The girls flag football team at Capital High School is celebrating the many successes of their premiere season, including forming a strong team bond, reaching the state championship and ultimately placing second in state. Across the nation, flag football is rapidly emerging as a high school sport that balances a fast pace and fierce competition, and possible adoption of the sport by the WIAA this spring may lead to further opportunities for statewide expansion.
Grant from the Seattle Seahawks Helps Introduce Flag Football to Capital High School
Last spring, Capital High School’s Athletic Director Steve Taylor attended an athletic directors conference and participated in a breakout session for flag football with representatives from the Seattle Seahawks, who are strong proponents of flag football for young student athletes. In support of flag football’s regional growth, Capital High School accepted the Seahawks High School Girls Flag Grant in April 2024, which helped to launch the girls flag football team at Capital.
The hard work ramped up over the summer, as Taylor collaborated with the Olympia School District to get the team up and running in time for the start of the winter sport season. This prep work included securing a coach’s contract, as well as purchasing flags, uniforms and other necessary equipment. Taylor also hired Capital High School alumni, Tristan Redman, as coach of the girls flag football team.
Flag football captures a few similar elements to traditional tackle football, but changes in field specifications and gametime regulations make for a fresh and unique player experience. When it came time to recruit student athletes to flag football, Taylor and Redman saw great enthusiasm and demand across the Capital High School athletic community, with almost 30 students registering to be part of the team. Practices began in mid-November, with Redman and the team working hard to become better acquainted with the specific rules and layout of the sport before regular-season games started in early January.
Capital High School Flag Football Finds Its Footing in Its First Season, Reaches State Championship
As the flag football program launched at Capital High School, Redman was equipped with a plan and a playbook, but didn’t quite know what to expect from the season. Redman’s key message to the team focused on the factors that each athlete could control, including the attitude and effort that they brought to the game. Those attributes were eventually channeled into a strong competitive spirit. Redman recalls instances where athletes received feedback during a game, or even on the team bus ahead of the league championship, and the players quickly and adeptly applied these changes on the field.
According to Taylor, there are almost 90 high school teams across Washington State that are participating in flag football, with Capital High School part of the Puget Sound League. In February, the team achieved a major feat, taking home the league championship after a victory against Tacoma’s Lincoln High School, which holds a longtime tradition in flag football. After competing in the district competition, the Capital High School flag football team qualified for the 12-team state tournament. In mid-February, Capital High School faced Woodinville High School for the state champion title in Tacoma, ultimately taking home second in state.
Ashlynn O’Hara is a sophomore at Capital High School and this season, played center for the flag football team. O’Hara signed up for the team alongside multiple friends, thinking it might be interesting to try out a sport that was new to the high school. For O’Hara, a hallmark of the season was the supportive environment fostered by coaching staff and fellow teammates, while also enjoying the small moments, like post-game sandwiches on the bus ride home. Considering that a majority of the team had limited prior knowledge of the sport, O’Hara found that placing second in state was a major, yet unexpected, feat.
“The first year of flag football was a pleasant surprise,” says O’Hara. “I have really awesome coaches and the team is super close! The season went way better than I could have ever imagined. Making it all the way to state was one of the best experiences.”
Capital High School’s Flag Football Team Is Proud of First Season, Looks Ahead to Future Opportunities
Across the athletic program at Capital High School, there is a sense that this inaugural flag football team has captured something special. Taylor says that from the perspective of an athletic director, this program has been fun to put together, and it is a proud moment to witness Redman’s strong leadership as head coach and the growth of the team earning praise from neighboring team parents, officials and coaches in recent months. Redman also commends the team for making significant progress throughout the season, especially the athletes’ ability to use what they learned to make crucial gametime plays.
This April, the WIAA plans to vote on an amendment that, if passed, would make girls flag football an “officially-sanctioned” high school sport in Washington State. Taylor says that if the measure is adopted, the name of the sport may also shift to “flag” in Washington State as a way to differentiate it from traditional tackle football. The passage of the amendment would also allow for the establishment of formal flag football leagues, and allow for more concrete 1A-4A school classifications.
Regardless of the WIAA amendment vote, flag football will return to Capital High School for future seasons, with Redman and Taylor excited to see how the expertise and enthusiasm for the sport will continue to evolve.
To learn more about athletics and the flag football team at Capital High School, visit the Capital High School Athletics website.
