In a Field of Dreams-esque sort of way – build it and they will come – Jack and Karen Duppel brought girls high school flag football to Delaware.
In the spring of 2023, Jack was coaching JV softball at Padua Academy, an all-girls Catholic high school in Wilmington, Delaware, when they became aware of schools in their neighboring state doing something new – flag football.
"It was getting a lot of traction in Pennsylvania and a lot of the girls were starting to ask about it," he said. "And so we went to a (Philadelphia Catholic League) playoff game at Cardinal O'Hara, and it was just so exciting to watch. Non-stop scoring, just a wide-open type of game. So we decided to see what type of interest we could get."
There was interest. By the fall of 2024, Padua Academy, Delaware Military Academy, Ursuline Academy, and Saint Mark's High School each had started a flag football club.
"We tried it out and everything went well,' Duppel said. "We started getting more and more interest, and the second season we had eight teams involved.
Involved would be a good way to describe Duppel. Besides owning an auto repair shop in Prospect, Pennsylvania, he's now also coaching both softball and flag football at Padua.
"Our daughter, Kaitlin, played softball here and I didn't coach until she left the school. I didn't want to be 'Daddy ball,'" Duppel laughed. "Both of my kids were involved in youth sports and I would help out along the way there, but I didn't want to be involved in their high school experience. I wanted them to feel like they earned everything that they got.
"Sometimes you see situations where a parent is the coach and some people might not agree that their children deserve playing time or whatever. So I didn't want any of that to play into it. But I've always been interested in sports and I've always liked coaching."
Eight Delaware schools with club teams played in the fall last year, and the original four were recognized by the Eagles and invited to scrimmage at Lincoln Financial Field during halftime of Philadelphia's game with the Cleveland Browns on August 16. Padua and Saint Mark's finished in a tie, but both won over the Eagles' fans.
Much like how the girls who have taken the field for Padua and won over Duppel.
"They mean a lot. We've watched most of them grow up," he said. "They're all a great group of kids. I hope (being on the team) gives them a sense of camaraderie and a sense of achievement.
"When we started two years ago, we had 58 girls come out and we kept all 58. And that was tough because we only play seven at a time. We had two full offenses, two full defenses, and we were still pretty successful. We went out there and performed.
"This past year, we had almost 50 players come out and we capped the team at 30. But we wanted everybody to be involved, so we created a practice squad. We play our league games on Wednesdays, but there were teams that were starting to come online in Delaware, so we started playing those with our practice squad players on Mondays. So we got these girls some game-time experience, as well as getting the new teams with some experience, as well."
Whether they're on the team or the practice squad, the student-athletes playing flag football for Padua are held accountable by Duppel to display integrity, achievement, and leadership.
"As far as integrity, our girls must keep a 2.0 or better GPA or they cannot practice or play. We review grades every Friday, and if they fall below the standard, they have that week off to get their grades up," Duppel said.
"For achievement, we celebrate our players for both their academic and athletic achievements. We have our girls vote for team captains who help us coaches celebrate the achievements weekly.
"For leadership, we encourage our girls to participate in volunteering opportunities within the neighborhood. For example, once a week, we invite the local youth flag club to practice and play with us, where the City of Wilmington provides a post-practice meal for each child."
Though not an officially sanctioned sport, and thus not part of the Delaware Interscholastic Athletic Association, schools from the southern part of the state have come on board and there will be 16 schools with clubs participating in what they're calling – Delaware Girls Flag Football – this fall. This will be Duppel's third year as the head coach of the Pandas. What does he enjoy most about the position?
"Just passing on my knowledge," Duppel said. "It's fun! I mean, the girls are fantastic. They'll run through a brick wall to get better. And I don't know how to phrase it, but it makes you feel good that they are getting experience and they're doing something that they seem to love.
"We're all new to this. Coming from the tackle football side of things, I didn't know much about flag football. But we did a lot of homework and went to a lot of games in Pennsylvania to see how it's played."
Duppel, who said he was surprised and honored to be named as the Philadelphia Eagles Girls Flag Football High School Coach of the Week, also pointed out that he's not doing it alone.
"I have two assistant coaches," Duppel said. "My son, John, is the offensive coordinator and Tierra Castellano is the defensive coordinator. And Karen, she handles just about everything logistically. She's in the school with the girls (as a religion teacher/campus minister) and puts everything together. We could not do this without her. We call her our Howie (Roseman). She's our GM."
