A perfect season for the Wakefield flag football team has pushed the program into the national spotlight. MaxPreps ranks the undefeated state champions (with a record of 27-0) as the 11th-best team in the entire nation. In addition to this winning streak, sophomore quarterback Quinn Pope was awarded the title of MaxPreps Player of the Year for the state of North Carolina, capping off a season where she threw for 3,400 yards and 57 total touchdowns.

One key aspect of any team that sets them up for success is quality teamwork, with a supportive team dynamic making all the difference when it comes to crushing the competition. Senior co-captain Maddy Lampman comments on how these positive attributes can be seen within her own team.

“Our team’s chemistry is honestly not like any other team I’ve been on,” Lampman said. “We are all super close, knowing when to have a lot of fun but also when to lock in. Everyone on the team is just super competitive and works really well together.”

Just as important as the support of fellow teammates, dedicated coaches act as the glue that holds a team together. Whether it’s fostering productive practices or ensuring that games go well, great leadership is often heralded by players as the difference between a win or loss. At the forefront of this leadership is head coach Kyle Bayer, whose strategic play-calling has been instrumental to the team’s offensive dominance. Another senior co-captain, Brenna Colleran, notes the various ways in which Bayer, as well as the assistant coaches, works to support her team.

“Coach Bayer draws up a lot of plays. He works hard. And then Thomas and Williams work hard on defense to make us the best that we can be,” Colleran said. “During games, they call out plays. Coach Bayer has 50 plays that he calls out, and he knows when to call them. They’re very smart, IQ-wise.”

 The team’s efforts and drive for success led them to complete the year with outstanding results, with Pope’s state-wide accolade giving credence to notions of the team’s great performance. Even with these spectacular circumstances, players still readily recognize improvement where they see it. Pope comments on how she thinks she developed her skills during the season.

“I definitely feel like I [have] improved, especially when it comes to chemistry with my team,” Pope said. “At the end of the season, I definitely felt like I knew my teammates more, along with becoming more familiar with how they play the game.”

Regardless of any team’s seasonal performance or the ages of their players, remaining future-focused is a top priority for both athletes and team leadership alike. With both newer players settling in and older players saying goodbye, providing all players with knowledge and experience that would aid them regardless of the paths they choose to take was especially relevant this past season. Bayer elaborates on one way that he prepares his players for upcoming seasons, both in and out of high school.

“I always try to encourage them to play other sports. It helps them become more well-rounded while also allowing them to stay out of trouble, stay involved and stay in shape,” Bayer said. “I think sometimes what we see in sports is people just going overkill with the same things and it just leads to burnout. I don’t want that to happen. I just want them to keep that desire for it.”