Lara Appelbaum is all in.
The Esperanza Academy Charter School's girls flag football head coach guides the Toros during the week, plays on the offensive line for the W+ Blue team in the Greater Philadelphia Flag Football League (GPFFL) on Saturdays, and is an NFL Flag League back judge on Sundays.
"This is a new sport for most of us, so we are learning and growing together," Appelbaum said. "I believe leadership means being willing to grow alongside your team, so I have taken it upon myself to become a player of the sport, as well. Having never played before coaching, I found it important to understand how to play the game and what it feels like to be in my athletes' position.
"I started refereeing for the GPFFL league just because I wanted more experience. And then one of my co-referees for the flag football league actually recommended me for NFL Flag. I wanted more viewpoints. I am a learnaholic. I feel like in order to be the best coach, I need to have the most rounded viewpoint. So being a player, being a referee, you get to see all sides of it."
A player, a referee, and now the first Philadelphia Eagles Girls Flag Football High School Coach of the Week for the 2026 season.
"I couldn't be more honored or surprised that I'm the first regular, regular coach to make this," Appelbaum said. "I'm being seen even though I've never really had a winning season. My first year, we went 2-6, and last year, we went 4-4. This year, we haven't won a game yet. I feel honored that the love that I bring is felt and seen.
"And I must mention how important my assistant coach, Joan Rice, is to me and to our program. She's the yin to my yang, the calm in the storm. She and I lead with the same mentality and love.
"Her mom passed away at the beginning of last season, and our team literally surrounded her with a giant group hug as soon as she got to the field. And they started it, not me. Which clearly shows the love we both instill. This program wouldn't be what it is if she weren't recognized as well, truthfully, even though she's a Giants fan."
Esperanza may not have won a game yet this season, but from a broader perspective, the camaraderie that Appelbaum, Rice, the players, and three managers have built is equivalent to scoring hundreds of touchdowns.
"We champion each other. We don't put each other down. So it's really about building up the community instead of tearing it down," Appelbaum said. "They're cheering each other on, and they've started their own text chain to keep each other accountable. So my leadership has kind of spawned off on them, in a sense. For them to keep each other motivated, I think is absolutely lovely.
"To see girls that are seniors interacting with girls who are freshmen, early college girls interacting with special ed kids, that cross between different groups, that may not happen. To see the love that just genuinely flows is probably what makes me most proud.
"And honestly, to see some of these kids who have really, really tough behaviors and really, really bad grades turn it around because they want to come play for my program, that makes me really proud too."
And rightfully so. Since she became the head coach three years ago, Appelbaum has emphasized that the student always comes first in the term student-athlete. And her players know that if they're on the team, showing effort in the classroom is as important as it is on the field.
"I have seen significant academic growth from players who previously struggled in school, but have stepped up because they understand the expectations I set and the standards, I hold," Appelbaum said. "That accountability is paired with a team culture built on love, connection, and pride. Where players want to be part of something positive and are motivated to meet those expectations.
"I currently have a 100 percent graduation rate among my starting players, including several who are enrolled in early college programs and will graduate with both their high school diploma and an associate's degree.
"In addition, I have successfully helped one player earn a partial scholarship to play flag football and study nursing at Chestnut Hill College, and I am actively supporting other players in pursuing similar opportunities at the next level."
Appelbaum, who is also a special education math teacher at Esperanza, transitioned from coaching softball at her previous school to football to avoid coaching against former players.
"When I came to Esperanza, one of the first things I asked was, 'What sports can I coach? What's available?' And they said softball and flag football," she said. "They also said football is sponsored by the Eagles. I am a die-hard Eagles fan, so it was really no question for me.
"And I didn't want to coach against them because you want to root for all of your old players. So that would have been tough for me. But also, I wanted to play football when I was in high school, but this was back in the early 2000. So I was a fan of watching and what better way than to get my hands dirty and do it myself."
Besides coaching them, Appelbaum emphasizes fostering a sense of community and love among her players, many of whom face challenges away from school.
"Where the school is, it has a lot of violence. So we talk to protection and love, and I hope that they feel a sense of family and community that they may not have outside of this or outside of the school environment," Appelbaum said.
"We build our own family within the team, and I maintain a clear zero-tolerance policy when it comes to violence, drugs, and behaviors that put their futures at risk. But I also lead with love, and sometimes that love is tough. My players know that I care deeply about them as people, not just as athletes.
"One of my girls lost her mom a couple months before the season. She never played for me before and she's one of the kids with tough behavior. And she's turned her you know what around because she wants to come play for me. And she actually told me she wants to make me and her mom proud. That brought me to tears."
