After strong finish this season, Gateway flag football looks forward to next spring

By: Michael Love
Sunday, June 8, 2025 | 11:01 AM

Gateway’s girls flag football team stood at 3-3 after a loss to Shaler on April 27.

The Gators needed to string some wins together to get into Pittsburgh Girls Flag Football League playoff contention.

“We didn’t play many preseason games, so the week we started, a couple of the other teams, specifically Woodland Hills, had played five or six games because their coach had entered them in some tournaments,” Adams said.

“Because of my work schedule, I really wasn’t able to do that for my kids.

“We also lost seven seniors from last year, and there were only two girls back who had previous starting experience. It took a little bit of time for us to really reach the level I knew we could get to.”

A 32-0 win against Hampton right after the loss to Shaler that same day sparked Gateway on a run of five straight wins to close out the regular season and clinch a spot in the playoff tournament the weekend of May 17. The streak included a playoff-clinching 7-0 win over rival Plum on senior day at Gateway’s Antimarino Stadium.

“We truly got hot at the right time,” Adams said.

“We got wins over three tough opponents in McKeesport, Penn Hills and Plum. All three were ahead of us in the standings, and by beating them, we knocked each out of the playoffs while clinching the final East Division spot.”

While a tough 12-0 first-round loss to East Division co-champ Woodland Hills at Shaler ended Gateway’s season, Adams said she was pleased with the way the girls showed heart and battled through all of the season’s tough challenges.

“Even though we didn’t end the season the way we hoped, I couldn’t be prouder of our team,” she said.

“Fighting through all of those must-win games to grab that final playoff spot took a lot of determination and belief in one another. Beating three higher-ranked teams speaks volumes about the heart and effort our girls put in.”

Division co-champ Latrobe advanced to the semifinals and was eliminated by Moon. Upper St. Clair denied Moon a third-straight league title with a win in the finals at Highmark Stadium.

Adams said Gateway should be in good shape moving forward toward its fourth season in 2026 as the league moves into a new era under sanctioning by the WPIAL and PIAA.

A regular-season and postseason structure will present new opportunities for Gateway and all of the other 50-plus teams that will take the field.

“They are excited because they can now get varsity letters,” Adams said.

“Our future is bright because we return 11 upcoming seniors. Ten have been with us since ninth grade. Plus a few freshmen earned starting spots this season, and I can’t wait to see them in year two. We really started to click toward the end of the year, aside from the playoff game, and we’re excited to build on that momentum next season.”

Adams also is excited for the opportunity each Gateway player has in taking their talents to the field at the collegiate level. For the past several years, local and regional colleges and universities have taken the steps to develop flag football programs on their campuses.

Gateway’s three seniors, Adams said, will be strong parts of that growing effort. While she is sad to see them leave the program, she is excited for what they can continue to achieve.

Team co-captain Kaitlyn Karpuszka will attend Pitt-Greensburg to study nursing and will play on the Pitt main campus team in Oakland.

After being injured early in the season, Karpuszka, Adams said, returned to the field quickly and gave the team all she had each game.

Shavonne Williams will join the team at Bethany College while majoring in criminal justice.

She led Gateway this season in interceptions and recorded eight receiving touchdowns.

Adrianna “KC” Glaze, Gators co-captain this year with Karpuszka, will attend Cal (Pa.) and join the Vulcans’ inaugural women’s flag team.

Cal is one of the first NCAA schools to offer women’s flag football as a varsity sport.

A heart-and-soul player for the Gators on both sides of the ball with her leadership and production, Glaze was selected to represent the Pittsburgh team in the Big 33 team tournament that followed the playoffs.

She and the other Pittsburgh players faced teams from Baltimore, Washington D.C. and Philadelphia. Pittsburgh made it to the championship game, ultimately falling to Philadelphia.

KC started on both offense and defense and played a big role in that playoff run, Adams said, while doing the same for Gateway.

“Every single year that we’ve been a team we’ve made the playoffs, and the seniors deserved to make the playoffs this year,” Adams said.

“The younger players looked up to and loved the seniors. They took that on and dedicated themselves to making sure (the seniors) didn’t go out without making the playoffs.”

Gateway players, including rising freshmen and the recently graduated seniors, will come together this summer for league games at Ellis School from June 19 to Aug. 7.

The Gators won the summer championship in 2022 and 2023 before falling to Shaler in last year’s title game.

Also, a draft-style league with eight teams will begin with games played at Highmark Stadium.

“There will be a combine where players will try out, and coaches will draft their teams,” Adams said.

“The teams will have custom uniforms and their own team names. Those games will be from July to August. The girls will be booked and busy all summer.”

Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.

Tags: Gateway