The Ohio High School Athletic Association announced on May 13 that eight high schools have qualified for the inaugural Girls Flag Football State Tournament, which will take place this Saturday at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton.
This event marks a significant milestone as it is the first time the association is hosting a state tournament for girls flag football. The top four teams from each of two regional tournaments—hosted by the Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals—earned spots in the championship event. Hamilton Badin won the Bengals regional, while Madison secured victory at the Browns regional.
Quarterfinal matchups are set to begin at noon across four playing fields inside the stadium. Semifinals will follow at 1 p.m., with the championship game scheduled for 2:30 p.m. Spectrum will provide live coverage of all seven games, including televising the state championship on Spectrum News 1 and streaming every contest online.
According to Doug Ute, Executive Director of OHSAA, “Following the conclusion of the regional tournaments hosted by the Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals, eight schools have punched their ticket to the Inaugural OHSAA Girls Flag Football State Tournament this Saturday inside Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton.” The quarterfinals feature Madison versus Cincinnati Mount Notre Dame; Grafton Midview against Cincinnati Princeton; Burton Berkshire versus Cincinnati St. Ursula; and Macedonia Nordonia against Hamilton Badin.
There are currently 162 high schools in Ohio sponsoring girls flag football. The Browns, Bengals, Pro Football Hall of Fame and OHSAA collaborated to organize this new state-level competition. The Ohio High School Athletic Association conducts championship tournaments in 24 sports to celebrate excellence and promote school pride, according to the official website. It also promotes sportsmanship and character development through athletics while supporting member schools and providing scholarships for student-athletes each year.
Looking ahead, organizers say they hope this tournament will further enhance opportunities for female athletes across Ohio high schools.
