Girls flag football is off and running: Bethel youth seize state's newest high school sport
May 20—If there's one thing that Haywood County loves, it's football. And there could soon be even more of it. The North Carolina High School Athletic Association recently voted to sanction girls' flag football as an official high school sport.
Currently, neither Pisgah nor Tuscola has a flag football team. But girls' flag football has taken root in Haywood County through the Bethel Youth ...
May 20—If there's one thing that Haywood County loves, it's football. And there could soon be even more of it. The North Carolina High School Athletic Association recently voted to sanction girls' flag football as an official high school sport.
Currently, neither Pisgah nor Tuscola has a flag football team. But girls' flag football has taken root in Haywood County through the Bethel Youth Football league. Bethel Youth Football just wrapped up its spring season of flag football.
In addition to its normal offerings of boys' flag football teams, the youth sports organization offered three different age groups for girls for the first time. "It's actually been really exciting just because we're the first Bethel team for the girls," said Brianna Rathbone, who played for the Bethel midget team. While there aren't any local high school teams yet, there is plenty of interest at the youth level.