Warren Regina held off Catholic High School League rival Bloomfield Hills Marian 21-13 in their annual senior flag football game on Saturday, Sept. 14, in front of a capacity crowd at Sterling Heights Stevenson’s Runkel Field.

  It was the third straight year Regina has beaten Marian.

   For those not familiar with this event, it is not your typical girls “powderpuff” scrimmage between the junior and senior classes at high schools across the country. Each year, Regina and Marian face off in a hard-hitting, action-packed flag football game with complex plays and great athleticism. The game is played in four 15-minute quarters with official Michigan High School Athletic Association referees.

   The game has come a long way since the teams played in jeans and boys football jerseys decades ago. This year, the Regina players were donned in black jerseys and shorts with gold numbers. Each year the Regina senior class adopts a new nickname for the game instead of its official “Saddlelites.” They picked the“Bulls” this year. The Marian girls played in blue shorts, blue-and-white striped socks, and white t-shirts.

   In place of their last names on the backs of each player’s jersey were carefully selected nicknames, such as Regina’s Riley “Rile Em Up” Brengman and Marian’s Sophia “Can’t Stop” Kostopoulos.

   On Saturday Regina’s Madelyn Gracin stopped Marian’s opening drive with an interception at the 10-yard line. The game was scoreless after one quarter.

   Regina’s Katy Feskorn scored two touchdowns in the second quarter on runs of seven yards and 14 yards.

   The Regina defense stopped another Marian drive late in the second quarter on the four-yard line.

   Feskorn set up her second touchdown with a thrilling 75-yard run a few plays later. Lauryn Collier nailed both extra points to give Regina a 14-0 lead heading into halftime.

   Marian fought back in the third quarter. Hadley Moran rushed for an eight-yard touchdown. Anna Leonard nailed the extra point to close the gap to 14-7.

   Leonard kicked a 27-yard field goal to make the score 14-10 after the third quarter.

   She added a 31-yard field goal with 8:04 left in the game to close Marian to within one, 14-13.

   The Regina defense then stiffened to keep Marian out of the end zone the rest of the game.

   Quarterback Jacqueline Jozefczyk rushed for a 40-yard touchdown to seal the victory for Regina. Collier kicked her third extra point to make the final margin 21-13.

   The Saddlelites began their flag football tradition in 1965, beating Grosse Pointe Woods Our Star of Sea 2-0 on the football field of their then-brother school, Harper Woods Notre Dame. Members of the Notre Dame boys football team helped coach the girls in the early games.

   Regina would go on to play various Catholic Schools in the 1960s and 1970s, including Detroit Servite Catholic, Detroit Immaculata, Dearborn Divine Child, Detroit East Catholic, Hamtramck St. Ladislaus, and Center Line St. Clement. Regina played Detroit Dominican seven times in the 1970s, winning six. Each of those former rivals has since closed.

   Regina first played Marian in 1981, winning 16-0. The two teams have played every year since with the exception of 1984, when Regina played Our Lady Star of the Sea for the final time. Regina won last year’s game, 7-0 and in 2017, 21-14. Regina is 34-20-1 overall since 1965 and 22-17 against Marian.

   The rivalry is taken very seriously at both schools. Next to graduation, it is the most anticipated event of the year at each school.

   The physicality, quality of play and intensity in this game rivals that played by boys football teams. There is not a similar game held anywhere else in the state. Both teams have practiced daily since August to prepare for the game. The game is limited to seniors at each school.

   “It’s the Super Bowl for girls,” Regina head coach Mike Madek told reporters. “You take a blank slate, and in eight weeks, you have to have something to put on that slate. It’s just amazing how these girls learn and what they do in eight weeks. This just caps it off for all of their hard work.”

 

 

Regina Senior Flag Football historical results

1965: Harper Woods Regina 2, Grosse Pointe Woods Our Lady Star of the Sea 0

1966: Harper Woods Regina 20, Detroit Servite Catholic 14

1967: Harper Woods Regina 12, Detroit Immaculata 0

1968: Harper Woods Regina 27, Dearborn Divine Child 0

1969: Detroit East Catholic 7, Harper Woods Regina 6

1970: Harper Woods Regina 12, Detroit Dominican 0

1971: Harper Woods Regina 6, Detroit Dominican 0

1972: Hamtramck St. Ladislaus 6, Harper Woods Regina 0

1973: Detroit Dominican 13, Harper Woods Regina 0

1974: Harper Woods Regina 7, Detroit Dominican 0

1975: Harper Woods Regina 12, Center Line St. Clement 0

1976: Harper Woods Regina 0, Detroit Dominican 0

1977: Harper Woods Regina 13, Detroit Dominican 6

1978: Harper Woods Regina 25, Detroit Dominican 0

1979: Harper Woods Regina 22, Detroit Dominican 0

1980: Harper Woods Regina 16, Bloomfield Hills Marian 0

1981: Bloomfield Hills Marian 12, Harper Woods Regina 6

1982: Bloomfield Hills Marian 36, Harper Woods Regina 14

1983: Bloomfield Hills Marian 8, Harper Woods Regina 6

1984: Harper Woods Regina 13, Grosse Pointe Woods Our Lady Star of the Sea 7

1985: Harper Woods Regina 26, Bloomfield Hills Marian 0

1986: Harper Woods Regina 30, Bloomfield Hills Marian 27

1987: Bloomfield Hills Marian 17, Harper Woods Regina 6

1988: Bloomfield Hills Marian 28, Harper Woods Regina 12

1989: Bloomfield Hills Marian 26, Harper Woods Regina 0

1990: Harper Woods Regina 16, Bloomfield Hills Marian 0

1991: Harper Woods Regina 10, Bloomfield Hills Marian 7

1992: Harper Woods Regina 13, Bloomfield Hills Marian 7

1993: Harper Woods Regina 21, Bloomfield Hills Marian 0

1994: Harper Woods Regina 28, Bloomfield Hills Marian 15

1995: Harper Woods Regina 22, Bloomfield Hills Marian 21

1996: Bloomfield Hills Marian 14, Harper Woods Regina 12

1997: Harper Woods Regina 14, Bloomfield Hills Marian 0

1998: Harper Woods Regina 15, Bloomfield Hills Marian 0

1999: Harper Woods Regina 19, Bloomfield Hills Marian 16

2000: Bloomfield Hills Marian 9, Harper Woods Regina 3

2001: Harper Woods Regina 15, Bloomfield Hills Marian 13

2002: Bloomfield Hills Marian 14, Harper Woods Regina 9

2003: Harper Woods Regina 14, Bloomfield Hills Marian 0

2004: Harper Woods Regina 14, Bloomfield Hills Marian 7

2005: Bloomfield Hills Marian 21, Harper Woods Regina 14

2006: Bloomfield Hills Marian 14, Warren Regina 7

2007: Warren Regina 14, Bloomfield Hills Marian 12

2008: Warren Regina 31, Bloomfield Hills Marian 7

2009: Bloomfield Hills Marian 22, Warren Regina 0

2010: Bloomfield Hills Marian 20, Warren Regina 7

2011: Bloomfield Hills Marian 10, Warren Regina 7

2012: Bloomfield Hills Marian 16, Warren Regina 14

2013: Warren Regina 23, Bloomfield Hills Marian 0

2014: Bloomfield Hills Marian 10, Warren Regina 2

2015: Warren Regina 21, Bloomfield Hills Marian 12

2016: Bloomfield Hills Marian 14, Warren Regina 11

2017: Warren Regina, 21, Bloomfield Hills Marian 14

2018: Warren Regina 7, Bloomfield Hills Marian 0

2019: Warren Regina 21, Bloomfield Hills Marian 13

 

* St. Ladislaus closed in 1981. Immaculata closed in 1983. Servite closed in 1986. Our Lady Star of the Sea closed its high school in 1993. East Catholic and St. Clement closed in 2005. Dominican closed in 2006.

Warren Regina quarterback Jacqueline Jozefczyk tosses a pass against Bloomfield Hills Marian on Saturday.

Warren Regina's Olivia Hallman (29) and Cayla Meerschaert (19) block against Bloomfield Hills Marian on Saturday.

Bloomfield Hills Marian's Anna Leonard (50) kicks an extra point against Warren Regina on Saturday.

Warren Regina's Lauryn Collier (35) kicks an extra point against Bloomfield Hills Marian on Saturday.

Warren Regina defensive players swarm around a Bloomfield Hills Marian runner on Saturday.

Warren Regina's Madelyn Gracin (33) intercepts a Bloomfield Hills Marian pass on Saturday.

Warren Regina's Jacqueline Jozefczyk (5) hands off to Katy Feskorn (57) against Bloomfield Hills Marian on Saturday.

Warren Regina players and fans celebrate their win over Bloomfield Hills Marian on Saturday.