Olathe North competed in Kansas’ first KSHSAA-sanctioned girls flag football season this fall. The Eagles are among roughly 50 Kansas high school squads competing in the sport's inaugural season after the Kansas State High School Activities Association (KSHSAA) sanctioned it in April.
Head coach Rilee Irby led the Eagles' first squad, according to The Chronicle, Olathe North's student newspaper. The program launched from scratch, with players learning plays, building chemistry and establishing team traditions during the 2026 season.
The Eagles faced steep competition in their first year. Lawrence Free State beat Olathe North 50-0 during a three-game winning streak that earned Free State head coach Adam Barmann the Kansas City Chiefs' Week 4 Coach of the Week honor, the Chiefs reported on Sept. 30.
Olathe North’s final record could not be independently confirmed.
A landmark year statewide
KSHSAA's Board of Directors voted 61-1 on April 23 to add girls flag football as an official sanctioned activity for the 2026-27 school year, according to a KSHSAA press release. Kansas became the 18th state to sanction the sport. The Greater Wichita Athletic League submitted the proposal, and board members Sara Richardson and Chris Asmussen brought it forward.
The sport had been offered at the club level since 2021. Twenty-eight Kansas high schools piloted programs last year, averaging 24 athletes per roster, according to KSHSAA. By September, the sport had grown to more than 50 teams statewide, KCTV5 reported.
"It just gives girls another opportunity to showcase what they're capable of," Olathe East head coach Blake Iles told the Johnson County Post in August. Iles was entering his second year coaching the sport.
The Kansas City Chiefs played a prominent role in pushing for sanctioning, running a "Let Her Play" campaign and online petition that collected more than 11,000 signatures, the Johnson County Post reported.
Olathe East made a deeper run
Closer to home, Olathe East posted a 10-2 record and won its region in the East bracket, earning a No. 8 spot in the USA TODAY Sports Kansas Super 10 rankings for Week 6. Lenexa's St. James Academy was 9-1 and ranked No. 5 in the state. Both teams also won their regionals.
Quarterfinals were set for Tuesday, Oct. 13, with semifinals and finals scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 17, according to USA TODAY.
Flag football will make its Olympic debut at the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles, a development the Johnson County Post noted could further fuel high school interest across Kansas.
