Giles taking three teams to flag nationals

January 23, 2017 at 12:05a.m.

Flag Football Practice

YOUNGSTOWN

While Youngstown State’s football team missed its chance to bring home a national championship, three local teams will have their shot in January.

In flag football, that is.

Former Penguins wideout Elliott Giles is taking three teams to the NFL’s flag football nationals. This year’s edition will be in Orlando, Fla., this week leading up to the Pro Bowl.

“I think it’s a great opportunity,” said Boardman 14-year-old McKenzie Melendez. “Not a lot of children get to do this and I’m very blessed to be one of them.”

The 9-10 boys team is going as the Cleveland Browns, the 11-12 boys are going as the Cincinnati Bengals and the 13-14 girls are going as the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Giles, the president of the NFL-sanctioned Youngstown Youth Flag Football Association, took a break from his own championship preparations to travel to Frisco, Texas, to watch his alma mater lose, 28-14, to James Madison. He was impressed with the Penguins’ postseason run, including Kevin Rader’s miracle catch against Eastern Washington in the semifinal.

“It was better than any catch I’ve ever had. I’ll be honest with you,” Giles said. “To take that amount of concentration to be able to pull that ball in the magnitude of the moment. Watching it on TV, I thought it was an interception, but when the ref threw his hands up, there was relief.”

Two of the YYFFA teams went to San Francisco to compete during Super Bowl week last year, where both teams finished second. Because of Orlando’s proximity to Disney World, it selected as the nationals site over Houston, which is hosting this year’s Super Bowl.

“We all expect a championship. We’re going in with confidence,” said Canfield 13-year-old Chris Altiere. “We’re all good and we’re all together. If someone catches a good pass, it’s not, ‘Why didn’t I catch that?’ We’re happy for our teammates.”

Of the 26 players going, 18 are first-timers. Giles never tires of treating kids to the NFL experience and the players are eager for the chance to compete in Orlando.

“It’s going to be fun giving us and the young kids on the team a chance to play for an actual national championship,” Altiere said.