Minnesota Girls Flag Football Eyes Official Sport Status

When Rosemount junior Talia Vescio threw her seventh touchdown pass in the championship game Monday, she wasn't just winning a title. She was making a statement about the fastest-growing sport in Minnesota high schools.

Rosemount crushed Rogers 45-12 at TCO Stadium in Eagan to claim the Minnesota girls high school flag football championship. The victory capped a two-day tournament featuring 13 teams and plenty of reasons why the Minnesota State High School League should stop waiting and recognize flag football as an emerging sport.

The numbers tell a powerful story. A total of 104 Minnesota schools now field flag football teams. St. Catherine's University in St. Paul is adding the sport in 2027, and Nebraska just became the first Power Four university to announce a program starting in 2028.

Then there's the biggest stage of all. Flag football becomes an Olympic sport at the 2028 Los Angeles Games, opening doors for today's high school players that simply didn't exist a few years ago.

"I've always wanted to play flag football or just football in general," said Minnetonka wide receiver Camryn Olberding, who graduated and is heading to Kansas but won't play college sports. "If it had started any earlier, I would love to play in the future."

The action on the field backs up the excitement. Rogers fought through three overtimes in the semifinals to beat Park 22-21. Rosemount needed overtime to edge Minnetonka 33-32. Park safety Maleah McMorrow sealed her team's victory over top-seeded Minneapolis Washburn with a pick-six that stretched the entire field, celebrating with the Griddy minutes after meeting Vikings star Justin Jefferson.

Vescio plays soccer and hockey too, once scoring four goals in a single hockey game. But seven touchdown passes? "That's really hard to do," she said with a smile.

The Ripple Effect

The sport is creating opportunities that reach far beyond Monday's championship. Cottage Grove now runs a youth flag football program. Rogers saw upward of 70 players try out for the team. Players talk about summer leagues and backyard games with family that sparked their love for the sport.

Coach Jeff Erdmann believes parents and players hold the key. "They need to call their school athletic directors, their school board members, and put pressure on them that we want this to be a state sanctioned sport," he said after Rosemount's win.

The Minnesota State High School League voted June 2 to delay the decision, with concerns about scheduling and taking players from other spring sports. But players are already managing multiple sports, and logistical challenges like Sunday games can be solved.

The pathway from high school to college flag football is opening right now, and Minnesota players are ready to run through it.