AYER — While softballs took flight, and a few baseballs traveled over the fence at Pirone Park down the street, there was a different type of ball — not usually synonymous with spring — that intercepted the airspace near Ayer-Shirley Regional High School Friday afternoon.
Footballs.
For a third straight spring, girls’ flag football is being played in Massachusetts.
Girls from six high schools from Central Mass. joined together for a jamboree to kick off another pigskin season — one featuring flag pulling instead of tackling — for a sport that continues to rise in popularity across the state and country.
“This is the fastest growing sport in the world,” Ayer-Shirley coach John “CJ” Lemieux said. “A lot of people still think: ‘Girls’ flag football, well, what’s that?’ But when you see something like this come together … it’s exciting, and it’s something that’s like no other.
“And the amount of girls that want to continue to want to play each and every day … I say keep coming out (and join us).”
Forging a new path with flag football
A day before participating in the flag football jamboree, Jaliany Santiago shared some exciting news on social media.
The Leominster High senior, who was one of the first girls to start playing flag football in the state when she was 6, announced her commitment Thursday to play the sport at Lindsey Wilson College in Columbia, Kentucky.
“This sport is my everything,” Santiago, 17, said. “I never thought it would get this far, but I hoped it would, but I’m really excited to get the opportunity to play in college and be one of the first players from my league and from my area to play college flag football.”
On Friday, Santiago started at quarterback for the top Leominster flag football team (they have two), while one of her younger sisters played for the other squad, and the other served as a ball girl for Santiago’s team.
Santiago has leaned into being a trailblazer, of sorts, for girls’ flag football in Central Mass.
“It feels really good to see how the sport has grown,” Santiago said. “Seeing that so many other schools and girls want the opportunity to play flag at the college level and actually have interest in the sport makes me really happy because usually people wouldn’t take flag seriously.
“But now it’s paved the way for other girls to get scholarships for their futures. So it’s really nice to see all these new teams coming.”
After starting with just eight teams three years ago, the Patriots Girls Flag Football League now has 56 squads from across the state playing five-on-five (some other states play seven-on-seven) flag football in the spring.
The five-on-five format is the one they’ll use when flag football makes its debut at the Summer Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028.
“I’m glad that they started it three years ago, and I’m glad it’s so big, the game of flag football is just getting so popular,” Groton-Dunstable coach Jordan Porter said. “I think it’s awesome that the (New England) Patriots have put their hand in it and invited us to Gillette (Stadium) for championship games.”
With roughly two games per week for teams involved in the club sport (that some people hope will become sanctioned by the MIAA one day), there are two 20-minute halves, each running time, and play is conducted on a shortened field — 70 yards long, including the end zones, and 25 yards wide.
As for the equipment, it’s not as cumbersome as tackle football. There are belts with two flags, pocketless shorts to help limit injuries and penalties, mouthguards, cleats or turf shoes, and while gloves are not required, they are encouraged.
“It’s just great for the kids. It’s just another opportunity for them to do something,” said Ayer-Shirley athletic director Steve Kendall, who mentioned the Patriots provide uniforms and equipment along with the opportunity to compete at Gillette. “To help bring another sport for girls to play, especially a sport like football, which traditionally girls don’t have the opportunity to play, it’s been great and very empowering.”
Welcome to the flag football family
As Reese Haefner and Alexa Jenkins left the field Friday, the Ayer-Shirley flag football players shared some cake with their coach, Lemieux, who celebrated his 51st birthday.
“This is the best part of my day,” Haefner said. “Strawberry shortcake. It’s a really big hunk, and I’m happy. Thank God it’s CJ’s birthday.”
Defensive and offensive MVPs, respectively, for the Ayer-Shirley co-op flag football team last season, Haefner and Jenkins had a hectic schedule Friday.
After getting to school around 8 a.m. and having track and field practice from 3-4:30 p.m., the pair of Lunenburg High seniors then traveled to Ayer to participate in the flag football jamboree — which featured teams from Ayer-Shirley, Fitchburg, Groton-Dunstable, Nashoba Tech, Leominster and Wachusett.
Since flag football is currently a club sport, local high school athletes like Haefner and Jenkins can participate in MIAA sports while also suiting up for flag.
“It was a lot of working out today, but it was all fine, and we did well,” said Jenkins, a standout wide receiver who scored a touchdown on her team’s first offensive play Friday. “It’s so amazing to see how much this sport has grown from being all guys to all girls.”
While all six teams gathered for a group huddle at the 50-yard line following the three-hour jamboree, Lemieux delivered a speech from the center of the circle.
The Ayer-Shirley coach then wrapped up his pep talk with a simple message: Welcome to the family.
“You’re part of a family. You get this sense of togetherness, and every player that came in tonight, this is such a unique sport and an opportunity for girls,” Lemieux said. “It was a celebration of everyone coming together and doing what they want to do because not everybody gets to play this great sport.”
And the sport of girls’ flag football continues to grow in popularity across Massachusetts.
Friday’s jamboree was just a sign of what’s to come.
—Contact Tommy Cassell at [email protected]. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @tommycassell44.
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