Susan Massara is not one to shy away from a challenge.
After building one of New Jersey's most dominant field hockey programs at Woodstown High School, where she captured five sectional titles in 11 seasons and earned several Coach of the Year awards, she left the school to take a similar job as a health and physical education teacher at Kingsway Regional.
Shortly after she was hired at Kingsway, Athletic Director June Cioffi presented Massara with a unique opportunity – build a brand new girls flag football program from scratch.
"I was 100 percent in," said Massara, the Eagles Girls Flag Football Coach of the Week. "Any new experience for female athletes I'm 100 percent in. I'm a huge supporter of women's sports, and I want to give these kids an opportunity that I never had. I would have played flag in a second if I could in high school and I would have loved it. So, to give these kids all across New Jersey and Pennsylvania, I think it's incredible what these organizations have done to support it.
"If I'm signing up for something, I'm all in, and coaching has just come to me since I started teaching. I've been an athlete my whole life. I've had great coaches that have been a part of my life and I just always wanted to give back and hopefully be a good part of these kids' lives."
On Sunday, June 1, the Eagles hosted the fourth annual Eagles Girls Flag Football League Championships, presented by Gatorade. Gwynedd Mercy Academy captured the Pennsylvania title for the first time, while Mastery High School of Camden defeated the defending New Jersey Champions, Kingsway, in an overtime thriller to win the state title for a second time.
Jalen Hurts hands the Pennsylvania Championship trophy to Gwynedd Mercy.
The overtime-winning touchdown as Journee Davis walks it off for Mastery Camden.
The Monarchs of Gwynedd Mercy were excited to receive the trophy from Jalen Hurts.
Mastery Camden poses with the New Jersey Championship trophy at the NovaCare Complex.
Gwynedd Mercy Head Coach Tim Quinn enjoys the Gatorade bath.
The coin toss between Mastery Camden and Kingsway.
Gwynedd Mercy celebrates on the field after defeating Lansdale Catholic in the Championshjp.
Ava Lapotosky with the catch for the Monarchs.
Jalen Hurts celebrates with Mastery Camden following the Lady Warriors' title win.
Gabriella Madden stands tall in the pocket for Williamstown in the New Jersey semifinal.
Gwynedd Mercy's Allison Maxwell runs out on the field for the Pennsylvania Championship.
The Lady Warriors celebrate the overtime win.
Gwynedd Mercy played for the Pennsylvania Championship in 2024 and won it for the first time in 2025.
Abington quarterback Maya Johnson, the Eagles' nominee for the national Girls Flag Football Player of the Year, scores in the semifinal against Gwynedd Mercy.
Gwynedd Mercy poses in front of one of the Super Bowl LIX parade buses.
Bra'Saiyah Stern gets ready to unleash the ball for Mastery Camden.
Rowan Cunningham scores for Gwynedd Mercy.
Gwynedd Mercy quarterback Keira Quinn on the run.
The battle between two previous New Jersey Champions went to overtime.
Kingsway's Kaitlyn Montiero goes up for the ball.
Kingsway QB Ava Valente
Getting ready for the championship showdown.
A look at the New Jersey Championship trophy.
Mastery Camden Head Coach Aaron Clark shares a message with his victorious team.
Mastery Camden hoists the trophy.
Lansdale Catholic QB Devin VanOsten goes deep.
Jalen Hurts with Gwynedd Mercy Academy.
Lansdale Catholic's Ali Kaltenbacher hauls in the pass.
Mastery Camden's Arianna Clark refuses to be denied the ball.
Jalen Hurts with Mastery Camden.
Bra'Saiyah Stern rolls out to make a play.
Mastery Camden at the Super Bowl LIX Parade of Champions bus.
A native of Hammonton, New Jersey, Massara was a star field hockey player at Hammonton High School who went on to be an all-conference selection at Rowan. Understanding the importance of a good team, she enlisted the help of assistant coach Mike Husni, and went to work.
"My assistant has been a godsend. He's the best," Massara said. "He taught me everything I know. He's taught these kids everything they know. When it comes to the technical things – the plays, the wristbands – he taught me all of that. I've been very fortunate in getting the greatest assistant coach and also just getting the greatest kids to come out for this program."
It didn't take long for Massara to turn Kingsway into a winner.
In its second year of play, Kingsway captured the 2024 Eagles Girls Flag Football League of New Jersey Championship with an 11-1 record.
"Amazing, nothing short of amazing," Massara said of winning the title. "This group of seniors (in 2025), there's 17 of them, they've come through from their sophomore year until now and they're a very special group. They work well as a team. They're very athletic. They're open to coaching. It's not lost on us how great this group has been. They're the greatest role models for the ones that are coming up. We're going to continue to try to build towards getting to the championship every year. It's always the goal for every team, but it's just been an amazing experience with these specific seniors, and they know that. They know how awesome they've made this experience. I tell them that all the time."
The Dragons carried that championship success into the 2025 season with a 15-0 record to reach the Eagles Girls Flag Football League of New Jersey semifinals at the NovaCare Complex.
"First day, what's our goal? Get to NovaCare. That's the goal and nothing will be handed to you. It doesn't matter what happened last year. That's in the past, so nothing's going to be given to you. Everything has to be earned," Massara said.
"There was a zero in the loss column, but there were some trying times this season. There's some very good teams out there now. Everybody's getting better. Everybody's starting to figure it out. So for this group to rise to that occasion, it's inspiring."
Last Sunday, Kingsway triumphed over Burlington Township to reach the championship game against rival Mastery High School of Camden, the 2023 Eagles Girls Flag Football League of New Jersey Champions. The Dragons avenged a loss to the Warriors on the way to the 2024 title. However, Mastery Camden won an overtime thriller 12-6 to reclaim the crown.
Massara accepted the challenge of building a program from scratch and has quickly turned it into one of the premier teams in the state with a 27-2 record over the past two seasons, winning a New Jersey Championship and finishing as a finalist in the other. As Massara continues to help shine a light on one of the fastest-growing sports around, she will return to the sidelines in field hockey as an assistant with the Dragons this fall.
