Flag football state championships set for Saturday

The North Carolina Flag Football State Championship will take place on Saturday, Nov. 22, at Durham County Memorial Stadium.

Four teams will compete for the title after advancing through the first four rounds of the state playoffs. Two semifinals will start the day at 11 a.m. and 12 p.m., then a third-place game will take place at 1:15 p.m., followed by the championship at 2:30 p.m.

Here’s the schedule:

Tickets to the state championship are available on GoFan for $10. A clear bag policy will be in effect for the games. All fans must sit on the home side.

All games will be live-streamed for free on the NAS Athletic Zone YouTube Page.

Photos will be available for purchase after the games conclude. You can sign up to get email alerts when photos are available:

This is the second season that a state championship has been held. The sport is not yet sanctioned by the N.C. High School Athletic Association, though.

Ashley High School will look to defend its state title from last year. Wakefield also returns to the state championships after a third-place finish last season. This marks the first appearance for both Cardinal Gibbons and Cuthbertson.

Why Flag Football Matters

Flag football is one of the fastest-growing sports in the country. Last year, 20 states held official state championships, with nearly 70,000 girls participating in the sport in those states. 

Many other states, including North Carolina, have pilot programs running. Earlier this year, the NCHSAA Board of Directors voted to appoint a committee to explore the possibility of sanctioning flag football as an official sport. That committee will deliver a report to the board at its December meeting.

Colleges and universities are beginning to offer flag football as a sport, including members of the Conference Carolinas. Flag football will also be an Olympic sport at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.

In July, the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) released its first-ever set of rules for flag football. The NFHS is the national governing body for high school sports that is charged with writing consistent rules for sanctioned sports. Flag football is the 18th sport for which the NFHS has written official playing rules. It’s the first time the NFHS has written rules for a new sport since girls lacrosse in 2016 and boys lacrosse in 2000.

Look Back to Last Season

Ashley High School from Wilmington won the first-ever flag football state championship in December 2024. 

The Screaming Eagles defeated Apex 13-7 in the championship game to claim the title. Ashley erased a 7-6 halftime deficit with a touchdown in the second half.

Sawyer Rigdon completed a deep pass for a touchdown to Elin Bentley in the first half, cutting a 7-0 Apex lead to just one point. Ashley trailed 7-6 at halftime.

The game-winning score was a short run by Rigdon, who then completed a pass to Addison Foland for the extra point. Rigdon was named the Most Valuable Player of the state championship game, while Mia Agrillo of Ashley was named the Defensive Most Outstanding Player.

Apex’s Lindsey McKinney was named the Offensive Most Outstanding Player.

State Championship: Ashley 13, Apex 7

Third Place: Wakefield 19, Apex Friendship 2

Semifinals: Ashley 41, Wakefield 13; Apex 14, Apex Friendship 7