'They have stake in the game now': This girls' flag football league is gaining traction across Central Mass.

FITCHBURG — Like many of the other football games that have taken place at Crocker Field over the years, there were quarterbacks and cornerbacks, touchdowns and interceptions, and winners and losers on Thursday.

But these gridiron games featured a new wrinkle: Instead of tackling to the ground, flags were pulled from the hip.

And instead of boys playing, there were girls.

For a second straight spring, the New England Patriots are supporting a girls’ flag football league in Massachusetts. The sport — that’s growing in popularity across the country — has gained traction around Worcester.

And it’s here to stay.

As part of a flag football jamboree at Crocker Field Thursday, the defending state champs from Leominster High won both their games and moved to a perfect 6-0 on the season.

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“I’m so happy that flag football has become such a big thing for girls and giving everybody the opportunity to play,” Leominster High junior quarterback Jaliany Santiago said. “It’s a really good sport.”

“They get to throw their hat in the ring now,” Leominster coach Becky Curley said. “They're playing football, and yes, it isn’t tackle (football) but (the girls are from) Leominster playing football, and they have a stake in the game now.”

Girls flag football is ‘blowing up’

For the past two years, the Patriots have partnered with high schools across the commonwealth to grow the game of flag football among females.

What started with just eight schools — who received a $5,000 grant from the Patriots Foundation, custom uniforms from Nike and equipment from USA Football — last year has morphed into a 23-team league (called the Patriots Girls High School League) this spring.

“Girls’ flag football is blowing up,” said Leominster resident Jack Reed, who helped start the first girls’ flag football league in Massachusetts in 2017. “Back then, it wasn’t as accepted as it is today. The NFL and their clubs have done a great job of pouring resources into it, including the Patriots.”

On Tuesday, Colorado became the 11th state to sanction girls’ flag football, and locally the Patriots are working with high school athletic directors to submit a proposal to make girls’ flag football a MIAA-sanctioned sport.

“It’s amazing to see the Pats come and help us get everything we need,” Leominster freshman Hailey Jimenez said. “Last year they let us go to Gillette (Stadium) and gave us a whole tour and gave us our jerseys, and it made it feel like a real sport, and we felt appreciated, which I love.”

How does the Patriots Girls High School League work?

Although flag football is seven-on-seven in some states, this league features five-on-five play. That’s the format that will be used when flag football makes its debut at the Summer Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028.

With two games per week for teams, there are two 20-minute halves, each running time, and play is conducted on a shortened field — 70 yards long, including the end zones, and 25 yards wide.

As for the equipment, it’s not as cumbersome as tackle football. There are belts with two flags, pocketless shorts to help limit injuries and penalties, mouthguards, cleats or turf shoes, and while gloves are not required, they are encouraged.

“It’s a family, it’s fun, and it’s an amazing game to play,” Jimenez said. “Once you get into the groove of it, it makes it 10 times easier.”

Family ties to football

Becky Curley comes from a long line of Leominster Blue Devils.

From brothers to cousins, to parents, grandparents and great grandparents, her family tree runs deep in Leominster when it comes to both coaching and football.

“Being here now and even standing here on Crocker Field where the Leominster (and) Fitchburg rivalry is so big ... is kind of dream come true for me,” Curley said. “If I were to have (girls' flag football) in high school, I definitely would’ve been playing it. It would’ve been my way of playing Leominster football.”

On Thursday, Curley saw her top flag football team (Leominster has two squads in the 23-team league) win back-to-back games against Fitchburg (13-0) and Ayer-Shirley (21-6).

In Santiago’s first season as the varsity 1 quarterback, the Leominster High junior found her top target in Jimenez for three touchdowns passes Thursday. The two have been playing flag football side-by-side since way before the creation of the Patriots Girls High School League.

“We’ve been together since the beginning,” Jimenez said. “So it’s just another day out here for us.”

“Our connection is unbreakable,” Santiago said.

Like Curley, Santiago’s family roots run deep with football — specifically flag. Santiago’s six siblings (3 brothers, 3 sisters) have all dabbled in the sport that has gained traction throughout Worcester.

And Santiago is leading the charge right now with girls’ flag football.

“I was one of the first eight girls to play flag in the Mass. area, and we played against boys half of our lives before they created a girls' flag league,” she said. “So I’m so happy that there are more girls involved with it because a lot of people say that flag isn’t a real sport, all this and that, but it’s becoming more of a real sport. And it’s giving girls an opportunity to keep on playing and make it bigger, because it’s soon going to be in the Olympics, and I want to see more girls playing.

“So I want to keep spreading the word about playing flag, it’s a really good sport and a great community for all of us.”

With Central Mass. and the rest of the state coming together to add 15 more teams in the second season of the girls’ flag football league sponsored by the Patriots — the hope is that many more games will be played at Crocker Field in the springs to come.

Just these contests will feature flags over tackles, and girls over boys.

“This gives the girls a stake in the game,” Curley said. “I didn’t get that opportunity, but I love that I’m able to give those girls that opportunity.”

—Contact Tommy Cassell at tcassell@telegram.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @tommycassell44.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Patriots Girls High School flag football league growing in popularity