LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - DECEMBER 18: Maxx Crosby #98 of the Las Vegas Raiders reacts during the first half against the New England Patriots at Allegiant Stadium on December 18, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Getty Images)
The Raiders honor Jodi Reich, the Tom Flores Coach of the Year, and the Coronado Cougars, the state champion girls flag football team.
Coach of Coronado High School’s girls flag football team, Jodi Reich, sat stunned in the Intermountain Health Performance Center team room. A surprise video announcement introducing her as the Tom Flores Girls Flag Football Coach of the Year played on the projector screen alongside her assistant coaches and players.
Although Reich wasn’t prepared for the news to be announced, nobody else in the room was shocked that she had been awarded this honor. In addition to winning the 4A State Championship and finishing 20-2 overall, Reich’s Coronado Cougars were named 4A Coach of the Year by the Southern Nevada Flag Coaches Association.
“Seeing a female coach of the year is really important for these female athletes because every athlete in this room has the potential to become a head coach,” stated Jodi Reich. “Given how many opportunities there are now to highlight the sport with what the Raiders are doing, I believe there will be a significant increase in coaching among women in general. I’m really grateful and it feels great.”
If anything, Reich found it to be less of a surprise and more of a full-circle revelation. She played on Coronado’s inaugural girls flag football team, so the school is also her alma mater. When a teaching position at the school became available, she quickly
From her time as a player to her time as a coach, Reich observed that the sport had undergone a “complete shift.” “We don’t have any players, so that’s where it came from. We were merely putting together a squad. Many of our players back then were track athletes or soccer players who simply needed something to do during the winter. We recently acquired an amorphous group of athletes, and among them are girls who are proficient in only one sport—flag football.
As a player, I’ve never had Raiders support before, so it’s been really awesome. The game has undergone a total transformation, but for the better.”
At the Raiders facility, senior Maci Joncich—one of Reich’s standout players—was also honored. For the Cougars, Joncich played safety, wide receiver, and quarterback. He was chosen as the 4A Player of the Year. She is now focused on the Olympics, a huge opportunity that lies ahead of her.
She is one of two players from the Las Vegas Valley who were chosen for the U.S. Women’s Flag Football National Team’s inaugural 18-player roster, which is organized by USA Football. This summer in Finland, she will have the opportunity to compete in the Flag Football World Championships if she makes the final 12-woman roster.
Maci Joncich remarked, “Playing flag [football] my entire life, working so hard towards that big goal of mine, and finally reaching it – it was so exciting.” And it really heightens my desire to compete in the Olympics and bring home the gold in Finland this August. I’m ecstatic and incredibly excited.
Regarding the Raiders’ involvement in women’s youth sports, Jonicich added, “Year after year, it’s gotten so much better. The Raiders have just been so supportive.” “With everything going on, I’ve now visited headquarters five or six times, which just goes to show how much they do for the community and flag football in particular.
Reich received the Coach of the Year award from the Las Vegas Raiders.
