After a slow start to its 2024 campaign, North Gwinnett flag football has cemented itself as the team to beat in a talent-filled region.

The Bulldogs, who were staring at a 1-3 record just two weeks ago, have breezed through their last four D4 Area 7 league games – all against Gwinnett County rivals.

Under fourth-year head coach Brian Anderson, North Gwinnett has gradually improved each season and hopes to culminate another great year with a deep playoff run.

“I’m super excited about this group,” Anderson said. “It’s a nice mix of players we have on our roster. We’re still not completely put together, as we have some softball girls joining us once the state tournament is over. These past four games, we’ve had a talented freshman stand up and get their feet wet. That younger group has given us a nice little boost.

After losing three of four games to start the year – by a combined nine points – the Bulldogs have dominated in their last four, outscoring their region opponents 112-12, including a pair of shutouts. Guiding North Gwinnett to its recent hot streak has been a core of veteran players that have never experienced a losing season – and one that doesn’t plan to start now.

“Every starter returns from last year, including Erin Fischer, our senior wide receiver and defensive back, who has just been great,” Anderson said. “She has six interceptions and has added a number of touchdowns on the other end. She was an All-Region player last year and it’s great to have her back. Mia Sereno is our second-year quarterback, and she’s a big reason why we’re having some success. Marisa Giesler is leading us in tackles, or pulls, and she plays linebacker with her sister, Morgan, who’s second in tackles. So we’ve got the sisters leading us on defense. And then a couple of freshmen, Maia Brock and Gisele Ambrosi have both been electric running the ball for us lately.”

Andersen, who came to North Gwinnett from Central Illinois before the 2021 season, has seen a massive jump in numbers from his first year with the Bulldogs. The increase in interest has resulted in wins, as Anderson has enjoyed a 23-6 mark in region play.

“When I started in the fall of ‘21, we had 25 girls try out and we only had a varsity,” Anderson said. “This year we had 65 kids tryout, and we kept 40 between JV and varsity. The worst part is making cuts, but the interest for this sport has jumped so much, especially at our school. We’ve got good kids that work hard and I think they have fun. A lot of the growth is a result of word of mouth around the school. Of course, football is king down here in the south, so it doesn’t matter what gender you are, it’s a pretty big deal to play the sport in this area.”

Anderson and his skilled North Gwinnett group look to keep rolling in region play Monday, when they take on Parkview and Duluth.

Streaming on GPB: This week GPB.org will stream the flag football tripleheader on Thursday from Pope High School. River Ridge plays Pope at 6 p.m., River Ridge plays Creekview at 7 p.m., and Pope plays Creekside at 8 p.m.  The games will be live-streamed on GPB.org and will afterwards be available on-demand.

Click here to see last week’s tripleheader involving McEachern, Hughes and Walton.