Bridgewater College Adds Women’s Flag Football Program in 2026–27 Amid DIII ODAC Expansion
✨ Coach, Parents & Player Tips
Coach’s Clipboard: Set a countdown alarm on your phone for 60, 30, and 10 minutes before game time, each one triggering a fast check-in on gear, hydration, and a two-minute mental huddle. This simple rhythm slashes last-second panics and gets you rolling onto the field calm, collected, and exactly on time.
Postgame Parents: During TV commercials, face your kiddo and do mirrored shuffles—when you go left, they go left, then switch—those mini mirror drills fire up reaction speed, ankle strength, and sneak in quality bonding (and plenty of giggles) before the next show starts.
Players Snap: Pick a goofy war-cry (like “Rocket!”) and make everyone belt it in the huddle—miss a shout and you’re doing a sideline sprint; nothing bonds a squad faster than sharing the same battle cry.
🔎 Feature Story
🏅 Bridgewater making aggressive jump into flag football
Bridgewater College will kick off a women’s flag football program in the 2026–27 season, aggressively recruiting coaches and players as the sport gains traction in Division III and the Old Dominion Athletic Conference. By joining peers like Hollins and Virginia Wesleyan, the Eagles aim to secure future conference and national championship opportunities as flag football continues its rapid collegiate growth.
“We’re trying to get after this pretty quickly and pretty aggressively,” Kendall said.
🌍 Regional Roundup
Illinois: Blackburn College has added a Women’s Flag Football program under head coach Stephanie Aragon, leveraging its new 40,000-square-foot Athletic Center and a unique campus Work Program to develop student-athletes both on and off the field. This initiative positions Blackburn as a regional leader in women’s flag football through dedicated coaching, modern facilities, and integrated life-skills training.
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Georgia (Washington County): The Washington County Lady Hawks finished as GHSA Division One runners-up with a 32-0 loss in their first state championship appearance, highlighting rapid program growth fueled by a new elementary intramural flag football initiative. Coach Jay English noted that early engagement at the youth level is key to building a sustainable pipeline for future teams.
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Georgia (Statewide): The GHSA will crown five girls flag football champions at Mercedes-Benz Stadium Dec. 15–17, with live streaming available on the NFHS Network and tickets priced at $25.15 per day. The finals span Divisions 1 through 5, underscoring the rapid expansion and statewide investment in high school girls flag football.
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⭐ Player Spotlight
Tessa Wieloch – Flag Football Athlete, North Penn’s Athena team. Tessa balanced filming a GEICO commercial in Florida with gearing up for the national tournament at ESPN’s Wide World of Sports, all while forging brand partnerships and inspiring other young athletes.
“I want to inspire other girls. That has always been the goal from the beginning. I want to be that person that somebody’s like, ‘wow, I really want to be like her.’ I want to inspire women in sports and say ‘hey, we can play football too. We can do everything that the guys do.” — Tessa Wieloch
📈 Flag Growth Focus
🔥 Conference Expansion in Virginia
Bridgewater College is set to launch its women’s flag football program in 2026-27, actively recruiting its first head coach after admin Curt Kendall dusted off his recruiting playbook. With Hollins and Virginia Wesleyan already competing and more ODAC schools considering additions, the conference could soon sponsor a Division III varsity championship.
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🔥 Blackburn Athletic Center Boosts Flag Football
Blackburn College has unveiled its new Women’s Flag Football program under coach Stephanie Aragon, supported by a 40,000-square-foot indoor facility with turf field and state-of-the-art training spaces. Integrating its unique campus work program, the college aims to build a championship culture and lead regional growth in the sport.
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🌐 Flag Football Diplomacy Initiative
The NFL is leveraging flag football’s rapid global growth as a platform for cultural diplomacy, engaging fans across Europe and South America while positioning players as U.S. cultural envoys. Featuring speakers like Troy Vincent and Don Davis, the Stimson Center event highlights how the sport fosters international engagement and expands football’s footprint.
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⚡ FlagSnap Daily Blitz
North Oconee will meet Whitewater in the GHSA Division 3 state title game on Dec. 16 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, marking the Wildcats’ first-ever meeting and capping North Oconee’s rapid rise under second-year coach Nicole O’Mara.
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Greenbrier completed a rare three-peat Tuesday, rallying from a halftime deficit to beat Jenkins 20–13 and claim its third straight GHSA Division 2 state championship.
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Harris County senior QB Madalynn Cauley threw for 183 yards and accounted for five total touchdowns to deliver the Tigers their first GHSA girls flag football state title.
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Jenkins made school history as the first girls team at the school in any sport to reach a state championship final before falling 20–13 to Greenbrier at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
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The Arizona Republic ranked the state’s top 10 high school flag football quarterbacks—headlined by Chandler Hamilton sophomore Marlie Phillips, who shattered single-season records with 104 passing TDs, 6,079 yards and 499 completions in an undefeated campaign.
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The Greenbrier Wolfpack punched its ticket to a third straight title game by edging Seckinger 7–6 in a defensive Division 2 semifinal, surviving on a single extra point.
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Grovetown’s bid to send two Columbia County teams to Atlanta ended with a 27–7 semifinal loss to Jenkins, stopping an impressive postseason run one game shy of the Benz.
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Whitewater senior QB Jaelyn Stanley has powered her team to a 23–3 record—and its first state final—by throwing 48 touchdowns and rushing for 24 more while the defense has notched 15 shutouts.
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🏁 Final Whistle
“What makes something special is not just what you have to gain, but what you feel there is to lose.”
— Andre Agassi
