Brandon Rios will look out at the inaugural Fox Chapel girls flag football team and see a bunch of athletes from a variety of backgrounds. Not many of them will be seasoned football players.
That’s OK. Rios, who was hired to coach the first team in school history, wants them to love the sport like he does.
“I’m most excited about giving them the opportunity to play,” said Rios, who is a 1996 Shaler graduate. “I love the sport. I told them that they’ve already agreed to take the hardest step. It’s new, they are nervous, but they are trying to do something. It’s easy once you get to high school to be set in your ways.”
Rios said Fox Chapel will have 28 athletes out for the team, which is enough to field a varsity and junior varsity team. When the team was announced, Rios said more than 30 girls turned out for a meeting to learn more about the sport.
“The turnout has been great,” Rios said.
The Foxes were scheduled to open Section 1 play March 16 on the road against Seneca Valley.
This will be the first WPIAL-sanctioned flag football season. In the previous few years, the Steelers helped run the flag football league locally.
There has been a major push by the NFL to get kids involved in flag football. The sport will be one of the test sports in the 2028 Los Angeles Summer Olympics. The Big 33 All-Star game also started hosting a flag football game in 2024 as part of its event.
“The start of the 2026 Girls Flag Football season — the first as a state-sanctioned sport — is a testament to the partnerships forged across Pennsylvania and the passion of the girls who play the game,” said Dan Rooney, vice president of strategy for the Steelers, in a news release. “As the sport continues to take hold regionally and beyond, building momentum toward 2028 when flag football will make its Olympic debut, the Steelers are proud to continue to support these young athletes.”
The WPIAL split all of the schools up into four large sections. Fox Chapel will be one of 15 teams in its section. The Foxes will have to contend with traditional rivals such as Shaler, North Hills, North Allegheny, Pine-Richland and Hampton, but also will play the Ellis School, Neighborhood Academy and Nazareth Prep.
Rios said he is working on getting up to speed with all the nuances of the sport. The rulebook has undergone several changes as the game has developed.
“There’s a lot of stuff out there,” Rios said. “I know there is a national rulebook, which is what they were pointing us to in the fall. I started getting ready and watched some videos. I’m trying to stay involved and make sure I’m up to date. My staff helps a lot.”