Marquee Matchup: Crosstown flag football

Legends Stadium is the place to be Thursday night at 7. Or even 6 p.m., or 5.

The third annual Crosstown flag football games are set, with two sub-varsity games before the varsity squads battle at 7 p.m. Judging from last year’s Crosstown alone, Legends will be packed for a high school sport that is taking off. 

“Anyone that plays it, is having fun,” Glacier coach Mark Kessler said. “They’re competing and making great plays and doing the same things the boys do, minus the tackling.” 

“It’s a great atmosphere and a great opportunity for them to play under the lights,” Flathead coach Lisa Koehler added of her Bravettes, who are 4-0. “It’s always Senior Night, always the last home game, and it always turns out to be a pretty big deal.” 

Thirty-three girls make up the Flathead roster, led by quarterbacks Kenlie Roth and Julia Kay. Kay, a junior, transferred up from Utah; Roth is a senior. 

“She’s been a great leader for us, and just a great kid,” Koehler said of Roth. 

The coach also rued how quickly the season has gone, or rather how short it has been. A Tuesday game with Mission was canceled. Twelve schools joined the flag football ranks this season, but none of them are a quick trip from Kalispell. 

“We have 17 teams, but they’re so spread out in this state, and we’re just playing regionally,” Koehler said. “I don’t feel like we’ve gotten many games in this season.” 

Flathead, Glacier, Hamilton and Mission will play a seeding tournament in Hamilton Sept. 21, and all four teams head to the state tournament at Montana State University Sept. 26-27.  

The Bravettes did play Glacier in a jamboree they hosted in August, and prevailed 19-0. 

Kessler says his Wolfpack boast 29 varsity players, with quarterback Karley Allen leading the way. She ran for two touchdowns and passed for another in a 30-6 win at Hamilton Tuesday. 

“We’re still kind of seeing who’s who,” Kessler said, though he wasn’t shy about several players: Jada Stevens and Lydia Lucas scored TDs on Tuesday; Katy Walcheck, Alyssa Conrad and Lanee Anderson caught PAT passes. 

Olivia Gibbons and Alissa Schuman are two more pass catchers, and Khristen Terrell is a top runner. 

The Wolfpack and Bravettes have been the Alpha and Omega for the burgeoning sport, having played in the first two state championships, with Glacier winning both. 

Before they get tired of playing each other, new opponents would be nice. As of now flag football is classified as an “emerging sport” by the Montana High School Association, but that could change in 2026, said MHSA executive director Brian Michellotti.  

“It’s a two-year process,” Michellotti said. “Once those years are up, we could continue it as an emerging sport or sanction it with the MHSA.” 

    Glacier's Kaydee Walcheck (11) runs after a reception against Butte at the Kalispell Jamboree at Legends Stadium on Saturday, Aug. 31. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
 Casey Kreider