New Hope-Solebury Seniors Step In To Coach Flag Football Team

NEW HOPE, PA — It didn't look promising for a group of 10 New Hope-Solebury first graders who wanted to play football.

The group had a team and they had a league - the Penn Athletics league where they could compete against teams from neighboring districts, including Council Rock and Central Bucks.

The only thing they didn't have was a coach.

Their parents tried to cobble together a schedule that would give the team multiple coaches covering one or two weeks at a time, but that became impossible due to family work schedules and travel demands. The team missed their first two practices as a result.

Looking for an answer, the parents turned to their local high school and found four New Hope-Solebury seniors ready to volunteer their time and coach the team - Samuel Hoffman, Nate Wiseman, Jacob Stein and Matthew Rickert.

The first grade flag football team with their teen coaches.

“We received an email from the school mentioning that the kids did not have a coach. It seemed like a fun way to help these kids and give them the opportunity, and it definitely was,” said Nate Wiseman, who is an accomplished golfer and baseball player for New Hope-Solebury.

His fellow coach Matthew Rickert shared, “Some of the fond memories of my childhood came from playing flag football with friends, and I still remember my first and only touchdown. I would love for another kid that age to get that key sports memory.”

“The coaches prepare the kids for practices and games, and they are such enthusiastic supporters of the boys. They have really taken the time to learn the unique qualities of each player and tailor practice to work on both individual skills and team-building. They actively seek feedback from parents and are so respectful and proactive in communicating with us,” said Jaclyn Oates, one of the team parents.

The coaches have also sought to be good role models.

For their game on Mother’s Day, the coaches made each boy a small vase with flowers to give to their moms after the game.

“Ask any mom on the team—we would love our first graders to turn out like Sam, Nate, Matthew, and Jacob when they get to high school!” said Oates.

While the coaches want their players to learn how to play hard, their highest priority is making sure they are having fun. “At this age, it’s important to just enjoy the experience and want to continue playing sports,” said Wiseman. It seems to be working with the kids. “Our coaches are the coolest teenagers. They taught me how to blitz and do the X,” said first grader Landon Oates. His teammate Shaylan Patel said, “It was really, really, really fun, and the coaches were super nice!”