We Speak Flag Football
HBCUs Moved First: CIAA Goes Varsity, Winston-Salem State Repeats, and Alabama State Leads Division I
Before the NCAA opened the door, HBCUs were already on the field. The CIAA — founded in 1912 and the oldest HBCU athletic conference in the country — launched women’s flag football as a club sport in spring 2025 at seven schools: Bluefield State, Bowie State, Claflin, Fayetteville State, Johnson C. Smith, Virginia Union and Winston-Salem State. In 2026-27, it becomes the first HBCU conference to sponsor the sport at the varsity level.
Winston-Salem State has owned the young league, winning the inaugural 2025 club title and repeating on April 11, 2026, in a seven-team bracket at Johnson C. Smith’s Irwin Belk Complex. Freshman Eshé Muhammad, whose parents are WSSU alumni, signed on after watching the Rams win the first title: “I’ve always wanted to come to Winston because my parents are alumni, so I’ve grown up with the community. When I found out that they have flag football, it immediately drew me in.”
“You can see the schools that have the sport are flourishing,” Rams assistant coach Chasity Holt told Andscape. “They’re thriving.”
At the Division I level, Alabama State moved first of all: the Hornets announced their program in April 2024, played their inaugural season in spring 2025, and awarded the sport’s first-ever Division I scholarship to Ki’Lolo Westerlund — already a face of the game after appearing in the NFL Flag commercial during Super Bowl LIX alongside Marshawn Lynch, Myles Garrett and Justin Jefferson. Wilberforce (HBCUAC) and Edward Waters (SIAC) announced programs for 2026-27 in February, and with more than 300 teams expected nationwide this academic year, the HBCU footprint keeps growing.
We Speak Flag Football
Alabama Runs Deep: Undefeated Moody, Central and Montgomery Catholic All Sit in the National Top 15
If you want to find the center of the high school flag football universe, check Alabama. Three Alabama programs sit in the USA TODAY Super 25 national rankings — and the state’s No. 2 team hasn’t lost in 30 games.
Moody (17-0) is the streak story of the fall. The defending AHSAA Class 1A-5A champions picked up their 30th consecutive win this week, are ranked No. 7 in the Super 25 and No. 8 in the MaxPreps national rankings, and recently outscored three opponents 146-0 in a single week. Sophomore Sophie White put up 472 all-purpose yards and seven touchdowns in one doubleheader. The Blue Devils’ title DNA is real: last December at Protective Stadium, quarterback Serenity Rutledge threw three touchdown passes — to Zoey Terry, White and Kennedy Hockman — and Cheyenne Moore returned an interception 48 yards for a score in a 27-18 final win over Montgomery Catholic.
Central of Phenix City (11-2) is Alabama’s No. 1 and the nation’s No. 5, powered by Savannah Sevier, who recently stacked 301 yards, four touchdowns, six flag pulls and four pass breakups in a single week. Montgomery Catholic (12-1), ranked No. 15 nationally, is right back in the hunt behind senior Hayden Fitts, who ran for three touchdowns and threw for another against Spain Park.
With Spain Park, Vestavia Hills, Boaz and Brewbaker Tech also ranked in the state Super 10, Alabama’s playoffs this winter might be the toughest tournament in the country.
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