Girls flag football, which is showing encouraging growth in its debut as an official OSAA emerging activity this spring, has put the final touches on plans for its season culminating event.
The sport's organizers have agreed to have a 16-team tournament at Barlow High School on May 17. The bracket will be composed of two teams from each of the seven geographic pods and the remaining two teams with the best records.
Last year's season-ending tournament, won by South Salem, featured eight teams at the Nike campus in Beaverton. With the sport growing from 32 to 47 schools this year, organizers opted to expand the field.
The OSAA approved flag football as an emerging activity in October after it met the threshold of 25 schools participating. If it grows to 50 schools after a two-year period, it will be eligible to be sanctioned by the OSAA.
“We're right on track,” said Liberty coach Rebecca Brisson, one of the organizers. “There were some of us that thought we would get to 50 this year, but we're super pleased. It's definitely starting to grow farther out and farther south. That's huge.”
Six schools from the Eugene area, four from central Oregon and one from the southern Oregon Coast (North Bend) are among the new additions this season. New 6A schools participating are Liberty, Forest Grove, Clackamas, David Douglas, Lake Oswego, Lakeridge, Sherwood, Tualatin and Willamette.
The sport has made steady progress in Oregon high schools since it debuted with an eight-team league in 2023. Organizers anticipate another boost in 2026.
“Beaverton schools and the PIL are two of the big ones that hopefully will finally jump on next year,” Brisson said. “They might wait one more year for it to be sanctioned, but they're on the cusp.”
A year ago, teams played up to 10 games each during the regular seasons. This year, they can schedule up to 18 contests on 12 playing dates. Teams often gather in groups of three or four and play double games.
The 7-on-7 games are played on an 80-yard field and typically take about one hour and 15 minutes. They are played with a running clock, except for stoppage time in the last two minutes of the second and fourth quarters.
“The girls are having so much fun. It's a blast,” said Brisson, a longtime high school football official who has owned the Portland Shockwave women's tackle team for more than two decades, including a 13-year playing career.
Brisson and Sarah Sowers of Nike were catalysts for getting flag football started in the state. Brisson has jumped into the fray this season as a first-time high school head coach.
“It's been really fun to kind of change my brain,” Brisson said. “We were just laughing at practice. One of the girls was like, 'I swear you were speaking a different language the first two weeks of practice.' But they caught on. They love it.”
Brisson said that most of her players also compete in other sports. Liberty has 29 players on its team, including six who participate in another spring high school sport and two who are playing spring club soccer.
The game is growing not only in size, but in quality of play.
“A lot of the feedback I've gotten from the officials is how much the intensity has gone up,” Brisson said. “Last year it was like people were just having fun. Now you can see even as the season goes on, just the intensity. The kids aren't out there just to have fun – which they are – but they're taking it more serious. And the coaches are really coaching strategy.”
With the OSAA's backing, schools also are more invested in the sport, according to Brisson.
“They're following the rules a lot closer, paying attention, asking more questions,” she said. “They're really into growing.”
jerryu@osaa.org
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