What was once just an idea is now a 25-woman roster and full schedule. 

Flag football is one of the fastest growing sports right now with even the NFL promoting the game.  

This season marks the beginning for Beachwood’s girls flag football team after players and coaches came together to build the program from scratch. 

Assistant Coach Evan Perkins explains how the program began.

“Flag football is growing exponentially all across the country, and when girls heard there were other schools in the area adopting the sport, there was an interest sparked in the school.” 

“It’s an opportunity for myself and all the other coaches on the staff to apply what we know from 11-man football and learn a different style of football. It’s a challenge and it’s been a great opportunity.” 

Co-Captain Sydney Willmore jumped at the chance to join the team. 

“I’ve been an athletic trainer assistant for the football team for four years, so football was something that I was already a bit familiar with,” she said. “I also used to play football with my dad when I was younger, so I thought I’d try it out, and I’m very happy I joined because I love this sport.” 

With practices from 5:30-7:00 on weekdays and 12:00-2:00 on Saturdays, flag football works around the schedules of other spring sports. 

Coach Perkins reflects on his journey of bringing the team together. 

“I expected building a team from scratch to be more of a challenge,” he said. “We had an incredible turnout from the beginning, and this initial response organically made it a smooth process.” 

Willmore explained how the players support one another. 

“Our team is still a bit new, so it’s a little hard to define the chemistry, but I think it’s been very easy for our team to work together during games,” she said. “Even if we don’t win, we run our plays seamlessly and congratulate each other after a player scores or pulls a flag.” 

Senior Mattie Spaller emphasizes the seamless transition onto the team and the idea of being there for all team members.

“I felt pretty relaxed about being on a new team because all of the girls are always so excited to be there and learn the game,” she said. “We’re like a family.” 

Coach Perkins has enjoyed every part of the season so far, especially watching the athletes gain confidence.

Sunday, April 19 was a highlight for the team when they beat Kirtland, the top team in their division. 

“The entire team delivered an exceptional, complementary performance,” Perkins said. “The defense came up with key stops and forced multiple turnovers, holding one of the top-scoring teams in the division to just six points. Offensively, we were rolling, led by sophomore quarterback Kyleigh Owens, who threw two touchdown passes.”

The team’s record, currently at 4-4, has shown growth over the season.

Perkins highlights the overall goals that the coaches have for the program. 

“We want to create leaders on and off the field,” he said. “What that looks like is people who can represent our team and community with integrity.”  

Spaller emphasizes the team’s improvement throughout the season.

“We win more games as we continue to learn the rules and get comfortable playing together as a team,” she said.

Perkins reflects on the growth he hopes to see in coming years.

“Our biggest area for improvement is just learning the details of the game and the stuff that will come naturally as we…  gain more experience,” he said.

Willmore has set goals for the season.

“My goals for the rest of the season are for the team to win more games, make it to regionals, and finish off my senior spring sports [seasons] strong,” she said.

Perkins hopes to see the program grow into something bigger.

“We want to grow something that the community is proud of,” he said. “We’re just really excited for the opportunity. The response has been overwhelmingly positive about this sport and we’re excited to see where it goes.”

With Beachwood hosting the Sunday flag football games on May 3, the team is excited to show their community how hard they’ve been working.