Chris DePew's "retirement" proved to be short-lived.
After spending a quarter of a century leading the football programs at East Noble (2001 to 2011) and Garrett (2012 to 2024), he decided to step down at the end of the 2024 campaign to concentrate on his duties as athletic director at his alma mater (1986 Garrett graduate).
However, when it was announced earlier this summer that Garrett would field a girls' flag football team this year, DePew realized the fire and desire to work with student athletes was still there.
"Having the opportunity to teach football to an entire new group of people has been a real joy and was probably the main reason to try this," explained DePew, who had a career-mark of 157-106. "It has been a pure experience, and I am so proud of the girls, especially thinking back to where we started.
"I believe our first question on the first day of practice was 'What's the difference between offense and defense?' It's amazing how far they've come, now speaking a common language, sharpening skills, and coming together to find success."
The results speak for themselves as the Railroaders are off to a 4-0 start and have outscored their opponents by a score of 131-12.
Leading the charge have been junior co-captains, running back Mika Roxas and slot receiver-defensive back Madeline LaPato, along with wide receiver-defensive back Remi Balzer, linebackers Jazlyn Carteaux and Megan Fox, senior slot receiver-defensive back Ashlee Vanderbosch, and freshman quarterback Raegan Feagler.
"It took no convincing to get the girls to want to play," explained DePew. "They were all-in from the beginning. Heck, one week they asked if we could practice longer to improve more. They want to learn, improve, and perform."
The impressive start also earned their leader accolades by being named the Indianapolis Colts Girls' Flag Football Coach of the Week earlier this year.
"I was warned early on that some of the worst flag football coaches are former tackle football coaches," recalled DePew, who was also the Colts-NFL Boys' Coach of the Week last year "I think the point was to remember that this is a different game and that trying to make it like tackle football can be a mistake. I still see more similarities than differences though. Obviously, the flag game is much simpler without linemen, blocking schemes, and special teams. However, it feels much like football still.
"Probably the biggest difference so far has been the skill level, comparing boys who grew up playing the game to girls who are learning these skills for the first time. Those aren't gender differences, though, just experience differences, so it's our job as coaches to help the girls close that gap. It is a simpler game with less equipment, a smaller roster, and a small coaching staff. Although the setup is easier for flag football, our approach and attention to detail remain the same."
Another former field general who got the itch to get back into the game was Floyd Central's Blair Thompson.
"I decided last year was going to be my last in football because the time restrictions were just so difficult," explained Thompson, who was an assistant with the Highlanders after going 12-10 in his three-year stint at Salem (2020 to 2022). "People really don't understand it's seven days a week from July on basically. I wanted to have one summer to myself after the last 25 years."
However, he was intrigued with the new challenge when it came up.
"I had the opportunity to coach a girls sport while being part of (Floyd Central's) Coach (Jerry) Hickey's basketball staff," said Thompson, who was also chosen as the Colts' Coach of the Week. "However. this was the first time I have ever been a head coach for a girls sport and I absolutely love it."
The Highlanders have also been impressive in posting a 6-0 mark by outscoring their opponents, 250-32.
"Our girls' sports programs are dominant in the south," Thompson said "I saw it as an opportunity if we could get all of our athletes out that we could have a lot of fun and win a lot of games.
Among the leaders are senior wide outs Elise Coleman (458 yards receiving with six touchdowns), who is an all-state performer in basketball and softball and has signed to play basketball at Western Kentucky, and Brinley Clark (state leading 519 yards receiving with six touchdowns) and senior running back Lyla Conway (550 yards rushing with six touchdowns).
Other contributors include junior quarterback Maya Brogan (state leading 1,139 yards passing with 14 touchdowns and one interception) and sophomore defensive back Lyla Jenks (six interceptions).
"It is one of the main reasons I coached because it gave me the opportunity to coach the game I love without having to sacrifice the time with my family," Thompson said.
Both men have found the transition from working with boys to girls to be very smooth.
"We aren't teaching violence with the girls compared to tackle football, so maybe the emotional level of a barbarian isn't what we're going for with the girls," DePew said. "I have found the girls to be rational and level-headed, easy to coach, compared to the boys, who are way more emotional."
"The biggest difference in girls' flag and boys' football is the eagerness of the girls to learn the game," Thompson said. "The girls really hang on to every detail that they are being taught. They really want to learn the game.
"The girls do a really good job of being there for each other. They do a really good job of picking each other up after a mistake. Now, we have times where some of them cry and we can't really figure out why. but we just go with it. They are very businesslike. They don't make many mistakes. I will say their touchdown celebrations are much better though."
Even though there are significant differences between the two sports and genders, the objectives remain the same.
"We have a tradition since the 1970's at Floyd where we start the school year off with a 'Turkey Bowl', which is a flag game pitting the juniors vs. the seniors," explained Thompson "It is played the first Friday night of the school year at the stadium and it is huge.
"We already had an interest, so I feel with Coach Hickey and I coaching girls' basketball we were able to get the word out that this is going to be an awesome sport to be part of at Floyd. We don't do as many individual drills with the girls as I did with the boys. We spend a lot of time in group settings and in scrimmage scenarios."
"Just like tackle football, our goal is to teach them to fall in love with the game," explained DePew. "They are equally excited for sure, but it's funny how our goals continue to change as we grow as a team. In the summer, we wanted to just have fun and see how it goes, but as the girls have improved and gotten a taste of success, they want more of it. There is great purity in how they encourage and celebrate each other.
"We aren't just happy to complete a pass anymore. We want to execute plays at a higher level, but enjoying the game and the learning process are still priorities. With a love and understanding of the game, these girls as future mothers will hopefully encourage their own sons and daughters one day to play, ensuring that the health and security of football for everyone continues for future generations."
In addition to having the support of the Colts, girls' flag football has now been recognized as an emerging sport by the Indiana High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) with over 60 schools fielding teams this fall.
This is part of the Colts' "Road to 100" campaign program to get 100 teams participating around the state of Indiana.
"We can take this sport as far as any other," DePew said. "With the support of the NFL (National Football League) and IHSAA, I think girls' flag football is going to blow up. The girls enjoy playing and people enjoy watching."
"We started this season with the goal of going undefeated and we are two wins away from achieving that goal," Thompson said "Our sectional is loaded, but our ultimate goal is to make it to the state finals and see how we stack up with the north."
Both mentors believe the sky is the limit for this sport.
"We need to continue to shine the light on what the girls are doing across the state and country," DePew said "Locally, we must expose younger girls to flag football, thereby encouraging more participation and skill development. I anticipate youth camps and leagues, middle school programs, and everything else we see with boys' tackle football being applied to girls' flag football. Why not?"
" I believe it's just going to blow up," Thompson said. "I know of 20 schools around us that are getting it next year. I talked to a coach in Georgia and he said they are at 300 teams and have divisions now. It's just a super fun sport and fast paced. It is awesome to see the dad's enjoy watching their daughters play a game that they are watching every weekend."
Although things are going well now, they both believe the program will flourish for years to come.
"I think the more we push that the game does everything we can to protect our girls and keep it a non-contact sport the more kids will participate," Thompson added. "I feel we just need to keep promoting the sport through social media.
"We started a youth program this year in Floyd County, so we have eight youth teams from third through eighth grade. I also think that our current girls tell their friends that it is so much fun, and you don't have the stress that is put on them in their other sports."
"To a degree, the expansion will probably happen more between years one and two because the girls will see how much they can have," DePew said. "Although there is not a lot of time commitment involved, it has grown over the course of the season for us, mainly by our own choosing because the girls are willing to put in the extra time to want to learn."
