Our ITG Next Florida 4 Questions with the Coach spotlight this week is on Western High flag football head coach James O’Brien, whose Wildcats are a year removed from winning the FHSAA Class 2A state championship and being named the Max Preps national champion. Let’s find out more about these amazing Western High Wildcats from coach James O’Brien.
Q. Coach O’Brien, thanks for taking time to join us. I’m sure readers want to learn more about your Western flag football team. Being named the top team in the country is quite an honor. But first tell us about yourself and your coaching background. Had you coached flag football previously? How did you become the flag coach there at Western?
A. We are thrilled about the upcoming season and we hope to regain [that title] this season. I have been involved with flag football since my playing days in football came to an end. I have played in men’s leagues for the past 30 years and have been coaching flag football here at Western ever since the job came open in 2012. The previous head coach stepped down and I immediately approached the AD and the rest is history.
Q. Does the team have tryouts? What is the selection process like, and do a lot of players come out for the team?
A. We do have tryouts before the season starts. Our success has been a big reason for a large turnout during tryouts. We have more girls than roster spots, so unfortunately we do need to make some tough decisions when evaluating the players.
It’s pretty standard, but the first hurdle the girls need to clear is completing their paperwork on time for tryouts. Then, with the field work, we look for speed, agility, and effort. There’s a place for anyone who wants to play flag football. You can be bad at catching but great at flag pulling and using angles to cut off defenders, so there’s a lot to consider when evaluating the players.
Q. Has Western always been a success in flag football? What are some highlights of the past few seasons?
A. Western has always been relatively successful, at least locally. We have won the district championship the last six times, and have been to the state tournament as regional champions the past three times. We lost to Newsome by one point in the 2021 state championship game, and that was the fuel the girls used to return to the championship game the following year, when we won by 20 against the same opponent.
It wasn’t about revenge as much as it was about finishing what we started. We finished the season undefeated at 19-0. Being honored by MaxPreps was the cherry on top of the cake. Being named the number-one team in the nation at the high school level, where there are over 20,000 schools nationwide, is a special accomplishment that we are very proud of and something the girls can take with them for the rest of their lives.
Q. I am guessing that winning a state and national title produces a lot of excitement and interest in the Western flag football program. What are your expectations for this year’s team?
A. We have 10 girls returning as seniors who were a part of that special season. Word of mouth around the school and the girls looking for athletes always helps in the recruiting process. We have a solid group that we feel can run with anyone in the state, and adding a few underclassmen for the future is important for continuing the growth and the success of the program.
Our veteran returners are hungry to return to the top, and they know what it takes to win it all, and that really is a trait that is necessary to get it done – believing that you can. And these girls do. We have two girls, Nandi Ramessar and Kailyn Echevarria, who are members of the U.S. Junior National Team. We are the only school in the state to have two members on that team. We are very excited for the start of this season
