One of the country’s fastest growing sports taking root in east Idaho

RIGBY — Welcome to Monday Night Lights.

Where emblem shot rules nan gridiron and nan early looks for illustration it’s astir to detonate into a 1000 fields pinch thousands of girls playing a athletics boys typically took for granted.

Welcome to girls football, nan emblem version, which is 1 of nan fastest increasing sports successful nan nation.

Welcome to Rigby, wherever connected a lush, greenish section astatine Harwood Elementary connected Monday nights, precocious schoolhouse girls emblem shot is taking nan first measurement to subordinate nan remainder of nan country.

“I grew up pinch brothers and we played shot pinch each nan boys,” said Andrea Boudrero, who on pinch Hailey Belnap, useful successful Jefferson County schoolhouse territory 251 and helped get nan caller girls convention disconnected nan ground. “I loved it truthful much. That was my favourite sport, but beyond Powder Puff that’s each we knew.”

That’s astir to change. At slightest successful Rigby, wherever nan area’s caller precocious school-level girls emblem shot convention is underway successful its inaugural season. The convention besides includes 4th to sixth-grade teams, arsenic good arsenic inferior precocious teams. But nan large news is astatine nan precocious schoolhouse level.

While emblem shot has been a younker athletics for decades, it hasn’t typically been offered astatine nan precocious schoolhouse level.

Until now.

According to nan National Federation of High Schools, 9 states person already sanctioned girls emblem shot arsenic a varsity athletics (Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Nevada, Alaska, New York, Arizona, Illinois and California). Colorado and Montana are expected to punishment nan athletics this twelvemonth and 17 different states are moving connected processing aviator programs.

The Rigby Cowboy discourtesy looks to complete a walk against
Skyline. | Scott Kirtley, EastIdahoNews.com

Idaho is simply a agelong measurement from sanctioning girls emblem football, but that process has to commencement somewhere. And organizers, parents, coaches, schools, arsenic good arsenic players, dream nan caller convention successful Rigby is nan first domino successful nan process.

The convention has 10 precocious schoolhouse teams. Rigby is fielding 5 teams, Madison has 2 and Bonneville, Skyline, and Thunder Ridge each person teams. Sugar-Salem, Shelley and Hillcrest, Boudrero said, person each shown liking successful joining nan convention adjacent season.

The convention is portion of NFL FLAG, an statement that helps beforehand much than 1,800 organized emblem shot leagues pinch astir 700,000 players crossed nan country.

What does that mean for nan start-up convention successful Rigby? Mostly, it’s astir opportunity and nan future.

The Broncos show their moving crippled against nan Dolphin defense. | Scott Kirtley, EastIdahoNews.com

Opportunity

“I deliberation it’s awesome for nan girls that want to participate,” Rigby diversion head Ty Shippen said, noting nan extremity is to turn nan sport. “It’s truthful early successful that you don’t cognize what it’s going to be, but there’s decidedly a passion for it.”

Similar to nan Grid Kid leagues, nan schools don’t support nan emblem shot convention financially truthful they run fundamentally arsenic nine teams that are affiliated pinch NFL FLAG.

The logistics don’t matter overmuch to nan girls, who conscionable wanted to play.

“After our first believe I was really excited astir this,” said Mikki Lopez, a inferior connected nan Skyline 49ers. “It is truthful overmuch fun.”

Lopez, who is besides connected nan Skyline wrestling team, said she wanted to effort thing new.

“I decided playing a caller athletics would alteration things up,” she said.

Several of nan Skyline players besides compete successful girls wrestling, a athletics that was yet sanctioned successful Idaho successful 2022 aft nan number of teams and wrestlers grew exponentially complete nan erstwhile 5 aliases six years.

Brooke Hensley is besides a wrestler astatine Skyline and has competed astatine nan authorities tournament. She had not played shot anterior to joining nan 49ers, but said she sees similarities successful nan 2 sports.

“I want to do my best,” she said. “It was a batch of difficult activity (to make nan wrestling authorities tournament). Just for illustration this, you person to activity and put your each into it.”

There’s besides a spot of pioneering spirit, she noted. Some of nan girls were stigmatized successful nan early days of girls wrestling earlier nan athletics yet gained popularity. That hasn’t happened connected nan shot field, apt because nan girls compete against different girls and not against nan boys. But nan mentality is still there.

“It’s fun,” she said. “We’re capable to do worldly nan guys do.”

Rigby coach Paul Korth talks to his squad during Monday’s crippled against Skyline. | Scott Kirtley, EastIdahoNews.com

Stop by Harwood Elementary connected a Monday evening and you’ll spot nan 4th done sixth-grade teams competing connected 1 extremity of nan field, and nan precocious schoolhouse girls playing connected nan different end. They deterioration jerseys supplied by NFL Flag and nan referees are authorities sanctioned. On different section crossed nan backmost extremity of nan field are nan Grid Kid teams, pinch players ranging from 4th people to inferior high.

Some of nan boys whitethorn person played emblem shot astatine earlier ages earlier moving connected to Grid Kid, but that’s not really an action for nan girls, who thin to gravitate toward different sports.

Skyline coach Bryan Zollinger said his 2 daughters were into cheerleading and wrestling earlier they saw nan societal media station astir a caller girls emblem shot league.

“When they saw that they said, ‘We person to do this,'” Zollinger said.

Most of his 12 players had ne'er played immoderate shape of organized shot truthful school fundamentals was a privilege from Day 1.

“I was amazed really quickly they picked it up,” said Zollinger, who had coached emblem shot for 12 years and besides coached Grid Kid. “In 1 practice, my goals changed. They’re learning immoderate much in-depth shot technique, plays, formations. My extremity wholly changed aft nan first believe because they conscionable soaked it up for illustration sponges. It’s beautiful awesome to watch.”

“That first week, location were a batch of dropped balls and now they’re catching a lot,” Rigby Cowboys coach Paul Korth said. “They’re going aft nan ball. They’re a batch much aggressive. … It seems for illustration nan girls picked up nan fundamentals really quickly.”

“I conscionable ever wanted to play football”

Players said nan passion to play was ever there, they conscionable needed an opportunity.

“I conscionable ever wanted to play football,” said Rigby freshman Sadee Stoker, who had played basketball, track, softball and Powder Puff football.

She said early connected it was a situation to study nan intricacies of nan sport, but she’s catching on. Literally.

“It’s easy to drawback nan ball, but erstwhile nan defense is connected you it’s challenging,” she said.

On nan sidelines connected a caller Monday nighttime was Angie Robison, Chair of nan Board of Trustees for nan schoolhouse district. Her 2 granddaughters played emblem shot but nan oldest had nary different options aft sixth grade.

She contacted Boudrero, who had besides coached nan younger emblem shot players, and aft discussions pinch Rigby diversion head Shippen, nan caller convention started to return shape.

“It really took disconnected for nan first year,” Robison said. “My grandkids were thrilled they sewage to support playing.”

To support playing is nan key

Similar to girls wrestling, nan maturation of nan girls emblem shot seems inevitable. The way to getting sanctioned arsenic a varsity athletics could return immoderate clip and requires a batch of factors – much teams, much players, much schools – to make it happen, Shippen said.

The Treasure Valley precocious added girls emblem shot done Optimist Youth Football for ages 8-14. Perhaps nan biggest information whitethorn astatine nan highest level arsenic emblem shot is group to make its Olympic debut successful 2028.

But successful eastbound Idaho, aft conscionable a fewer weeks of precocious schoolhouse girls emblem shot competition, nan early looks promising.

“I don’t deliberation we moreover person to recruit,” said Skyline’s Zollinger. “I deliberation we’re going to person much than 1 squad astatine Skyline adjacent year. … The extremity (is to) possibly do immoderate offseason worldly truthful we tin deed nan crushed running. I presume we’ll person 2 aliases 3 teams astatine Skyline adjacent twelvemonth conscionable based connected nan liking level.”

“When I spell to school, friends say, ‘I want to do that adjacent year,'” Rigby freshman Anni Berrett said. “I deliberation everybody mightiness beryllium frightened aliases intimidated to spell retired astatine first, but erstwhile they spot it … it’s fun.”

And who doesn’t want to person fun?

“I deliberation this point tin turn beautiful large and I deliberation it will nosy to spot wherever it goes,” said Berrett, who, arsenic a freshman, tin beryllium portion of nan league’s maturation successful nan future. “It will get beautiful big.”