Ravenwood coach Will Hester saw sophomore linebacker Maisie Fowler following him with a bucket of water and he spoke.
Hester was on page to celebrate Ravenwood’s 42-0 win over Page in the inaugural Williamson County Girls Flag Football League championship game on Saturday, but he wanted to dry it out.
Fowler missed for most past, only to get one of Hester’s shoes wet, and minutes later Hester was holding the championship trophy at Nissan Stadium before passing it to his players.
Each player and coach’s culmination moment in the hopes of Hester and the nine-team league paves the way for girls’ flag football to become the next TSSAA-sanctioned sport.
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“Any county that eventually wants to play this game, I just want to tell them to go for it,” said Ravenwood senior quarterback and Cincinnati signer Sarah Kate Rath. “There are girls here who have never played a game before and started in our first game. Everyone learns and it’s a lot of fun.
“It’s really an experience to be able to do that and play here at Nissan Stadium. They should take advantage of it because not many places get an opportunity like this.”
With the NFL looking to expand the game, Williamson County Tennessee had a pilot program for it. The Tennessee Titans supported the new league with the hope that it would grow and develop into a state-sanctioned sport in Alabama and Georgia.
A four-week season consisting of nine regular-season games ended on Saturday at Nissan Stadium with each player walking the field and seeing themselves on a video board at some point during the day.
In a league that rarely saw blowouts throughout the regular season, the trend continued throughout the tournament, with five out of eight games tied for 10 points or less.
“I said it from the beginning when they brought it to us that it would one day be approved,” said Page’s coach Charles Rathbone. “It’s too much, it’s rejuvenating, it’s exciting and the girls love it. I think Rutherford County and Metro Nashville want to get involved and I don’t blame them.
“It’s basketball on the field and it’s a lot of fun. I think it needs to accelerate because it will start.”
Eli Brown, Ravenwood’s senior safety and Tennessee soccer sign, was only able to play one season, but said it would have a lasting effect on him.
Most importantly, she wants to see flag football grow not just in Williamson County, but across the state.
“I think a lot of the girls in our school saw flag football and didn’t really know much about it, so they didn’t come out,” Brown said. “Now that they’ve seen us win it all and know what it is, I think there will be a ton that will come out. I want the game to grow and I think it will.”
“I know I’ll be back to watch the game.”
Reach Joe Spears at [email protected] or 731-343-4923. Follow her on Instagram and Twitter @joe_spears
