We Speak Flag Football
The Road to LA28: Canada, Mexico and the Host Americans Are In — Three Olympic Spots Remain
Half the field is set. When flag football makes its Olympic debut at Los Angeles 2028, six women’s teams will play for gold — and after the IFAF World Championships in Düsseldorf, three of them are known.
The United States qualifies automatically as host. Canada punched its ticket by winning the world title, beating the Americans 27-20 in the final behind tournament MVP Sara Parker. Mexico claimed the third berth with its 20-19 bronze medal win over Great Britain.
Three spots remain, and they will be decided in 2028 through IFAF’s Q-Series qualifying events in Montréal and Orlando. Great Britain, which came within a two-point conversion of bronze in Düsseldorf, headlines the list of contenders who must wait — a group that also includes the rest of the world’s top programs from Europe, Asia and the Americas.
The stakes could not be clearer for the programs still chasing: two tournaments, three tickets, and a place in Olympic history.
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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