JOSHUA DEERING RUNS WITH HIS TIP TOP CAR WASH JAGUARS FLAG FOOTBALL TEAM BEFORE ITS GAME PART OF THE FLOYD COUNTY PARKS AND RECREATION FLAG FOOTBALL LEAGUE. HE ALSO COACHED A KANSAS CITY TEAM AS WELL. knew I played flag football competively. He reached out to me and I was all in. I said,‘ Let’ s get it going for the girls and the boys.’”
The league started on April 11 and lasted to May 23. The football field at Scribner Middle School was separated into four quadrants with two of them being used at one time.
In total, there were 237 total players from kindergarten through eighth grade. Among those, 32 were girls. The latter is key because the Indiana High School Athletic Association has designated girls’ flag football as an“ emerging sport” with the probability that it will become a fully-sanctioned one.
In 2025, there were 79 high schools in the state that fielded girls’ flag-football teams.
“ It’ s important and it shows to the girls that it’ s a real-deal sport,” McCarty said.“ It’ s growing, you need to get into it while you’ re young, get good at it and you can take it as far as you want. It’ s going to be huge.”
Ryan Grace Sr., 43, who has been involved in football for 30 years, coached his 6-year old daughter in the new league. He played football at New Albany High School, and then a year at a junior college in Kansas.
“ It wasn’ t the plan for me to be a coach, as I was volunteered by my daughter’ s mom, who signed her up,” Grace said.“ Flag football is a sport that girls can participate in as well. Football isn’ t just a sport for men, as we have women participating in it as well.”
The girls who played feel the same way about the league. Ivy Worgull, who played for the Cleveland Browns squad, was introduced to football by her father, Frank Worgull.
“ I knew what football was and never had a chance to play it,” Ivy Worgull said.“ Now having a chance to play it is really good. I like seeing other girls playing in this sport because it shows that we can play a boy-dominated sport as well.”
Reece Thompson, who played for the Washington Redskins team, returned to the sport after previously playing it when she was younger.
“ I played this sport and we were undefeated, except for once when we tied,” Thompson said.“ I just wanted to try that again. My brother, Roark, played football before and that’ s how I was introduced. I just really like football now.”
From the players to the coaches, the league has been a welcome addition to Southern Indiana.
“ The main thing is you can teach these kids is to put in hard work, believe in each other and themselves,” said 39-year-old Nick Byrd, who coached a seventh- and eighth-grade team in the league.“ That’ s my reward that I get from it, being able to see them understand the little concepts and being able to put it into play the next game. I just appreciate what they do for the kids. They get to come out here and have fun. We needed flag football around here. It’ s something that has been needed as I know a lot of the kids, when I was coaching tackle, they really wanted to play flag football and they never had another option.”
JULY / AUG 2026 NEWS AND TRIBUNE SPORTS MAGAZINE PAGE NO. 9