Girls flag football is growing at a remarkable rate: What to know about the 2024 season

The spread of girls flag football across Section V has moved along almost at a remarkable rate.

A total of 31 teams in the greater Rochester region, with no merged school squads in this mix, plan to play in the sport’s third season in Section V. The lineup has more than tripled since 2022.

“I had people asking me about it, to join this year,” 2023 and 2024 Webster Thomas team member Catherine Rogers said. “They said it looked like you were having a lot of fun.

“I had nothing but good things to say about it.”

Thomas’s Catherine Rogers reaches for the goal line but is ruled by officials to have stepped out of bounds at the one yard line during their flag football Class A sectional Championship game Saturday, June 10, 2023 at Monroe Community College.

There are a few people who have a similar view. Girls flag football’s growth spurt just in Section V is on fast forward, compared to other high school sports.

There are two state tournaments in place beginning this season, certified by the New York State Public High School Athletic Association, with regional, semifinal and championship rounds. This is a quick jump from a “pilot program” or experiment in 2022, led by the NYSPHSAA and the three National Football League teams tied to the state.

Section V crowned two champions in 2023, the first season with any type of postseason or sectionals. The 18 teams were split into two divisions for the playoffs. There are three divisions for sectionals this spring.

Among the eight schools in Section V which put together the first flag teams in 2022, there was a charter in the city of Rochester, a private, one in a district that includes Allegany and Steuben counties, plus publics in Rochester’s suburbs and in the city school district.

“It’s not going anywhere,” Gates Chili girls flag football coach Jason Benham said. “We were lucky to be…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/girls-flag-football-growing-remarkable-072017022.html

Author : Democrat and Chronicle

Publish date : 2024-03-15 07:20:17

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