As a rule, first-year sports programs are not expected to be competitive. It can take time to build an administration, coaching staff and team capable of competing with the best.

Nevada State University’s fledgling flag football team threw that rule out the window this year.

The Scorpions just finished an undefeated inaugural season in which they won eight of 13 games by shutout while outscoring opponents by an average of 42 points. They built such a reputation that their final two opponents canceled games that would have been played this week.

“How our season has gone, teams don’t want to come out here to lose,” said coach Brandon Pappillion, who coached at Bishop Gorman before taking over at NSU. “It was very disappointing. One canceled, then the next day the other called to cancel.”

The Scorpions surprised opponents, but they did not surprise themselves.

“Going undefeated was our goal from the beginning,” Pappillion said.

But there were no playoff wins. Though the Scorpions have applied to join the NAIA next year, they were unaffiliated this season and were ineligible for postseason play. The NAIA is a similar to the NCAA but consists of many smaller and private universities.

Pappillion said he can wait, as he is confident he’ll have another dominant squad next year.

Easy to recruit

Unlike coaches of most first-year programs, Pappillion was able to recruit many of the top players in the country. He didn’t have to look very far, as Clark County has become the country’s hotbed for flag football talent. All 15 of his players came from Southern Nevada high schools.

Former Liberty standout Kaylie Phillips, a quarterback and defensive back, said she knew from the start that the team would be competitive in its first season.

“I knew we’d do really good, but to go undefeated with all the shutouts was the surprising part,” the freshman said. “But I never thought we’d lose, even in the close games.”

There weren’t many of those. The Scorpions defeated Arizona State 21-12 and Arizona Christian 28-26. The remainder of the victories could be classified as blowouts, including last month’s 83-0 trouncing of USC.

The Scorpions gained so much attention that Phillips and teammate Brooklin Hill recently were named to the 24-player US Women’s National Team roster. Training camp begins this month, with the IFAF World Championship scheduled for this summer in Germany.

Elite athletes

Hill, a former Desert Oasis standout, played her freshman season at the University of St. Mary in Kansas before returning home for her sophomore year. She said her homecoming has been a welcome step up.

“(St. Mary) was a good learning experience,” said Hill, who jumped on the offer to transfer to NSU’s first-year program. “I was able to get something out of it. But with the coaches and the players here, we have a winning culture and we believe we have to be the best.”

Pappillion said that culture did not come by accident.

“I think Nevada has the best talent across the country,” he said. “We’ve been doing this longer than anybody else because we were one of the first states to start flag football. We have a little advantage.”

If all goes as planned, the Scorpions will qualify for postseason play next year.

“The girls knew that this year was a chance to get their feet wet,” Pappillion said. “But they all want to play for a championship. That has always been their goal.”

Contact Jeff Wollard at jwollard@reviewjournal.com.