SECTION IV FLAG FOOTBALL: WAVERLY'S SHAW LOOKS FOR CONTINUED GROWTH IN PROGRAM IN 2026 (2026-03-27)

By TIM BIRNEY
Valley Sports Report
WAVERLY — In just its third year, the Waverly flag football team continues to take strides forward as a program, and coach David Shaw is looking to keep the process rolling in 2026.

The Wolverines, who were 8-2-3 in their inaugural season in 2024, was 8-5 last year, including its first-ever postseason win. The 2025 season ended with a heart-breaking 12-6 triple-OT loss to Susquehanna Valley in the Section IV semifinals.

"I thought we took another step in the right direction last year, and accomplished another goal of winning a sectional play off game," said Shaw.
 
"As far as the loss at Sus Valley, it was a tough pill to swallow for sure, but just solidified that we are close to our goal.

"Our hope is that that taste of success will drive our girls to get over that hump," Shaw added.

The Waverly offense will be led by senior Brilynn Belles.

"I thought she had a very solid year last year," said Shaw.

"We are working on her mastering the next play mentality and stepping up to a leadership role keeping the team positive," he added.

Belles has a lot of weapons around her with senior newcomer Makenzie Olmsted, sophomore Lauryn Welles, senior Avalynn Boots, freshman Gianna Zieniuk, and senior Lizzie Robinson the top targets in the passing game in a season-opening win over Greene last week.

Senior Mira Kittle and freshman Gianna Rylott picked up the majority of carries in the ground game in the first game, but junior Claire Clemens, Olmsted, Zieniuk, Boots, 8th-grader Sophia Dorsey, junior Lecksie Douglas and Welles also toted the pigskin.

“We're fortunate,” said Shaw. “We have a lot of athletes. We have girls in, in pretty much every spot offensively that we can, that can make things happen, and (assistant coach) Peyton (Miller) does a really good job of spreading it around, and that's kind of our goal.

"If they're trying to take one girl away, we'll throw it to somebody else or we'll pitch it to somebody else," he noted.

"We have a lot of players and a lot of potential and we are very excited to see what they can do," Shaw added.

Shaw noted there are some familiar faces in new places this season, as well as new faces trying to work their way into the line-up.

“We have a lot of girls back, but we have a lot of girls in different spots than they were last year, so we're still kind of trying to figure it all out,” he said. “We just continue to show up every day and practice and they're working hard and we're getting better.

“We also have some girls who are younger that are right there and ready to play," he noted. 

"We’ve got seven or eight girls that can play in those four or five positions, so we’ve just got to keep progressing and keep getting better,” Shaw added.

The Wolverines also return a slew of experienced defenders, led by senior Claire Clonch, Kittle, Welles, and sophomore Maci Wheeler.

Shaw also notes there could be some bumps in the road due to the influx of youth.

"I would say out biggest concern is that we have a lot of new faces in new places," he noted. "We also have a lot of first-time players who are very good athletes and we are trying as a staff to get them in the right spots to make us successful. 

"As far as things we want to see better this year we continue to work on the girls becoming more dynamic and we have put a big emphasis on flag pulling," added Shaw. "And our hope is that will show up in games."

Shaw is excited by the growth in the program.

"I'm looking forward to continuing to build this program from scratch," he said. "I'm excited to have modified, JV and Varsity this year, and very excited that we have three teams and more than 50 girls involved in the program in only three years.

"We also have 30 girls signed up for small fry," added Shaw.