Fort Worth ISD championship showcases rise of girls’ flag football in Texas
Girls’ flag football isn’t University Interscholastic League-sanctioned, but the sport is gaining popularity, and Fort Worth ISD is spearheading the charge.
Under the bright lights at Herman Clark Stadium on Tuesday, May 13, Arlington Heights and Paschal competed in Cowtown’s premier flag football matchup: The Fort Worth ISD Championship. In a defensive duel, Paschal secured a 7-0 victory to claim back-to-back championships.
“It’s amazing,” senior quarterback Annie Parsons said. “It’s just the greatest feeling.”
On Monday, May 19, both Paschal and Heights will represent Cowtown at The Ford Center at the Star at the Dallas Cowboys’ Girls Flag Football Championship. Paschal will face Arlington Martin, while Heights will face Spruce; the games will happen simultaneously at 5:30 p.m.
Paschal flag football head coach Jonathan Potts said his team looks forward to playing on the grand stage, something he compared to UIL state football at AT&T Stadium. It gives the Panthers an opportunity to call themselves the greatest, the ultimate goal to push toward.
“That’s what we’ve been fighting for,” Potts said. “We’re not just playing in the city and becoming the city champions. Now, we’re fighting to become metroplex champions as well.”
Potts said high school flag football leagues give all athletes — regardless of gender — the ability to experience the thrills of football. Paschal is one of 16 Fort Worth teams to participate in the Cowboys’ league.
“They’re doing this for fun,” Potts said. “But these girls are really competitive, and they’ve really fought hard these last two years to be able to win back-to-back championships.”
Fort Worth ISD, with the support of the Dallas Cowboys, became one of the first school districts to have an organized league in 2022 — it was a monumental, trailblazing, and foundational moment for flag football in Texas. Fort Worth ISD’s league became a model for the Dallas Cowboys’ flag league — 54 Dallas-Fort Worth schools are participating in the 2025 season.
Parsons, a senior, said it’s been wild to watch flag football skyrocket in popularity. She said she hopes to be a role model for younger girls in Fort Worth.
“Growing up, you just need to know you can play football, no matter if you’re a girl or a guy,” Parsons said. “Girls can do anything guys can do. That’s just a good foundation to have as you grow up into a woman.”
In the 2028 Olympics in Tokyo, flag football will premiere as an Olympic sport. With increased flag opportunities in Dallas-Fort Worth, the next great Olympian could be produced in the metroplex.
“Their understanding of the game of football, even though it is a lot different, is high,” said John Killough, Paschal’s boys football coach. “When we started this, we didn’t have a clue what was going on. But you know, it’s amazing. They love it, and we’re so happy that they get to do it.”
At the high school level, 15 state athletic associations have sanctioned flag football as a varsity sport: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Mississippi, Nevada, New York, Pennsylvania, Tennesse and Washington.
Texas has a pilot program but needs more support to become a UIL-sanctioned varsity sport.
“I hope that it expands throughout the state of Texas because there’s a lot of people that are unsure about it,” Killough said. “Fortunately, it’s grown here in the Metroplex quite a bit. And it’s a blast.”
Potts said he didn’t know what to expect when Fort Worth ISD started its league but knew there was a golden opportunity to advocate for girls’ athletics and flag football.
“We saw what this could bring to these girls and what it could do for them,” Potts said. “(The Fort Worth ISD league) allowed us to showcase that this is something that is sustainable throughout Texas. And it gives the UIL an opportunity to be able to do this as a true UIL sport.”
Over 50 colleges and universities offer flag football as a varsity sport — that includes Texas Wesleyan. The Rams will start their inaugural season in spring of 2026. Isabel Ibarra, a Fort Worth North Side senior, became the program’s first signee.
“(Flag football) gives these girls a different opportunity to showcase skills that they haven’t been able to showcase before,” Potts said. “It’s giving girls different avenues to be able to go to college in different ways, in ways that they never believed were possible.”
Fort Worth ISD Athletics made the championship game accessible — admission was free.
The Cowboys had plenty of representation at Clark Field, which included its mascot Rowdy, sideline reporter Kristi Scales, former linebacker Dat Nguyen and former safety Danny McCray.
This story was originally published May 13, 2025 at 8:27 PM.
.jpg)