Inaugural ECAC Women’s Flag Football Championship: Marymount Triumph and Collegiate Program Expansion
✨ Coach, Parents & Player Tips
Coach’s Clipboard: Use sidewalk chalk to diagram your first two plays on the driveway and have the team jog through each route right before you head out—it’s a slick visual recap, warm-up, and confidence booster all in one. By kickoff you’ll be calm, clear on the plan, and spending your energy on flags instead of forgotten plays.
Postgame Parents: When self-doubt sneaks up, have your kiddo imagine it as a squawking parrot on their shoulder—name it, laugh at its complaints, then “toss it overboard” so they can captain their focus back on the next play.
Players Snap: Roll up in a hoodie and joggers for your warm-ups. Strip down to game gear five minutes before kickoff—cold muscles are about as useful as a flat football.
🔎 Feature Story
🏅 Marymount Wins Thrilling Inaugural ECAC Women’s Flag Football Championship
Top-seeded Marymount edged the fourth-seeded Franciscan Barons 37-26 in the first ECAC Women’s Flag Football Championship, showcasing a high-scoring offense against a resilient defense in Florham Park, NJ. This landmark victory and competitive final highlight the rapid growth and increasing visibility of women’s collegiate flag football.
🌍 Regional Roundup
North Carolina: Guilford College has announced a new women’s flag football program led by coach Derrick Walker, with plans to field a full roster by spring 2027 and trigger an ODAC conference championship once five schools compete. The addition aligns with Title IX compliance goals and taps into the NFL-backed momentum behind women’s flag football.
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St. Paul, Minnesota: Westside St. Paul’s Cinco de Mayo festival featured a community flag football tournament as part of its cultural celebration, drawing local teams and integrating the sport into the region’s largest neighborhood event. Organizers intend to grow the tournament alongside other festival attractions to sustain community engagement next year.
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⭐ Player Spotlight
Ava Quinchia – Quarterback, University of Wisconsin-Parkside. A Manitowoc Lincoln senior and flag football trailblazer, Quinchia becomes the first female from Manitowoc and second from Wisconsin to earn a collegiate flag football offer, channeling her strong arm and leadership into UW-Parkside’s program.
“He’s always pushing me to do my best and work hard to earn everything I want,” Quinchia said of her father, Michael.
📈 Flag Growth Focus
🔥 ODAC Expansion at Guilford
Guilford College will launch a women’s flag football program under coach Derrick Walker by spring 2027, joining four other Old Dominion Athletic Conference members and triggering an ODAC championship once all teams are active. Supported by the NFL’s promotional push and aligned with Title IX enrollment goals, the program aims to field about 20 student-athletes and tap into a national pool of nearly 500,000 teenage girls.
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🏈 Jets-Sponsored ECAC Debut
The New York Jets concluded the inaugural ECAC Women’s Flag Football League season at the team’s training center after a $1 million investment from the Betty Wold Johnson Foundation. Fifteen programs across seven states competed in a playoff format, laying groundwork for an expanded 2027 league and creating a clear development path for high school and collegiate athletes.
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🎉 St. Paul Festival Flag Football Growth
Westside St. Paul’s Cinco de Mayo Festival doubled its community flag football tournament field this year thanks to local business sponsorships and volunteer fundraising after pandemic cuts. Featuring coed youth and adult divisions alongside cultural performances and vendor booths, the event is boosting grassroots flag football participation in diverse neighborhoods.
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⚡ FlagSnap Daily Blitz
Lainy Vargas threw five touchdowns to spearhead Charles G. Finney’s 38-0 rout of Rochester Academy Charter.
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AJ Orr amassed 134 passing yards, two passing touchdowns, 70 rushing yards and a rushing score in Aquinas’ 25-0 shutout of Rochester Prep.
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Livonia senior Olivia Feehan rushed for 153 yards, scored a touchdown and pulled nine flags to clinch a 19-18 Senior Day win over Wayne.
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Eastridge’s Sadie O’Neill recorded her 300th career flag pull while throwing for 123 yards and rushing for a score in a 19-19 tie with Greece Athena.
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Zoie Phillips delivered a rushing touchdown, a pick-six and multiple flag pulls in Churchville-Chili’s 32-0 shutout of Brockport.
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Pioneer Central upset 10-1 Aquinas 21-12 despite QB AJ Orr’s 158 passing yards, two touchdowns, 84 rushing yards and five flag pulls.
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🏁 Final Whistle
— Roger Federer
