Total Sports Development’s girls high school flag football program is off to a blazing hot start in the 2024-25 season as the team defeated the Olympia Bears, 30-0, with the mercy rule in effect, and the Bethel Bison, 28-0, to begin the program’s first year under TSD’s leadership.
Quarterback Austin Hitchner displayed her arm strength in the program’s first contest of the season against the Olympia Bears on Wednesday, Dec. 4, as she stretched the length of the field on deep touchdown passes early and often in the blowout win.
“It was a little nerve-wracking at first before the game [against Olympia, but after my first pass to Sage [Rough] where she scored a touchdown off of it, I felt normal again. We were able to get the offense going pretty quickly,” Hitchner said. “[A 30-0 win] says a lot about us. I think our team is going to be really good this season, and I hope we can go really far into state. I hope we can win it all, but I don’t want to jinx it.”
She also shouted out her teammates Mariah Arnestad for having great runs, Sage Rough for all of her catches in the first contest, and Salma Diaz and Aliyah Congdon-Snyder for their “amazing defense” throughout the game against Olympia.
Hitchner, a William Penn University softball commit, said she believes her strong passing game might relate to the fundamentals and skills she’s learned while competing as a softball athlete.
“A lot of my passing skills probably transfer from softball. Last year was a little more rough to actually figure out how to throw a football,” Hitchner said. “After last season, I definitely got into it. I was throwing it like a softball at first, but I’ve figured it out now. I’ve got the hang of it this year.”
TSD high school girls flag football coach Daniel Caldwell was proud of Hitchner for her performances early into the season. He described the senior quarterback as the “heart and soul” of the program’s offense.
“Austin [Hitchner] obviously is the heart and soul of our offense. She’s our returning quarterback from last year. We identified her as a super talented quarterback last season, and we’re excited to have her back full time this year as well,” Caldwell said. “Any time you can get a returning quarterback, your offense is in good shape. That’s step one. Outside of her athletic ability, she’s a good leader for the team and makes a lot of great decisions with the football in her hands.”
Caldwell added that, despite the 30-0 victory over Olympia and the 28-0 victory over Bethel, it’s hard to measure the team after just two games in a season. He and the rest of the coaching staff, Jason Ronquillo and Brandon Thompson, believe there’s a good foundation to build upon this season.
“We liked what we saw. It was a short install week. The important thing is that the girls executed the things we’ve installed over the last few days. We put in some base defenses, and that was enough to get it done,” Caldwell said. “As a defensive coach, you love to see shutouts. That’s what we strive for in every matchup. With these girls, we had a lot of returners from last year, and they’re picking up right where they left off. They hit the ground running. We made some modifications to our defense.”
While the TSD high school girls flag football season has officially hit the ground running, Caldwell said the program is still seeking more funding to continue the season. He said if anyone would like to donate or sponsor one of the athletes, they can contact support@totalsd.org.
