Local

Girls’ flag football takes flight in Ohio and the Mahoning Valley

By Mike Brown
Girls’ flag football is booming in Ohio and the Mahoning Valley, with OHSAA sanctioning a state championship and local teams thriving this spring season.
Girls’ flag football is booming in Ohio and the Mahoning Valley, with OHSAA sanctioning a state championship and local teams thriving this spring season. Mahoning Valley Sports

One of the fastest growing spring sports in Ohio, including the greater Mahoning Valley, is girls’ flag football.

The Ohio High School Athletic Association announced last summer that it is sanctioning a state championship in the sport for the first time this spring.

The National Football League is a big supporter of girls’ flag football, and in Ohio, the Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals have been ambitious in their efforts to increase membership and awareness of the sport and the great potential it offers.

In the greater Mahoning Valley, schools that already have teams include Warren Harding, Warren Howland, Warren Champion, West Branch, Mineral Ridge, Youngstown East, Newton Falls, Campbell Memorial, Youngstown Liberty and Pymatuning Valley.

West Branch has gotten off to the best start of the teams around the Mahoning Valley. The Warriors are 6-0 and defeated the Howland Tigers (36-6) and Warren Harding Raiders (13-6) in their most recent games. West Branch has outscored its opponents 182-26 this season.