Check Out This Great Article from the Miami Herald
By Justin Azpiazu, March 24, 2010
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Miami Herald 3/16/10
Justin Azpiazu
Flag football is rapidly becoming one of the fastest growing girls' high school sports across the country.
In Broward County, the sport has evolved from recreational leagues to middle and high school programs. And the teams feature talented players who are out to prove that football is not just a sport for boys.
"Flag football has become real popular,'' Stranahan coach Bennett Wyche said. "We've been taking some girls away from the track programs.''
Since the Florida High School Athletic Association first recognized flag football as a varsity sport in 2003, Broward County has been a dominant force.
The county has produced two state champions (Fort Lauderdale in 2003 and Miramar in 2006) and two state runners-up (Fort Lauderdale in 2004 and Dillard in 2007).
GROWING POPULARITY
This season, Stranahan, which was a semifinalist last season, has a chance to make a run at a state title and continue Broward's winning ways.
"We had 30 girls when I started at Stranahan,'' he said. "It's just kept going up. We had 72 girls try out this season.''
Since starting as a middle school coach at Lauderdale Lakes, Wyche has seen more and more athletes gravitate towards football.
The sport has become so popular that nearly every middle and high school in Broward, has started a program. Flag football has even made a jump to the college level with intermural leagues and several club teams.
"Broward will have a team in the state tournament because there is so much talent,'' Wyche added.
The Broward County Athletic Association has been a key promoter of flag football, sponsoring a preseason jamboree at the Miami Dolphins' training facility in Davie and the BCAA flag football all-star game.
The Dragons, though, still have a long way to go before the playoffs start and will face stiff competition from rivals Pines Charter, Plantation, Pompano Beach, Western and Ely. SLOW START FOR DADE
Miami-Dade County has been slow to embrace flag football with only five private schools -- Monsignor Pace, Mater Academy, Hebrew Academy, Mater East and Barrington Christian -- with varsity teams.
No public school in Dade County has had a softball program in the state series because the Greater Miami Athletic Conference does not recognize it as a varsity sport.
The few Dade schools that have a team took the initiative to start a program on their own.
At Mater Academy, the sport grew out of several girls desire to play football. Four years ago senior linebacker Janelly Santi and a few spirited teammates petitioned school administrators to create a team.
"She's basically the heart and soul of team,'' Mater Academy coach Jafe Stewart said of Santi.
At Pace, flag football was started by Stewart's sister. Guidance counselor Adri Stewart fielded a team four seasons ago with hopes the sport would spark interest among girls there.
"The program's second year it started to attract athletes from other sports, and last year it really took off,'' Pace coach John Rodriguez said. "It's a very popular team sport.''