Welcome to the Sudbury Spartans 19U Girls Tackle Football Team - and Track Club.
That signage would not look the least bit out of place affixed to the clubhouse doors of the local OWFL (Ontario Women's Football League) entry - at least not in the minds of opposing teams who have watched Spartans' ball carriers dart their way downfield at breakneck speeds, racking up touchdowns galore in the process.
Led by Awosika Olaterere and her six TD performance last Saturday, the Spartans blitzed the visiting London Wolfpaac by a final score of 72-33, allowing the northern program to earn the split on the day.
Maddie Veevers (2 TDs + 2pt PAT), Sophie Leveille (TD + 2pt PAT), Sienna Laurent (TD), Caileigh Ryan (2pt PAT), Marquise Castonguay (2pt PAT) and Robin Price (safety touch) all found their way on to the scoresheet as the Sudbury girls improved to 4-0, good for first place in the 7-team OWFL 19U West Division standings.
A standout in flag football who will be taking her talents to Laurentian University come the fall, Maddie Veevers brings with her a highly versatile athletic base to the Voyageurs as she nears the midway point of her second year of tackle football.
"I was doing competitive swimming for ten years and really wanted to switch to a whole new sport," noted the 18 year-old grade 12 student at Lo-Ellen Park Secondary School. "I really enjoyed flag and I saw tackle as more training."
But for as much as a lengthy run to the end zone for Veevers might be a common sight in either football setting, she will suggest that there are plenty of adjustments that need to be made when transitioning from one form to the next.
"In tackle, I run a lot lower to the ground, especially when I cut," said Veevers. "In flag, it seems you are always rounding to the outside. In tackle, you hit the middle, you hit the gaps."
"You have to hit the hole a lot harder."
In doing so, inevitably, more often than not, you will be taking down. Apparently that, in itself, is a learned skill for a ball carrier.
"If you know that you are going to go down, you have to roll with the tackle," said Veevers. "That's something I still work on every day."
As for the matchup with the Wolfpaac, some excellent pre-scouting allowed the Spartans to enjoy a truly banner day, offensively speaking.
"For this game, we focused a lot on trying to hit the middle," said Veevers. "Running outside doesn't always work on teams that set their defense a little further back. We talked a lot about our leads being more inside than outside, making sure they can't get that angle of pursuit right away."
The U19 Spartans will take their undefeated record on the road this week, battling the Hamilton Jr Ticats on Sunday.
Meanwhile, the Sudbury 16U Spartans knew that the visiting Peel Panthers were going to be a tough opponent. They just did not realize that the Panthers were actually going to be mighty, mighty tough.
Siblings Tiara and Kiera Mighty accounted for all eight Peel touchdowns, with six coming on runs that covered 48 yards or more (including a 98 yard run and a 107 yard run) as the visitors walked off with a 48-8 win over the Spartans.
Laila Lalonde accounted for the only major for Sudbury, with Kloe Cousineau adding the two-point convert as coach Frank Rocca and company fell to 1-3 as they prepare to welcome the Cumberland Panthers (3-1) to the James Jerome Sports Complex.
Cumberland edged Sudbury 56-54 in the season opener in mid-May in Ottawa with the rematch set to kickoff at 4:00 p.m. this coming Saturday in the nickel city.
