Based in Omaha, Nebraska, the Jr Stockmen girls flag football team are looking to make a name for themselves nationally and grow the sport of girls flag while they’re at it. Founded in 2023 by Andrew Mather and Coach Jason, the team began as a high school league before evolving into a travel team. What was once a team of just nine players now has up to 50! And among those 50 players are some real stars. Adelaide is the team’s “most dominant player” according to Mather, able to keep track of the ball anywhere on defense and catch from anywhere in her radius on offense. Ava, a center and corner, is one of the best corners in the area’s tournaments, a “lockdown corner”, and Ella is a wide receiver and safety who Mathers also says is one of the best safeties he’s seen. Jr Stockmen pulls students from the entire Omaha metro area, and since their founding, two high schools in that area have announced the formation of their own girls flag teams, as well as the College of Saint Mary, where the team holds practices. Mather says this has always been a goal of the team, for them to inspire and encourage more schools to start their own teams, supporting the growth of the sport in the region. At many schools, students from Jr Stockmen are the ones initiating these new teams, showing great leadership skills as well as dedication to the sport. Having recently transitioned to a travel team, Mather says that many of the students on Jr Stockmen have committed more fully to flag football than other sports, and the hard work is paying off. While they struggled at first against the tougher travel competition, this year the Jr Stockmen high school 7v7 team won a MoKan Sports 7v7 tournament, beating a team they’ve never won against before for the championship. Their 14 year old team also saw great success this year, winning the Kansas City NFL Regionals to go on to represent the Chiefs at the NFL Flag Nationals. Wanting to branch out more into 7v7 football, Jr Stockmen has and will continue to participate in many of our MidAmerica 7v7 tournaments! The team will continue to work for the growth of girls flag football, and hopes to get many of their players recruited for college teams, furthering their careers and the sport. With an already impressive track record and fantastic goals, Jr Stockmen will be an exciting team to watch!
Founded just this February by Kanisha Hartman, the Ladii Warriors are a new girls flag team already growing and making a name for themselves. Starting as a training camp in February 2026, this is the team’s first year competing, recruiting students from across the Cedar Rapids area as the first girls flag team in the city! And for such a young team, they already have players showing great promise, such as Kylee Parks at running back and safety, as well as Emani Phelps, also a running back and safety. Other standouts include Kaylanee Williams, a quarterback with good discipline, and Sijourney, who Coach K has described as “the glue of the team”. With all of their students being so young, the oldest right now being 11, it’s important that the Ladii Warriors have built a sisterhood as a team, relying on and supporting one another even against older, more experienced opponents. According to Coach K, playing against older teams was something they struggled with at first, but she found that the team built each other up, often with the younger students encouraging the others and keeping the team focused. With a team that is so new to the sport, it’s been great for them to see the students stepping up to lead, correcting each other’s mistakes and learning from them. Looking to grow, the Ladii Warriors want to provide more opportunities for girls to be involved with the sport. To that end, Coach K hopes to get the parents of students more involved as well, to show the team their support and help the students where they can. Already some of the parents have stepped up in this regard, with Kenneth helping coach. With more time and experience, the Ladii Warriors will surely continue to become an even stronger team, and grow the sport of girls flag football. For more information on the Ladii Warriors or to get into contact with them, you can find them at Roosevelt Middle School Tuesdays/Fridays from 5-6:30, Sundays from 2-3:30, or on their socials below:
A team we at MidAmerica have shared an office with for three years, the RedZone RaZors were founded in 2021 by Tyler Blum and are based out of Iowa City. Veterans of 7v7 Football, they’ve recently added a girls flag football team: the RedZone RoyalZ. RedZone doesn’t recruit from a specific town or school, instead welcoming students from across the state of Iowa, including as far from Iowa City as the Quad Cities. Coach Blum aims to bring a level of professionality to his club, using his own experience to provide more structure for his students. The team wants to attract players who are serious about football, providing a high level place to compete and play football. With open registration, RedZone wants to put up as few barriers to entry as possible, giving more students the chance to play. The format of 7v7 football helps make that possible, as it “Fast-tracks the exciting parts of football” according to Coach Blum. With 7v7 football, students learn the basics of football with structure, but more freedom than allowed in tackle football. Coach Blum views 7v7 as a separate sport, carving out a niche and more opportunities for flag football as well. With a long history in 7v7 football, the RedZone RaZors have their share of accomplishments, including winning 2 division 2 state championships at the 10U/12U level in 2023. Coach Blum appreciates all the students who’ve come through the team and taken the pledge to play for the RaZors. The organization wants to help it’s students develop the intangible skills of focus, effort, and desire, the three things Coach Blum believes can help athletes achieve their full potential. Without the drive to reach 100%, many students may never realize what they’re fully capable of, and Coach Blum wants to get as many of them to meet that potential as possible. With their recent expansion, RedZone hopes to provide more opportunities for girls with RedZone RoyalZ as well. According to Coach Blum, there’s been a push for more girls flag football, but the challenge is still getting people involved and laying the groundwork for the future of the sport. For the RoyalZ, their goal is to get in as many games as they can against the best competition RedZone can find. Despite the work required, just like with 7v7 football, it will be worth it to RedZone if they can provide more chances for students to fall in love with the sport of football.
