Gulf Coast Monarchy sends two standouts to Women's Football Alliance All-American Game
Montye Cooke clearly remembers the moment she decided to play tackle football.
Cooke, while in the fifth grade, jokingly told one of her football-playing male classmates that she would join him on the gridiron one day. When his reply was that she couldn't, Cooke knew what she had to do.
By eighth grade, Cooke had transformed her playful comment into reality. She went on to play for Lumberton High School and, this weekend, she joins her Gulf Coast Monarchy teammate Gabrielle Fleming in Canton, Ohio, for the Women's Football Alliance All-American Game.
The game kicks off at 9 a.m. CT on Sunday.
"It feels really good to be a part of something like this," Cooke said. "I never imagined after high school that I would still be playing football. It just feels good to even be playing with other amazing females that love the game as much as I do."
Cooke recently concluded her second season with the Monarchy, a WFA Division III team based out of Gulfport. Fleming, who resides in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, joined the team this season after her local franchise decided against participating in 2022.
Both players are making their first appearances in the All-American Game. Fleming has attended the event as a spectator, and is excited for the opportunity to showcase her skills.
"This will be my first time on the field under the big lights, in a sense," she said.
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Cooke earned her first-team All-American plaudits for her performance at the offensive line position this season. Fleming is a defensive end.
Both players proved to be versatile assets for the Monarchy, frequently lining up on both offense and defense. As Fleming explained, players fill multiple roles out of a necessity created by limited numbers on rosters.
"This is my second team, second year actually playing, and most times that was our norm," she said.
Cooke touted her pass-blocking ability as one of the major reasons she's Canton-bound. She's also a disruptive force on the defensive line, with 42 tackles to rank in the top 25 in the WFA's third division.
Fleming was a pass-rushing force for the Monarchy this year, picking up 4.5 sacks across six games to finish ninth in the league. An explosive athlete with a background in basketball and track and-field, she also forced two fumbles and finished 13th in the league with 45 total tackles.
After a challenging 1-5 season for the Monarchy concluded in late May, both players are looking forward to one more chance to lace up their cleats.
"It’ll be refreshing, seeing as our season ended rather early and we’ve been off for a few weeks now," Fleming said. "It’ll feel good to get back on the field. It’ll be the last hoorah for us this season and the ammunition we need to fuel our drive during the offseason."
Reach Southern Miss writer David Eckert at deckert@gannett.com or on Twitter @davideckert98.
This article originally appeared on Hattiesburg American: Gulf Coast Monarchy sends two standouts to WFA All-American Game
