By Mira Woodward/Business Manager

     Girls’ flag football is one of the fastest growing sports at the moment. Played in over 100 countries around the world, this sport is known for being a non-contact version of American football that is inclusive to all genders.

      The high school will be starting a girls flag football team for this year’s spring sports season. The team will be working with the Cleveland Browns football team as part of a program that started in 2021 around Northeast and Central Ohio. 

     This program created the first Girls’ High School Flag Football division in Ohio. The person in charge of this program is Hannah Lee, who is also the manager of youth football for the Cleveland Browns. 

     “We have been working to elevate girls’ flag football to promote equality in sports offered at the high school level. The Cleveland Browns programming for girls flag football aims to provide access and opportunities for female student athletes to learn the skills and fundamentals of flag football, while competing in and experiencing the fastest growing sport of flag football,” Lee said.

     With this partnership comes not only a wide exposure to the sport and surrounding schools who play it, but a big helping hand from the Cleveland Browns to get the high school’s team started.

     “Through the partnership, each new team that joins the league will receive a one-time donation of uniforms, equipment toolkits and invitations to participate in year-round Browns Girls’ High School Flag Football events — including camps, clinics and other programming,” Lee said.

     Last spring David Morgan, an English teacher at the high school, became involved in a girls’ flag football team that would spark the idea to bring this sport to the high school.

     “I was helping a friend of mine who was doing a project, a documentary, on girls’ flag football at Massillon,” Morgan said. “This year I was just talking to some girls outside of my room, and I heard one of them say something about flag football, and my eyes lit up. I said if you guys have a lot of interest, I could talk to the people at the Browns and see if we could get a team started here.”

     The three students who continued this idea were Annia Castillo, Jayliah Baker and Lily Morris. They will be some of the leaders for this new team.

     A common concern that high schools have with adding a girls’ flag football team is that it may take athletes away from other spring sports such as track and field or lacrosse.

     “When these concerns are raised, it’s important for us to share that nearly 50% of girls participating in flag football did not previously play another varsity sport. This helps reassure schools that the program is attracting a new group of athletes–not simply shifting participation from other sports,” Lee said.

     The leaders are still in the early stages of putting together this team, but there are already some details as to how the season will work.

     “We just know that there will be a spring season of six weeks starting around March. Teams will play on Friday or Sunday depending on what they decide on because it’s flexible. They’ll play two games every week and 10 games in total,” Morgan said.

     The beginning of this team has such a deep meaning for not only the players, but for history. Giving women the opportunity to play a sport that increases their physical fitness, skill development and character building is so important.

     “Starting this team just means a new beginning and opportunity. It’s one of the biggest and fastest growing sports right now, so it feels very accomplishing to be a part of something that’s bigger than you,” Castillo said.