Girls flag football ‘a lot of fun’

Playoffs are around the corner for the Morganton girls flag football league, a new addition to the Parks and Recreation Department’s youth sports offerings, and as girls ages 5-13 enter the close of the season, coordinators say the experience has been overwhelmingly positive.

“We are all best friends now,” said Ravens coach Meghan Childres, whose team is composed of girls ages 8-10. “It’s been a lot of fun. … They are encouraging each other, and especially if they mess up, it’s OK. They really have each other in mind.”

Morganton athletics program supervisor Jesse Bunton said while the flag football league has always been co-ed, coordinators decided to split the league shortly after the North Carolina High School Athletic Association sanctioned girls flag football as a varsity sport earlier this year.

Several interest meetings showed enough support for a girls league to be viable, he said, and 70 girls signed up to play. Meanwhile, the newly formed boys league hosts 100 boys. Prior to the split, the co-ed league averaged between 75-100 participants, Bunton said.

Bunton hopes the rec league becomes “a potential opportunity for girls down the road to get them some experience before they get to the high school level.”

Kyle Fox, who coaches the Falcons in the 11-to-13-year age bracket, said he has even higher hopes than varsity sports for girls in the league.

“If we put an all-star team together, we could compete with them girls on ESPN,” he said, referencing the popular NFL FLAG Championships.

That’s no pipe dream for Fox, who led the Walter Johnson Middle School football team to an undefeated season this year in his first season as head coach.

The Falcons won 50-12 in their last regular-season game Monday, Oct. 26, against the Panthers, and each Falcon was able to score a touchdown for the first time this season, said Fox, who added that the game put the Falcons, Panthers, and Eagles in a three-way tie for the playoffs, which begin Monday, Nov. 2.

“The girls have gotten better since day one, and they’ve enjoyed it,” he said. “From the feedback I’ve got, everyone’s enjoying it and getting competitive with it.”

Fox said he was glad to see another sports option for girls in Burke County.

“We have a lot of athletic girls in the area,” he said. “It’s mainly focused on basketball, softball, volleyball, but this gives them something else to do.”

It also gives them the opportunity to play football without the physicality and risk of injury that comes with full-contact, he said.

Bunton said a highlight of the season for him was watching one of the 11-to-13-year-olds record her first interception and return it for a TD.

“The girls on that team, nobody knew each other going in, but everyone celebrated,” he said. “It’s really exciting to see how the girls have clicked together. … The camaraderie has been a really good deal for the girls this year.”

Childres said while the experience has been “a big learning curve” for the girls in the league, the rewards are already evident.

“The quarterbacks had to learn how to lead the team,” she said. “After we taught them that, we stepped back. … (We want to) give the girls as much responsibility as possible and let them figure it out, even if they don’t call a play you would call.”

The positivity evident throughout the season is a good sign for next year’s league, said Bunton.

“The goal is now that we have the league established a little more, it’s just to grow the program and get the word out that it’s being offered,” he said.

ESPN might be a long time coming, but Bunton said it’s the little moments that count.

“Seeing them come together and celebrate each other even in the little things is really special,” he said.