cannot succeed. Because of Sophia and her leadership of the o-line, the Jags were able to win it all.

4-year veteran senior and team captain Noah Camras was the heart of the team. He was the one who always motivated and pushed his teammates to the limit. Without him, the team would not have had the drive and passion for the game that eventually led them to the championship. He will be greatly missed by the team next season.

The MVP of this team had to be senior and first year player Jared Shapiro. Jared’s speed was unmatchable, and his heart was never questioned. He treated every game like the championship, and scored a touchdown in all but one of the games this year. Without him, there was zero chance of the Jaguars winning this championship.

The dream season ended in the best way possible, and will forever be remembered in de Toledo history. The goal for each sport is to come away with a championship, and we are glad to say that we can finally bring a championship to de Toledo, hanging our banner in the gym forever.