By Lorenzo Recupero
While basketball season stirs up March madness across the region and country, one local flag football program is offering athletes the opportunity to compete and train at a high level during the off-season.
Brenden LaRosa, an Everett High School graduate and four-year football player with the Crimson Tide, has been dedicating his time to help offer all Everett athletes the chance to stay active with the Legacy New England 7-on-7 flag football program at the Legacy Center Sports Complex.
The program not only keeps athletes in shape, it helps introduce them to division 1 collegiate programs along the way. Legacy New England has been home to numerous EHS athletes like LaRosa and nearly a dozen current Crimson Tide players use the program to stay locked in while football is on hold.
The program offers two sessions, a winter session from January-March and a spring session that will run from May right up to the football preseason in August.
“Legacy gives our kids a way to further develop; athletically, academically, and personally. The kids in our program from Everett all plan to play football at the D-1 level. Once they get to that level they’ll be playing against athletes from down south who play football all year round. If you plan on keeping up with them we need to play more football,” said LaRosa, who is the Director of Player Development and has been with the Legacy New England flag football program since its inception 3 years ago.
Brenden is also the wide receivers coach for the current EHS football staff, a position he takes pride in after playing slot receiver and winning multiple championships with coach John DiBiaso from 2010-2013. He says that Legacy New England started with under 50 participants its first year to over 160 all over New England currently.
“Through Legacy we’re able to keep athletes in the sport all year round in our winter season and travel. Taking away contact offers [the players] time to focus on their technique and development as an athlete,” said LaRosa, who is excited to offer the participants a hand in visiting division one colleges with trips out of state, which the program does multiple times a year.
Later this month student athletes will be traveling with LaRosa to Michigan University, Eastern Michigan, and Concordia to learn more about the programs offered at each, a unique opportunity Legacy New England provides its participants.
“Legacy provides our Everett kids with another way to further develop their skills on the field while gaining knowledge of the collegiate process,” said LaRosa.
Legacy’s 7-on-7 flag football team will travel to Michigan to play in a two-day tournament. During that time they will visit the aforementioned colleges and universities.
For more info on the program and the cost, visit legacyfootballorg.com.