Happy birthday! Daytona State wins first flag football game in program history

Posted by author March 2, 2025 Football

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Daytona State College’s flag football team won its inaugural game 27-0 against Pasco-Hernando State College.
The program, established in 2023, is coached by Brian Colubiale, former offensive coordinator for Mainland High School.
The Falcons, with a roster of 15 players, are looking forward to exceeding expectations in their first season.

DAYTONA BEACH — At halftime, the Daytona State Falcons sang happy birthday.

It was for head coach Brian Colubiale and freshman Brianna Henderson, both of whom celebrated Friday.

But the song also could’ve been for the team itself.

For the first time ever, the Falcons played a regular-season flag football game. They blanked Pasco-Hernando State College 27-0 on their home field in a contest that was years in the making.

Daytona State announced the program in the summer of 2023.

“Oh, it was crazy,” freshman quarterback Ava Colubiale said. “We knew that it was going to be packed tonight, and we were preparing ourselves mentally. We knew, for the first time, we were going to have ourselves up on the big screens and able to see ourselves. So we knew it was going to be a big deal …

“We were all excited and nervous, but by the time the first play was over, we were all ready and excited to keep it going.”

The Falcons received a $10,000 grant from the NJCAA Foundation, NFL Flag and Reigning Champs Experiences to establish the program.

A month after the announcement two years ago, they hired Brian Colubiale. From 2019 to 2023, he served as the offensive coordinator for Mainland High School’s flag football team.

His first steps centered around the recruiting trails.

“The tricky part on this is the recruiting part,” Brian Colubiale said. “I’ve been in high school. I’ve been in youth levels. I’ve been in a bunch of different levels, but I haven’t had to really go out and recruit. So that was the tricky part. I think I did really well. I love our team. The chemistry and everything’s really good.”

Daytona State welcomed 15 players onto its 2025 roster. None had prior college flag football experience.

Four of the players hailed from Mainland — Adrianna Mallumaci, Cadence Haley, Kaitlyn Barba and Ava Colubiale, Brian’s daughter.

When Ava graduated from Mainland in 2023, she figured her playing days were over. Then, her dad got the DSC job, and she helped him recruit a few prospects.

That hooked her.

A couple of her teammates shared similar stories .

“At first, I wasn’t gonna play flag anymore (after high school),” said Kailyn Echevarria, a Fort Lauderdale native who wants to be a firefighter. “I was like, ‘I want to start my career.’ But they had both here, so it’s a really good opportunity that Daytona has that and I got to continue my passion with flag.”

Echevarria dove into the record books against Pasco-Hernando State.

In the second quarter, she scored the program’s first official touchdown. Ava Colubiale completed a short pass to Ella Casey, who pitched the ball to Echevarria as the defense closed in. Echevarria sprinted up the left sideline and into the end zone.

“It’s a good feeling,” Echevarria said. “As a team, I think we worked really hard together to get to that. So I’m glad I had the opportunity to score the first touchdown.”

The Falcons added three more before the night ended.

With 30 seconds left before halftime, Ava Colubiale fired a 9-yard touchdown pass to Echevarria. Daytona State led 14-0 at intermission.

In the third quarter, Hailey Walsh picked off a Pasco-Hernando State throw and escorted it 10 yards back to the house.

Early in the fourth, Henderson ran one in, securing an extra birthday present and pushing the Falcons’ lead to 27-0.

“It was great, especially at the stadium here,” Walsh said. “It was loud, and I think all of our energy was just up there. It was a great feeling to have all these people in the stands watching us play our first game.”

Daytona State didn’t enter the opener blindly. It participated in scrimmages throughout the fall and earlier this month. Those were crucial.

But nothing can quite prepare a team for the real deal.

More tests are on the way. Brian Colubiale admits he scheduled difficult opponents, including last year’s NAIA runner-up, Keiser, and other four-year schools.

The Falcons are 1-0, though.

“We just want to surprise people,” Ava Colubiale said. “Everybody expects us to come out and lose all of our games, and they’re OK with that because we’re a first-year JUCO team, so they don’t expect a lot from us. We just want to exceed their expectations and just come out and beat all these big teams.”