Girls' flag football growing in Bucks County. CEC and Wood to face off in first championship

High school football in the spring is here to stay and it's only going to keep growing.

It will be girls playing flag football, but the commitment and competition is just like the Friday nights in the fall version played by boys.

"The most exciting part of flag football has been seeing all the girls who come and play for their schools," said Conwell-Egan senior Connie Wojton, who plays on the Eagles' first-year team.

"I truly think this is a growing sport that allows girls to play a game that is traditionally made for boys."

Flag football growing in Bucks County and beyond

Girls' flag football is the fastest-growing sport for high school girls in the country and will likely become a fully sanctioned PIAA sport (meaning a statewide tournament is held) in a year or two.

"For the PIAA to sanction it, there needs to be over 100 programs in the state and there are (the count is 103 and climbing)," said Jim Savage, Archbishop Wood's head girls' flag football coach.

"Most of the schools that have it are in the Philadelphia and Pittsburgh areas because the Eagles and Steelers helped teams in their areas with uniforms and equipment to get started, but it keeps growing. The Suburban One League is growing and there are a lot of teams in the (Philadelphia) Public League, too.

"We're hopeful the PIAA will sanction it for next year, but we're probably looking at 2026."

Currently, nine state high school associations have sanctioned girls' flag football with more expected to do so this year. Seventeen other states, including Pennsylvania, have pilot programs.

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PIAA to vote on sanctioning girls' flag football

The PIAA board of directors will vote this summer on whether to sanction girls' flag football, as it did with girls' wrestling for the 2023-24 school year. The first PIAA championships for girls wrestling were held in Hershey in March.

Some colleges are starting to sponsor the sport and flag football will be an Olympic sport for men and women at the 2028 Olympics.

Conwell-Egan to face Archbishop Wood for PCL title in flag football

On Thursday, Wood and Conwell-Egan will play in the inaugural Philadelphia Catholic League girls' flag football title game at Cardinal O'Hara at 5:30 p.m.

"It will be fun to play for the championship," said Archbishop Wood senior quarterback Ava Renninger, a basketball standout who will play basketball at Fairleigh Dickinson.

"My dad was a football coach, so I've been around the sport, but for a lot of girls on the team it's a new thing. But we've all worked hard, and everyone picked it up and has been doing great."

The Vikings enter the game undefeated at 10-0 while the Eagles are 9-1, with the lone loss coming against Wood, 39-34, about a month ago. This is the third season that Wood has fielded a team.

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Big numbers of girls looking to play at Conwell-Egan

"We had a great turnout with 40 girls trying out for the team," Conwell-Egan head coach Barry Roxberry said. "Once word got around the school that we were forming a flag football team, it took off.

"With a new team, most of the players have never run routs on offense or played zone/man defenses so the coaches thought it would take a while, but these girls excelled in no time."

For Wood senior wide receiver/free safety Lauren Greer, who plays soccer in the fall and basketball in the winter, the time couldn't have been better.

"My spring was open and my brother and dad both played football, so I thought it would be fun to give it a shot," Greer said.

"And it gotten more competitive since it's now a PCL sport. The coaches do a really good job creating plays and scouting and we love to go out and play."

The basics of girls' flag football

Girls' flag football, with seven players aside, is based on speed and misdirection, not contact. Blocking and tackling are not allowed.

Instead, defenders try to grab strips of cloth hanging off of the belts the players wear.

Remove the strip and the play is over. Also, if the ball hits the ground, the ball is dead, and the play is over.

Players don't wear helmets or pads but do wear mouthguards and cleats.

The field is 80 yards from goal line to goal line and 44 yards wide and teams can get first downs. Each game is 48 minutes long with two 24-minute halves and a running clock.

Points are scored by touchdown and PATs, as well as safeties.

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Teams typically combine for 50 or more points in a game.

"I love the pressure and intensity of every single one of the games I've played," Conwell-Egan senior quarterback Mya Aizen said.

"And it's a lot of fun. There is constant laughter and togetherness (at practice) and the atmosphere is unlike anything I’ve been around, which makes every moment the best."

Drew Markol covers local sports for PhillyBurbs.com. Support our journalism with a subscription.

This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Girls' flag football takes off in Bucks as CEC, Wood vie for title