Latrobe is often recognized as the birthplace of professional football.
Mackenzie Livingston would love for it to be known as the motherland of girls high school flag football, too.
The new WPIAL sport has caught on fast at Latrobe, whose team has the look of a title contender with a quick-strike brand of play, multiple scoring threats and a propensity for having a good time.
“I think it would be incredible,” said Livingston, Latrobe’s flag coach. “The players, family members and community definitely bring the atmosphere for this to be possible.”
After a few years of club-level competition, flag football is a PIAA-sanctioned sport for the first time. The WPIAL opened with 56 teams aligned across four sections.
The sport is officially part of the WPIAL and PIAA spring sports season.
“The sport is taking off,” Livingston said. “There are more teams playing than last year and more girls on each team. I have had contact with many college coaches who are recruiting and growing it in that area as well.”
Seven teams hail from Westmoreland County: Latrobe, Kiski Area, Belle Vernon, Monessen, Greensburg Central Catholic, Greensburg Salem and Jeannette.
“The sport is taking off because it is something new, and it gives girls another opportunity to have success in sports,” Kiski Area coach Jason Clouser said. “The girls at Kiski love the annual powderpuff game between juniors and seniors and wanted the opportunity to play competitively. The sport is taking off at the high school level, and colleges are offering scholarship opportunities.”
Belle Vernon athletic director Matt Humbert is on the three-person WPIAL flag football steering committee along with athletic directors Lance Maha (West Mifflin) and Korie Morton-Rozier (Oakland Catholic).
“Going into the season, there was some uncertainty since many of the rules and details came together late,” Humbert said. “That created a little apprehension about how everything would play out. However, both the teams and officials have adjusted very well. I think the sport is easy to gravitate toward because it provides an opportunity for athletes who may not participate in a traditional spring sport. It’s also simply fun, and that’s a big reason why so many girls are drawn to it.”
Humbert said there are closer to 50 teams now because some dropped out. But he noted an interesting trend.
“Some smaller-classification schools actually have larger rosters than bigger schools,” Humbert said. “A big factor in that is how well athletic departments and coaches promote the sport and encourage participation.”
‘Exciting and fun’
Latrobe (6-1) is one of the highest-scoring teams in the WPIAL so far. The Wildcats scored 79 points against McKeesport.
Livingston not only coaches the Wildcats, but she is also the head coach of the new Saint Vincent College women’s flag team.
She also is the head girls basketball coach at Latrobe and somehow finds time to play in adult flag and basketball leagues.
Coaches agree that it is the energy and excitement that sets the sport apart. Flag football moves at a fast pace, with quick passes on short fields — think 7-on-7 football on the boys side but with flag-pulling instead of two-hand tag.
“We have 35 girls on the team, which makes us one of the largest varsity sports at Kiski,” Clouser said. “The girls at Kiski came out for the team because football is exciting and fun. They wanted a team over a year ago and were eager to get things started. We have multi-sport athletes on our team from basketball players, soccer players, volleyball players, cheerleaders, to players who are currently participating in both track & field and football and softball and football.”
Kiski Area has practices later in the day to work around other sports’ schedules.
“The entire team is athletic,” Clouser said. “It’s just a matter of teaching them the game of football.”
Livingston is a high-energy coach who seems like a perfect fit as an ambassador for the sport. She is a, well, flag bearer of encouragement, like Humbert was talking about.
“The coolest part I’ve gotten to watch as a coach is how much fun the players and fans are having at the games,” Livingston said. “The girls are always having a blast out there, and I’ve talked to many community and family members who have said it’s so much fun to watch.”
Latrobe sophomore Natalie Scekeres plays quarterback for the Wildcats. She agrees with Livingston and Clouser’s assessment that the better teams will have the better multi-sport athletes.
Latrobe has several softball, basketball, volleyball and soccer players on its roster.
“It’s very important to our success,” Scekeres said, “because we are a team full of well-rounded athletes who are not just focusing on one sport. It is also awesome that our coaches at Latrobe allow us to play both.”
How it works
Getting to know how games work is a key for teams and spectators.
• Teams play on 80-by-40-yard fields.
• Quarters are 12 minutes long.
• Teams get four downs to cross a designated zone.
• Points also are awarded for interception returns and safeties.
• Each team uses seven players, and quarterbacks are not allowed to run unless the ball is pitched back to them.
• Touchdowns are worth six points, and conversions are one point from the 3-yard line and two from the 10.
• Punting is allowed, but there are no extra-point kicks.
• Teams can throw for conversions.
“There are multiple positions on the field, both on offense and defense for different types of athletes to be successful,” Clouser said. “You don’t just have to be able to throw or catch a ball. Being able to pull a flag or cover another player makes you a valuable asset to the team.”
Sport sustainability
Last year, Latrobe made the semifinals of the Steelers’ flag league, giving Livingston an indication of what might lie ahead.
“When we made it to the final four and the Steelers hosted us for the draft clock reveal, I realized, wow, we are creating something special,” Livingston said. “I think our first home game in history at Latrobe it hit me as well, when we got our team picture under the lights, how special this moment is.”
Humbert doesn’t think the sport will dwindle as time goes on. Sure, the novelty element is a large reason for the high number of teams, but he does not see flag waning in appeal.
Flag football will be part of the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles — for men and women.
“I don’t see it doing anything but growing,” Humbert said. “There’s strong national support behind the sport, and its inclusion in the Olympics will only increase visibility and interest. It’s definitely trending upward, and hopefully that growth continues.”
Clouser also expects the sport to continue its uptick.
“I already have over 70 girls signed up at Kiski in our spring flag football clinic for our youth level,” he said.
Group effort
Coaches from other sports have gravitated to flag. For instance, Kiski Area boys head basketball coach Corey Smith is on Clouser’s staff, while Greensburg Central Catholic head football coach and athletic director John “JT” Thompson coaches the Centurion girls.
GCC didn’t field a softball team this spring but had plenty of girls for flag.
Quarterback, like standard football, is the loftiest and oftentimes most important position.
Clouser is a former Kiski Area quarterback.
“It is cool to see the quarterbacks learning the game,” he said. “The quarterbacks are learning how to read defenses, look off the safety when passing the ball, carry out their fakes, take what the defense is giving them and manage the team. Both of our quarterbacks, Hannah Hill and Olivia Strellec, are understanding the game more every time they step on the field.”
Kiski Area only began flag football last month. It did not have the two-year head start that many other programs had.
“To watch these girls a month ago not know anything about the sport, to now be able to line up and run complicated plays, understand the rules of the game, and be able to line up in different coverages defensively is amazing to see,” Clouser said. “Watching them compete against teams that have been playing this sport the last three years is outstanding.”