In their Week 1 game, the STEELERS lost to the CHARGERS 25-12.  However, come Week 2 the boys were ready to play.  They beat the COWBOYS 18-13 in their first win of the season.

The STEELERS are under the guidance of first-time coach Ty Gilliard.  Gilliard said he became a coach to spend time and have fun with his two sons, Tyrone and Beau, who are both members of the team.  

Coach Gillard said he thinks it’s important for kids to play flag football.

“It’s how you build character.  Regardless of sex, girls or boys, it’s a team sport.  You learn how to work together even when things are bad.  You learn how to lose together and how to win together.  It’s just a great experience for kids.”

Coach Gilliard’s expectations for his team this season is for them to learn, then win.  He thinks it’s important for his players to learn how to play the game first before they focus on winning and losing.

Along with the Gilliard brothers, the STEELERS consist of Josiah Cook, Luke Glickman, Owen Lichtenstein, AJ Tannenbaum, Isaac Weissman-Markowitz, and Caleb Williams.

The team is led on offense by QB AJ Tannebaum, a six-year veteran of the PFFL, who likes the competitive aspect of flag football and learning more about the game.

To Luke Glickman, flag football is “fun, exciting, and competitive.  It’s fun just to run around, catch the ball, and score.”

Ty and Beau Gilliard both agreed that they like flag football because they enjoy running around, pulling people’s flags, and making new friends.  

Josiah Cook added that “it’s a little better than real football because you don’t get hurt as much and I like to run around a lot.”

One thing’s for sure – this team loves to run around and play offense.  When I asked the boys what side they liked best, they all screamed in agreement “Offense!” because they can score touchdowns.  

But Coach Gilliard interjected to make sure his players knew offense isn’t everything.  He said the biggest thing the STEELERS need to improve on is their defense – flag-grabbing in particular.

So look out for the STEELERS to work on their defense and represent the name of their hometown team.