Jakob Nolde is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Verrado High School for AZPreps365.com

The growth of flag football in the desert continues to shine as more and more schools continue to not only pull down flags but also pull down social barriers. One of those schools includes Verrado, as its program grows faster than anyone expected.

Verrado first started its flag football program in the spring of 2023. As most schools faced, there was an instant problem of filling up the team's rosters as they struggled to get girls to join the sport. Fortunately, Verrado was able not only to generate enough players for a roster but to also find a great fit as head coach in Terry Barnes.

Barnes had been the school's security guard before being presented with the opportunity to coach this team and these girls, and it was an offer he did not want to pass on as he is now in his third season with the team.

“I’ve coached girls for a lot of years,” Barnes said. “It’s rewarding to watch the girls.”

The sport not only benefits these girls physically by having summer workouts and staying active but also by becoming more mentally healthy. The Verrado flag football team has a combined average GPA of 3.9 as Barnes discussed his team's mental toughness emphasizing the idea of performing well on and off the field.

Barnes went from handing flyers out to any girls interested in joining the team in 2023 to having 43 girls try out this year and seeing an increasing amount of girls interested each year.

The program continues to grow at an extraordinary rate as Barnes also highlighted the school's plans to integrate a full junior varsity season next year due to the rise in player count as well as an extended amount of different schools following the same path, ultimately putting the sport towards the top of popularity. 

One of Verrados top athletes, USA flag football star Simone Pfitzer, is one of the seniors of this flag football team and is nothing short of a leader.   

Pfitzer has been with the program all three years as she begins her final season as a Viper and looking to make the most of it this year with her squad. She is also just coming off a hamstring injury which proved devastating to not only herself but also her team as her role on the team is irreplaceable.

Working with USA flag football has allowed Pfitzer to have the opportunity to see the game grow with her own two eyes. She was able to work out with the program this past summer and meet with girls like herself all around the country and work with the best of the best detailing it as an “amazing experience.”

Not only does Pfitzer focus on the team she has now, but also focuses on the sport as a whole for future high schoolers at Verrado and changing the identity of women's sports as a whole.

“Girls can do football as well,” Pfitzer said. “It's growing tremendously and giving girls the opportunity who don’t have a sport.”

Pfitzer also touched on the overall growth of the sport not only at Verrado but throughout the entire country and compared it to when she started flag football at a young age and working up to where she is now at Verrado and hoping to continue at a higher level after she graduates. 

As for someone who is just now beginning her journey in flag football in Sanaa Holliday, she is fully expecting the sport to be completely revolutionized by the time she graduates.

Holliday discussed the sport and how she joined it coming out of middle school as very impactful as she was able to meet all kinds of new people at a new school and to be able to have someone to support her both in classes and on the field.

Playing football is something Holliday wanted to do growing up as she lived in a football home with her brothers and with the opportunity to play football being presented to her at Verrado, it was an opportunity she did not want to miss.

“I can do it too,” Holliday stated.

The continued growth of the sport at Verrado is just a small piece of the huge puzzle here in America as flag football continues to shine not only at the high school level but with also the addition of the sport in the 2028 Olympics as well as the college level.  

As Verrado flag football looks to expand to junior varsity team next season as well as many other schools throughout the state, flag football is set to become one of the top high school sports throughout the next few years in the country and ultimately one day at the top of the professional sports world and giving girls around the country a new sporting opportunity.