Kalispell teams head to new-look flag football state tourney

BOZEMAN — For the first time in its three-year history, the annual girls flag football state championship held at Bobcat Stadium is going to look drastically different when it kicks off Thursday.  

All 17 schools that field a flag football team in the state are invited to the packed two-day event, with last week's regional tournaments determining the seeding.  

Last year, just five teams were invited to state — Glacier, Flathead, Lockwood, Butte and St. Ignatius. 

“The seeding has been different every year because it's not a sanctioned sport,” Bravettes head coach Lisa Koehler said. “We didn’t have divisionals last year and because we are so spread out, they broke it down into regions, even though we ended up playing less games and fewer teams.” 

With Glacier winning last week’s regionals, they are the top seed out of the Northwest bracket, followed by Flathead, Hamilton and St. Ignatius. 

The Wolfpack will be patiently waiting to see how the first round unfolds, as they are the last game Thursday night at 8 p.m. They will play the winner of the Hardin and Absarokee matchup, the first game slated on Thursday at noon. 

“We are excited at the challenge of taking on new teams that we haven’t played before,” Glacier head coach Mark Kessler said. “The play has been increasing and there are a lot of teams doing good things. We are excited to see what we can do.” 

Glacier will have a target on their back, after winning the first two state championships. Unlike previous years, they will have to win four games in two days to three-peat at Bozeman. 

The Wolfpack are the most experienced team, with 14 seniors and key juniors like Zeila Wagner and quarterback Karley Allen. 

“With flag football’s tournament style, it’s not just about being your best in one game, it’s about being your best game after game,” Kessler said. “Our girls learned a lot at regionals, and they are prepared for the challenge of the state tournament where you just win and advance.” 

Three-peating will be no easy task for the Wolfpack. If they win Thursday night and continue winning, they play at 4, 6 and 7:30 p.m. on Friday, but are relying on their depth to keep the team fresh. 

“The scheduling might be a problem for a team fielding 15 girls or so. Our expectation is next-man up and we are confident in all the girls to go out there and execute at a high level,” Kessler said.  “We are excited at the opportunity to play numerous girls and let them go out there and compete.” 

Flathead

The entire Northeast bracket is composed of four new teams: Butte is in the Southwest bracket, while Lockwood takes the top seed in the Southeast bracket and will play Flathead in the first round Thursday at 2 p.m. 

“Lockwood is very well-coached, and I expect it to be a very fast game,” Koehler said. “We both like to play fast, and I think it will be a back-and-forth game.” 

Flathead wound up the third seed in the Northwest bracket after losing to Hamilton 31-26 and beating Butte 33-12 in last week’s regionals.  

The Bravettes will be tested after senior starting quarterback Kenlie Roth was injured at regionals and is not expected to start at quarterback. 

They will turn to junior Julia Kay, who joined the team a few months ago from Utah and will rely on four returning seniors to get them back into the championship game. 

“Both girls have played a lot of reps at the position and although Julia is new to flag football, she played tackle football at Utah and will get the start on Thursday,” Koehler said.  

Thursday’s matchup will determine who advances to the next round, as this year's state championship is not a true double-elimination tournament. 

“If you lose your first game this year, you are placed into a consolation bracket and there is no way for you to climb back up,” Koehler said. 

If Flathead handles Lockwood, they will play Friday at 1 p.m., which could turn into a triple-header if they keep winning, with games at 6 p.m. and the state championship final at 7:30 p.m. 

“It has been exciting for Year Three here, to see flag football arrive, when you see this many teams and it comes to fruition,” Kessler said. “I think it’s going continue to grow and the biggest positive is the small schools only fielding 20 or so girls but wanting to play. I am hoping for the bigger schools to follow suit.”