The North Central girls flag football team joined the girls flag football league in Indiana this year. In their first season they dominated competition and left the season with an undefeated record in MIC. The team finished the season with an overall record of 7-3.
“I am proud of our season. We were undefeated MIC champs and with it being our first season I think it is pretty impeccable what we did,” senior team captain Breanna Hampton said.
While girls flag football is not an official ISHAA sport yet it will be soon, with more and more teams joining the league each year. The Indianapolis Colts started the girls flag football league in 2023 with eight teams from around Indiana. This season there are 78 teams, including North Central. Girls flag football is considered an emerging sport and needs 100 teams in the league to become an official ISHAA sport.
“Flag football is a chance to show that girls can do whatever boys can do too,” sophomore Ella Walker said.
“It [flag football] is fun. People should want to play flag football, or try it at least,” Hampton said.
The popularity of girls flag football is not just growing at the high school level. Students all over Washington Township are interested.
“There is a growing buzz going around that the elementary kids want to be a part of it. The middle schools are wanting to start a club team. I think it is going to be a pipeline of young women who want to play football,” assistant athletic director Azjah Bass said.
There will be a bright future for the flag football team at North Central with potentially 17 players returning for the 2026 season. The seven seniors from this season helped build the foundation for the teams to come.
“When they lost against Lawrence North, I was in that team huddle with them and Breanna Hampton said. ‘This is the starting foundation. You guys got to take what we did this year in our first year and make it even better and continue to grow.’ And so just to see that internal leadership from seniors…they did the best they could, and I think they left a program in a great spot” Bass said.
The team’s goals for this season were to make history and go to state. In their postseason run the Panthers beat Elwood 41-0 in the first round of sectionals and then went on to defeat Bishop Chatard with a score of 28-6 before falling to Lawrence North 26-13 in a comeback win for the Wildcats.
“After the Lawrence North game Coach Ashley said. “We win together, we lose together, and we go home together’ and that just shows the type of team we want to be,” Walker said.
“Towards the end of the season we really started to understand each other.We really built a strong connection and those girls are like my little sisters,” Hampton said.
Ranked third in the state of Indiana along with having a 5-0 record in MIC, the team proved they could beat good teams. Despite this, their focus was not solely on winning, their focus was to have fun along with winning.
“These are some tough women who are competing at a high level and training their bodies the right way. And they are having fun. It’s a high level of competition out there.The MIC in every sport is one of the best conferences in the country let alone the state,” Bass said.
The girls were dedicated to their team and to succeeding.
“I saw the look in their eyes, their dedication, the way that they were carrying themselves,” Bass said.
