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.
The Iowa Zealots were founded out of Empigo Academy in Des Moines, Iowa, by Fig Newton in 2025. Working as a club sport founded through the private school, the Zealots have recruited students from Empigo Academy and throughout the state of Iowa. Purposefully recruiting no 18 year old students in their first season, allowing more time for developing the team, the Zealots also offer scholarships for many of their students to allow them to play football. With developing younger players as a goal, the Zealots have a number of rising stars. These include Sophomore QB and receiver Jaka Newton from Des Moines Christian, as well as running back Eli Cosby, who’s signed with Simpson College. Chase Harden is a freshman who starts on the 18U team, going against older athletes and excelling, and Torrion Cotton, a student from Aimes who Coach Newton believes is an overlooked athlete. Besides improving their football skills, the Iowa Zealots aim to use 7v7 as a platform for character development, learning business skills, and team bonding. Off the field the team works on learning marketing skills, setting up professional social media accounts, and watching film to learn from their past games. While traveling for tournaments, the team also makes educational field trips to places near tournament locations, helping to expose the players to things besides football to better their understanding of the world around them. According to Coach Newton, the players are drawn to the communal aspect of the team, and enjoy being given opportunities outside of football while still getting to play the game they love. With such a young team, the Zealots had expected to experience “some bumps and bruises”, but a holistic approach allows them to “always win.” After a rough start to the season, the Zealot’s got their first win in Topeka, and with it a boost to their confidence. Pushing themselves to shoot for the stars, the Zealots want to be the best 18U team in Iowa by record and performance. Analyzing their games and learning from mistakes, the team has rapidly improved. As Coach Newton put it, “We don’t compete against others, we compete against our own potential.”
