By admin 
The 2026 flag football season has arrived, and the sport continues to grow — both in participation and popularity — at a rapid pace.
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California is in its fourth year with officially sanctioned girls flag football as a varsity sport, and it remains the fastest-growing sport in the state. According to the most recent CIF participation census from the prep sports governing office, girls flag football saw a major increase in participation for the third straight year: up 25.4% increase from last year.
With nearly 25,000 student-athletes, flag football expects to add to those numbers this fall.
While states such as Florida have been playing sanctioned flag football since 2003, several more are catching on as the sport’s impact influences the youth levels throughout the country. Flag football is growing at the collegiate level as well, with several Division I programs in the early stages of implementation. It will be an Olympic sport in Los Angeles in 2028.
Several local players are catching recruiting interest to play at the next level, hoping to follow in the footsteps of 2025 Sacramento Bee Player of the Year Daisy Throckmorton, who led McClatchy to a Division I CIF Sac-Joaquin Section championship last year and is now awaiting playing time at Cal Poly.
McClatchy, West Park in national MaxPreps event
MaxPreps recently rolled out its inaugural national preseason Top 25 rankings with McClatchy of the Sacramento City Unified School District in the fold at No. 15. McClatchy and reigning Bee Coach of the Year John Avery will compete in the inaugural “MaxPreps Flag Football Showdown” Sept. 11-12 in San Diego, which is intended to become the premier annual tournament for the game’s elite at the high school level.
Fellow section contenders West Park of Roseville and Merced will also compete in the MaxPreps tourney.
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What’s new for 2026?
The CIF Sac-Joaquin Section will this fall expand its playoff format from four divisions to five, allowing more teams at the smaller-school levels to compete for a championship.
Last season, McClatchy downed West Park of Roseville in a classic to claim its first blue banner at the large-school, Division I level. Merced took down defending D-II champion Ponderosa of Shingle Springs, 33-6. Christian Brothers defeated Del Campo of Fair Oaks, the defending D-III champions, to win the program’s second section crown in three seasons. Colfax of Placer County, with retiring head coach Tony Martello, fell to Hilmar in overtime in Division IV.
McClatchy, ranked No. 1 by The Bee at the outset of this season, brings back rusher and wide receiver Savanna Hill, who owns 161 career sacks entering her senior year. She also combined with rising sophomore London Lee for more than 4,300 receiving yards and 70 offensive touchdowns.
West Park, which is Bee-ranked second, brings back veteran quarterback Emily Cory, who will have a plethora of weapons at her disposal, including receivers Annalyse Braden, Liv Miller and Kelly Lane.
Christian Brothers has one of the most dynamic QBs in the section in junior Taylor Jernigan, who compiled 6,330 yards and 84 touchdowns passing with an extra 1,333 yards and 14 scores rushing. Gabriella Devlin also returns as one of the top two-way players in the area.
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The Bee’s flag football Top 20
(2025 record in parentheses)
1. McClatchy (24-5)
2. West Park (21-5)
3. Christian Brothers (19-9)
4. Del Campo (16-6)
5. Oak Ridge (16-5)
6. Ponderosa (18-7)
7. Granite Bay (13-4)
8. Del Oro (10-9)
9. Vacaville (20-4)
10. Colfax (19-3)
11. Whitney (16-7)
12. Antelope (21-7)
13. Woodcreek (13-5)
14. St. Francis (19-8)
15. Vista del Lago (17-7)
16. Dixon (20-1)
17. Rocklin (12-13)
18. Twelve Bridges (15-6)
19. Liberty Ranch (22-3)
20. Pleasant Grove (19-4)