Rush Hour

By STEVE GALLUZZO | Sports Editor

When the ball is snapped, you can bank on defensive ends Kona Maduro and Maslowe Larson getting into the backfield to disrupt the quarterback’s timing. That’s their job as the first girls on the varsity flag football team at Paul Revere Middle School and they enjoy lining up against the boys.

“We both started playing this season but my dad motivated me and trained me one month in advance,” Maduro said. “He had me run routes and block.”

“Kona texted me saying let’s do this and I thought why not?,” added Larson.

The two eighth-graders are light on their toes thanks to years of dance lessons—Maduro at DC Dance in Culver City and Larson at Fancy Feet in the Palisades Village. They have been friends since their days at Palisades Elementary, where they shared some of the same classes.

“Other than dance this is the first sport I’ve really played and it’s fun,” Larson said.

“I like the adrenaline and getting a sack,” added Maduro, who has also played lacrosse. As far as their teammates, the girls said their teammates treat them the same, but players on other teams not so much.

Both girls saw plenty of action in Revere’s home game against Junior Delphic League rival Oakwood on Monday, won by the visitors 13-12.

Maudro and Larson hope their participation inspires more girls to try out next year. As for them, there is no better feeling than pulling a flag and hearing cheers on the sideline.

Maduro lives in the Highlands and Larson in the Alphabet Streets. They enjoy spending time together away from school as well, getting something to eat, hanging out in the Village and going to Six Flags Magic Mountain. Asked what traits are required to succeed in flag football, Larson said you need “proper mindset, strength and speed.”

“I imagined it to be hard and so far it’s about the same as what I imagined,” Maduro said.

Right from the beginning varsity coach Rashad Rhodes, who also pilots the fifth-grade team at Calvary Christian School and four teams at the Palisades Recreation Center—rookie, bantam, minor and major—knew what position he wanted both girls to play.

“They’re two of the most aggressive players we have on the team,” he said. “When I first saw them at practice I knew they were going to be pass rushers. They’re explosive coming off the ball and there’s a fire inside them that burns. They don’t shy away from contact. The boys love having them on the team. One trend I’ve seen is that girls who play with boys are tough. They don’t back down, they do the work, they have good attention to detail and they feel like they have something to prove. Sometimes they even outwork the boys.”

Maduro desires to take her talent to the next level and hopes there will be a team to play on when she gets to Palisades High next year. The CIF sanctioned girls flag football as a sport this fall but Palisades was not among the City Section schools to start a program largely due to limited field space on campus.