Washington high school girls flag football championships: Meet the 8 teams going for gold

Lincoln of Tacoma is top seed in South Region while Inglemoor is No. 1 seed from North

Mackenzie Walker and Lincoln of Tacoma are the No. 1 seeds from the South Region for the Washington high school girls flag football championships. / Photo by Casey Madison/Tacoma Public Schools communications

Run ... catch ... and grab the flag!

If you love crazy-good action, check out the quickest-rising sport in high school athletics - girls flag football, which is aggressively being backed by the NFL.

The state of Washington is still in a club phase as it holds its eight-team state championships Saturday at Mount Tahoma, but it very well could pass by vote this spring into being a WIAA sanctioned sport as soon as next season.

This winter, 83 schools or co-op programs competed in the sport in six leagues in western Washington - the 4A KingCo, 4A SPSL, 4A NPSL, 3A PSL, 3A Metro League and 3A/2A/1A Northwest.

Games begin at 10 a.m. Saturday - with the state championship game set for 2:30 p.m.

Here are the eight teams playing in the tournament, ranked in order as tournament favorite to contender:

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1. LINCOLN OF TACOMA ABES

Coach: Shalls Jacome

Season record: 18-2 (won 3A PSL regular season, was runner-up in league tournament and won South Region tournament.

Players to watch: WR Silla Lefeau, soph.; QB Rita Pryymak, sr.; WR Lilo Time, jr.; RB Mackenzie Walker, sr.

Outlook: One of the founding-mother programs in Washington, the Abes won the state title in 2023 before missing the playoffs a year ago after graduating 17 seniors. With national-level skill-position playmakers all over the field - many with a rugby-playing background - no team plays more aggressively and physical on both sides than the Abes, who had nearly 90 players turn out for the sport this winter.

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2. MOUNT SI WILDCATS

Coach: Sean Hyland

Season record: 18-4 (finished second in 4A KingCo Crest regular season, won the league tournament and placed third at North Region tournament.

Players to watch: QB Maya Engel, sr.; LB Sienna Nelson, sr.; RB/FS Audrey Orzech, soph.; S Abba Rowland, sr.

Outlook: The only returning team from last year's state tournament (placed third), many felt the Wildcats were the best team in the state in 2024. With only five returning starters, the Wildcats had to retool their lineup in support of Engel, a third-year starter who has one of the strongest throwing arms in Washington. Wide receivers Hadley Sams and Taylor Showalter are her primary targets. Team is 48-7 over past three seasons.

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3. INGLEMOOR VIKINGS

Co-coaches: David Wood and Christian Hanna

Season record: 14-3 (finished tied for first in 4A KingCo Crown regular season, placed fourth in league tournament and won North Region tournament.

Players to watch: RB Kristina Alyakin, jr.; QB/CB Carys Frank, jr.; RB/LB Sammy Snorski, sr.

Outlook: Talk about a team coming in on a hot streak - the Vikings took down Metro tournament winner Blanchet, 4A KingCo tournament champion Mount Si and divisional rival Woodinville to win the North Region championship. Needless to say, this is a club of hard workers who are learning how to win big games, paced by a couple of quick-twitch playmakers out of the backfield in Alyakin and Frank, who comes from a family of football players.

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4. LINCOLN OF SEATTLE LYNX

Coach: Don Biszek

Season record: 12-2 (won 3A Metro regular season, was runner-up in league tournament and placed fourth in North Region tournament.

Players to watch: OL/S Nico Lettunich, jr.; QB Lucia da Silva, soph.; WR/S Sylvie Vermilya, sr.

Outlook: The Metro's lone survivor is bit of a wild card - not by talent but because its league plays by a different set of rules (Underdog Sports) while the rest of the state abides by the NFL-backed rule book). Needless to say, Lincoln will be adjusting on the fly Saturday. Good news - the Lynx will have the talented da Silva back at quarterback. She has missed chunks of the season due to Seattle Reign Academy soccer commitments.

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5. CAPITAL COUGARS

Coach: Tristan Redman

Season record: 16-2 (finished second in 3A PSL regular season, won league tournament and placed second in South Region tournament.

Players to watch: QB Carli Cockrell, sr.; WR/LB Pippin Crump, soph.; WR/Rusher Harper Plughoff, sr.

Outlook: If you like rooting for a scary darkhorse, this might be the pick. The Cougars are not only the lone first-year program in the field Saturday - they have just 15 girls in tow. A former Capital quarterback, Redman, 23, has vast flag-football experience from college, and has the Cougars playing fast and disciplined in their spread offense, led by the mobile Cockrell, a soccer player who is an accurate passer and a heady decision-maker.

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6. WOODINVILLE FALCONS

Coach: Katie Schramm

Season record: 13-4 (finished tiied for first in 4A KingCo Crown regular season, was third in league tournament and placed second in North Region tournament.

Players to watch: RB Kai Brinkley, soph.; LB Emma Flaherty, sr.; QB Reece Pointek, sr.; WR Lauren Tanner, sr.

Outlook: The Falcons were the No. 1 seeds from the KingCo Crown division, edging out Inglemoor - but lost to the Vikings in the regional finals. Team has a couple of softball players leading its offensive backfield in Pointek, a two-year starter at quarterback, and Brinkley, who is Woodinville's explosive big-chunk playmaker at running back. Falcons playing their best ball now under Schramm, the only woman coaching in the tournament,

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7. STADIUM TIGERS

Coach: Bob Fenton

Season record: 14-2-1 (finished second in 4A NPSL regular season, won the league tournament and placed fourth in South Region tournament.

Players to watch: RB Gabby Booker, jr.; S Mariah Jackson, jr.; WR/S Tyler Roberts, jr.

Outlook: If you like old-fashioned football teams that run the football and play stout defense - this is your program. Stadium had the top defense in the 4A NPSL, led by its trio of safeties in Jackson, Roberts and Leah Kalal, who combinedfor 36 interception this winter. And Booker, a transplant from Tennessee, is an intimidating, physical runner out of backfield. Team only has two seniors.

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8. AUBURN TROJANS

Coach: Adrian Hayes

Season record: 13-5-1 (finished fourth in 4A NPSL regular season, was runner-up in league tournament and placed third in South Region tournament.

Players to watch: WR/CB Brynn Casperson, sr.; QB Fele “Fae” Mulivai Gasetoto, jr.; DL/LB Balina Haes, sr.

Outlook: Another participant from the black-and-blue 4A NPSL, offense will rely on Mulivai Gasetoto's mobility and accurate passing on offense, and a great pass-rushing scheme, led by Haes, on defense. Trojans started season 5-0, have had their ups and downs, but have played better in the postseason, including reaching state tournament for first time.

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