ABOVE: Front row, from left: Feven Hoyer, Audrina Suckow, Wendy Medina Ambrosio, Maya Earhart, Chloe Darnell, Adriana Leiding. Second row, from left: Kate Hagen, Leamonie Wilson, Raelynn Meyerdirk, Madilynn Johnson, Krystal Paz, Kandy Paz. Third Row, from left: Kylee Desjarlais, Elizabeth Hart, Elizabeth Kotewa, Joslyn Meyer, Saida Parra Perez, Allissa Moore. Back row, from left: coaches Courtney Schoellerman, Ashley Scheevel, Brad Johnson, Mat Mahoney. Photo by Jake Olson.

FAIRMONT – The office confines of Fairmont High School Activities Director Mat Mahoney look identical at any time of the year. Cardinal memorabilia, Minnesota Gopher gear and a whiteboard full of football plays and strategies that anyone would take joy in hearing him explain.

But by April, these dry-erase markings have a different tune. The Fairmont football head coach puts on a new hat during the spring season, shifting to another form of the sport that focuses on flags rather than tackling.

“It’s been a fun change of pace for me,” Mahoney said. “Coaching the girls, getting back to the basics of the fundamentals, watching them grow and understand the concepts. We use some of that same terminology with our boys, so they’re starting to learn the same stuff we teach.”

“I knew deep down that I would do this. Again, a father of three girls, getting the opportunity is a cool deal. I didn’t want our girls at our school to miss out on this chance. With my background in tackle football, I’ve had to merge them together.”

Fairmont’s girls flag football team prepares for its second year as a program this spring. The Cardinals entered the sport after the Minnesota Vikings reached out in the fall of 2024 to gauge interest, with the goal of funding high schools across the state to grow the sport. Mahoney took the reins as head coach, helping teach a group of individuals the fundamentals of the sport.

The Cardinals finished the season with a 6-3 record. After dropping the first two contests, Fairmont rattled off six consecutive wins to take home a share of the District 4, Gold Division regular-season crown. Despite falling to Bloomington in the opening round of the playoffs, the season was still a success, giving the program plenty of momentum to build on.

“Our first two games were bad. We got destroyed,” Mahoney said with a chuckle. “But we filmed it, and then I kind of put my football hat on, of how do I fix it. And then we won our next six. But again, we played some really good schools.”

Twenty-two athletes mark this season’s roster. Half of them are returning players, with what Mahoney calls an early advantage, saying both himself and the team are already ahead of the curve after ironing out the details last spring. Now, it’s all about execution.

Leading the group is Audrina Suckow, a quarterback from last season who was more than a game manager, but rather, a leader of Mahoney’s offense. She completed 170 passes at a rate of over 64 percent, tallying 1,525 yards and 28 touchdowns. Suckow’s ability to learn the offense over the course of a year has made her a threat to any opposing defense and given her big expectations going forward.

“She has a vibe about her that just brings the best out of other people,” Mahoney said. “Once she understood our offense she just took off and had a really good season.”

Suckow’s favorite target, based on the statistics, comes back after a stellar freshman season. Adriana Leiding lit up the gridiron with her quick feet and pass-catching ability. She racked up 634 yards on an impressive 72 receptions. Her 14 touchdowns led the team and showed her range of skills in every aspect.

Joining her on the outside is Kylee Desjarlais, the third leading receiver from a year ago. Her 24 receptions and 211 yards will only see an uptick after the departure of her sister, Kaymarie Desjarlais. With four touchdowns, Mahoney called both Kylee Desjarlais and Leiding Fairmont’s most dangerous threats in the red zone.

Anchoring the defense will be none other than Allissa Moore. She made program history for Fairmont last season after becoming the first Cardinal to earn an individual postseason award, winning the District 4 Defensive Player of the Year on her state-leading 10 interceptions. Two of these interceptions were returned for touchdowns.

These four individuals made the All-District team for Mahoney. They set a foundation of talent to work off this season, helping guide the new faces into the Xs and Os of what Fairmont likes to run on both sides of the ball. This is how programs grow.

“It’s amazing [to see] from year one to year two,” Mahoney said. “Our girls who played last year, they are so far ahead of the curve. The new girls that we brought in, we are just trying to teach them the fundamentals of the game.”

Fairmont begins its season on Sunday, April 26. The first two games will be played at Fairmont High School against Austin and NRHEG.