Lena Whalen is something of a football fan.

A viewer of the sport for a few years now, the Lockerby Vikings senior girls quarterback on the flag football team also suited up with the Sudbury Spartans girls tackle football team this past summer.

And while jumping back and forth might require a little acclimatization, many of the core principles cross-over quite nicely from the flag game to tackle football and back.

"I have to rely on all of the girls to do their jobs," said Whalen, who recalled watching NFL games through much of her youth, beginning with a Super Bowl appearance by her Philadelphia Eagles.

"There's a lot of trust. But it's also on me to put the ball in their hands."

Mission accomplished in the season opener on Tuesday as Whalen threw for one touchdown (to wide receiver Ava Plarina from 11 yards out), ran another in from the eight and watched as Lockerby defensive stalwart Tiia Peura ran back a pair of interceptions for majors as the Vikings blanked the Sudbury Secondary School North Stars 41-0 in Division B action at James Jerome.

Rounding out the scoring for the green and gold were Vaughn Rymal (TD - 39 yd run), Lorelai van Drunen (34 yd run) and Kyla Turner (three PATs and a pair of rouges).

The results were encouraging, though Whalen stressed that was not necessarily the key message from the man who balances his flag football coaching duties with both the Laurentian Voyageurs and the senior Vikings' girls.

"Mister (Lance) Patrie is a really good coach, reminding us to always keep our heads high, running on and off the field," said Whalen. "He wants us to have fun. Just get out there and have fun - and play with a smile on your face."

"That definitely helps us get through the game."

The Macdonald-Cartier Panthères rode a two-touchdown performance from Ariana Tonkovic and additional scores from Callie Couillard (TD + 3 PATs), Olivia Nistico (TD), Alyssa Joslin (TD) and Marquise Castonguay (2-PT convert) to a 35-21 win over the Lively Hawks in game two.

Janelle Jolette (2 TDs + PAT), Brooke Lanovaz (TD) and Kamryn Maloney (PAT) took care of the offense for Lively.

The Champlain Requins picked right up where they left off last year, crushing the Collège Notre-Dame Alouettes 48-6 in hitting the win column right out of the gate.

Division B champions in both 2022 and 2023 and finalists last year, the Requins leaned heavily upon the likes of Malika Grenon (2 TDs), Emilie Beaulieu (2 TDs) and Sophie Leveiller (2 TDs + PAT) in racking up the numbers against CND.

Topping off the scoring parade for Champlain were Sophie Lefebvre (2PT PAT) and Marissa McLean (TD) while multi-sport talent Hannah Adler (girls hockey + track & field) countered with the only touchdown of the day for the Alouettes.

The closest contest of the evening wrapped up the festivities as the Chelmsford Flyers outlasted the Sacré-Coeur Griffons 36-32 in a wide open affair.

The one-two punch of Madison Burns (4 TDs + 2PT PAT) and Scarlett MacLean (TD + 2PT PAT) were front and centre for the winners, with Ryleigh Harris accounting for the final two-point conversion.

Annebella Fortin (2 TDs + 2PT PAT), Mia Michaud (TD), Lauryn Gray (TD) and Annabelle Pettis (TD) all found their way on to the scoresheet in a losing cause for the Griffons.