KSHB 41 reporter Olivia Acree covers portions of Johnson County, Kansas, including Olathe and Lenexa. Share your story idea with Olivia.
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The Kansas State High School Activities Association will take a vote Thursday deciding whether to sanction girls flag football. The team at St. Thomas Aquinas is making its case on the field.
This flag football team was one of the first in the area. Not technically being a sport in Kansas did not stop them from creating a place for themselves. But according to junior player Reese Hedberg, they don’t get the recognition for it.
"Right now. Like our coach goes out and finds us games, and then we have to put in the work," Hedberg said.
Coach Sam Paradise said the team started purely out of student interest.
"It was enough for these kids to be hungry and create the opportunity and keep it going," Paradise said.
Three years later, that interest has grown, spreading to 29 teams across the state and bringing in more players who may not have found a place in other team sports.
"Maybe kids that didn't quite have an opportunity or didn't quite make a team. And we automatically invite them in," Paradise said.
"Having a team like if you've never been on a team before, it's so good to have a group of people that you bond with," Hedberg said.
For freshman Finnley Richlin, a team is just what she was looking for.
"We all have the same goal,” Richlin said. “And we have so much fun doing it as a team together."
This team attributes some of the growth to help from the Kansas City Chiefs, who started the Let Her Play movement.
Paradise believes these players are already making history, whether the vote passes or not.
"These girls, they're trailblazers,” Paradise said. “They have used their voices. They have been a part of something that's greater than themselves."
As the sport eyes a global stage, with flag football set to debut at the 2028 Olympics, this team is hoping Kansas will not be left behind.
"It would be disheartening. This is a growing sport and it's a very popular sport across the country and the world so let's get behind it and really get it going," Paradise said.
If approved, the first sanctioned season could begin as early as next fall.
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