Pearl Cone junior quarterback Madison Woodard hopes to finish the flag football season in the last week of May in Murfreesboro during the Spring Fling.
“Teammates, we've all talked about it,” Woodard said. “That would be the highlight of the season because we all love playing flag and winning the state championship would be the high point.”
Woodard threw two touchdown passes as Pearl Cone won its second Metro Nashville flag football title in an 11-0 win over Overton on Saturday at Pearl Cone High School. They ended the year with a 2-2 victory. But that's the end of the season. For the state title game to be established, the sport must no longer be considered a championship sport by the TSSAA, following the high school governing body's Legislative Council's approval of flag football on April 9. One hurdle needs to be overcome.
Flag football was approved as an “emerging sport.” That means it will be treated like any other TSSAA-sanctioned sport, except that no state championships will be held until school districts throughout the state, not just Middle Tennessee, play the sport. An emerging sport is defined as one in which more than 15% of TSSAA member schools participate in the sport or have committed to participate after accreditation.
Williamson County became the first organization to lead a pilot flag football program in 2022 with nine participating schools. Ravenwood won its third consecutive flag football title last week. Metro Nashville and Montgomery counties began a pilot program last year as Hillsboro won its first metro title and West Creek won at Clarksville in 2023.
Next year, the TSSAA will offer postseason invitations in the spring, but districts starting flag football for the first time will not be required to play in the spring. Hamilton and Knox counties are scheduled to begin next school year, with Hamilton County scheduled for the fall semester (October to December). However, once the Board of Control approves a state championship, flag football must be played in the same season as the championship.
The addition of Hamilton and Knox counties will bring the number of participating schools in Tennessee to more than 70, with Rutherford County scheduled to begin competition in 2025.
“As far as the sports calendar, we said districts can choose when they want to play it, but they cannot play more than 16 regular season contests in 10 weeks,” said TSSAA Deputy Executive Director . Emily Crowell said. “Right now, most districts are still looking at spring, but it feels like it will be spring when we win a state championship.”
Crowell said the TSSAA will survey its member schools this spring to gauge increased interest in the effort to develop a postseason invitational schedule. There is no specific number of schools needed to reach the championship level, but there needs to be “an appropriate amount of geographic growth across the state,” Crowell said.
“Based on our discussions with other districts, I think we'll see more than double the growth within a year,” Williamson County District Athletic Director Darin Joynes said. “I think it will be a state championship sport within two years.”
It was Franklin High School that submitted a formal proposal to the TSSAA Legislative Council to authorize flag football. The vote was unanimous, making Tennessee the 10th state in the nation to impose sanctions. Colorado became the 11th state on April 23rd.
Mark North, Athletic Director for Metro Nashville Schools, said, “For anyone who is considering or wondering whether to start playing flag football, the answer is in the affirmative, without question, without reservation. “Yes,” he said.
Sports writer George Robinson can be reached at georgerobinsontheleafchronicle.com and on the X Platform (formerly Twitter) @Cville_Sports.
