All season, Willoughby South High School's girls flag football head coach Matt McCue has emphasized to his team to enjoy the journey.
That journey included a 17-2 season that saw them win the Northeast Ohio Girls High School Flag Football Championship Tournament at Huntington Bank Field, earning an opportunity to play in the inaugural state championship game at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium in Massillon in May where they finished as runners-up.
Two months later, Willoughby South's journey included a trip to the Pro Football Hall of Fame and Canton, Ohio on July 17 for the 2025 NFL Flag Championships, where they competed against other girls high school flag football teams from across the United States.
"Regardless of wins and losses, this is a great opportunity to come out and experience some stuff, represent Willoughby South in our community well and Northeast Ohio and the Browns, so the girls did a great job today," McCue said. "They played hard all the way to the end of the game, so I have nothing more but pride for how they played today."
McCue's goal for the tournament was to see how his team lined up against teams that represented all 32 NFL teams, after only having previously played teams from Ohio.
Before they were able to play an out-of-state team, their first game of the tournament came against the Bengals' representative in the high school division, giving them one more in-state team to beat. Willoughby made light work of the "Bengals," winning 33-0 and starting the tournament off with a confidence builder before testing their skills against the rest of the country.
"It felt great, especially because I know a lot of us came in feeling nervous, but we were also excited, so winning 33-0 felt good," Willoughby South rising senior Tiana Torrence said. "It calmed us down because we were scared about seeing these teams from out-of-state, so winning by that much was fun."
The team ultimately finished 1-2, missing out on a second win in their final game of the day by a touchdown. However, McCue isn't focused on the team's record as much as he is on the journey the team has taken and the life skills they're gaining from playing flag football.
"Our philosophy is work hard, do your best and care about your teammates," McCue said. "Just seeing them really buy into that, not really focused on wins and losses. More so at the high school level, we're looking at how this is going to translate to life. Most of these girls aren't going to go out and play football. We have one girl who's playing next year in college, which is totally awesome, but really, it's just those life skills."
It's been a long road for Willoughby South since first beginning their girls flag football program in 2023. They started with 12 girls on their first team, but only one had ever played the sport before. Due to their unfamiliarity with flag football, McCue used the first season to establish a foundation of the game with his team.
Fast forward two years and not only did Willoughby South make it to Canton for the NFL Flag Championships, but they also have doubled in size, managing to create two teams for the 2025 season.
"It's been really fun to build a program from the foundation of our first season. We were talking one day in practice, and I said, 'Oh pick 6,' and the girls all looked at me like, 'What are you talking about, coach?'" McCue said. "So, to go from that to now we have one of our seniors going to play flag football at Mercyhurst next year, just phenomenal to see that kind of growth."
Players on Willoughby South, like rising junior Olivia Pennington or graduating senior Maria Osagie-Erese, signal how girls flag football is growing. Pennington has been invited to the Girls Flag Football Under Armor All-American game set for January 2026 and Osagie-Erese committed to Mercyhurst to play flag football next year, both providing proof that girls can have the same opportunities in football just like boys.
Willoughby South's athletes are helping to trailblaze a path for flag football at their school and in Ohio, and along the way, they are making memories with each other.
"When we won the Browns (Northeast Ohio) tournament, that one was incredible. It was a school night, though," Willoughby South rising junior Lindsay Nejak said. "We did not get much sleep, but it was so fun and then (Olivia Pennington) got water dumped on her by Greg Newsome. That was insane. That was probably my highlight, but honestly, every practice, every game, it's all been really fun."
While Willoughby South has a three-year journey with the sport so far, other high schools in Ohio will begin journeys of their own as soon as next year. After the sport was sanctioned by OHSAA on July 17 – making Ohio the 17th state to sanction the sport – more athletes will have the chance to play the game, just like the 88 teams in the 2025 Browns girls high school flag football program, presented by Gatorade and in association with Bridgestone.
"I'm really excited," McCue said. "The future is bright. These girls have a great opportunity in the next few years, and I'm looking forward to the future of the sport."
Interested in starting a girls flag football team at your high school? Complete this questionnaire HERE so the Browns can share more information and outline next steps, and visit clevelandbrowns.com/girlsflag to start a team.
