Many former and current MV students have taken on coaching and referee duties for the 2024 Junior Flag Football season.

Diedrich Smith ‘25 is partnering with MV graduates Johnny Pinkston, ‘24, and Landon McKee, ‘24, to make a power team.

When asked about the season’s preparation efforts, McKee says, “We prepared the season by practicing a lot throughout the week and going through plays as a coaching staff that can win games in tight situations.”

The three made it clear the whole team is very athletic and talented, with speed and skill, but the quarterback stands out over the rest.

Smith stated, “I would say all of our players are very talented, but we have one that stands out. He is about four inches taller than everyone else and can sling the ball downfield.”

This year, Smith, Pinkston, and McKee are all first-year coaches for football, despite having experience coaching in other sports including baseball.

McKee said, “ I decided to coach because my friend Johnny asked me to since I liked coaching.”

Smith added, “ I had no experience coaching years before this. I am excited to see the outcome I can produce.”

All new coaches coach the team, but they are determined to make this the best season these kids have ever had.

Not only is there just MV student coaches, there are also a handful of students that participate it refereeing the league.

Cale Maurer, ‘26, and Keaton Plummer, ‘25, both are refs for the junior league in their free time. 

When asked about the difficulties with reffing against your friends who are coaches, Plummer said, “ The hardest part about reffing for my friends is making sure the other coaches don’t think I am showing favoritism. I am friends with them but on the field, I have to treat both teams and coaches the same.” 

Maurer added, “ It’s not hard because everyone tries to be professional when at games so it is not too difficult. I try not to let that get in the way of being a ref.”

It may be a problem to take their friends seriously as coaches, but Plummer said otherwise.

Plummer stated, “Taking them seriously won’t be an issue. Most of my friends when they are coaching only care about winning, so they are locked in and not worried about me.”

Maurer disagreed, “Yes, it will be hard to some extent just because I have not seen that coaching side of them.”

Plummer added, “The hardest part of being a ref is trusting the calls that you make and not second guessing myself because you can’t take the calls back.”

Maurer stated, “ It is only hard when there is a difficult call and you have to make the right decision. I try to make sure it’s fair for everyone and keeping the coaches happy.”

Plummer added, “ I would like to add one thing. Most kids that play flag football are there to have fun coaches and a good time. Parents get more into the games than the kids and that’s where we have problems. A large majority of the players don’t care if they win or lose, they just want to get away from school and family life and just have fun in a good environment.”