Chambers High crowned back-to-back CMS flag football champions at Bank of America Stadium
For the second straight year, the Carolina Panthers hosted the final day of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools girls flag football league.
And for the second straight year, the Julius Chambers High Cougars won the championship.
Chambers beat previously unbeaten Berry 32-20 in Saturday’s final. A year ago, the Cougars beat Berry in the semifinals and Butler in the championship game.
“(The win) meant a lot to us,” Cougars coach Rick Wiley said. “The girls took not only what they already knew, but elevated it to the next level.”
A year ago, 20 teams played in the first flag football league, which was co-sponsored by the Panthers, who donated more than $50,000 toward things like uniform costs. This year, the league grew to 24 teams and the level of play, Wiley said, also increased as well.
The championship game was evidence of that.
Chambers got a late first half score for a 10-point halftime lead, but Berry quickly tied it at 20 in the second half.
After that, however, Cougars quarterback Kaitlyn Goodwin had a long scoring run to give her team the lead, and Chambers added another score late.
“Everyone doubted us since we lost to (Charlotte) Catholic,” Goodwin said. “So, I feel like even though we had that one loss, we are still Chambers and this is our game.”
Continued push for flag football
With the inaugural season last year in CMS being regarded as a wide success, the push continues for the sport to become sanctioned by the NCHSAA, according to CMS athletic director Ericia Turner.
Turner hosted some athletic directors from other districts Saturday, in hopes flag football might be played in other counties soon. The goal is to get it to become a sanctioned sport in North Carolina.
“Right now it is just a waiting game,” Turner said. “We just have to wait and see, but here in CMS we will continue to play, even if we have to keep it as a club sport.”
Girls flag football is gaining momentum to be an Olympic sport in 2028, and there is even more traction being gained across the state for it to be sanctioned, so Turner feels it’s only a matter of time.
“I think it’s obtainable quicker, rather than later,” Turner said. “There’s always roadblocks, but I think the kids are going to sell it for us. I see it being a sanctioned sport. It might not be next year, but in three to five years it will be a sanctioned sport. It’s growing across the nation. So, at some point we probably won’t have a choice and we will have to do it.”
Worth Mentioning
▪ The semifinal matchups were Ardrey Kell versus Chambers and Berry versus Butler.
▪ Chambers won the Charlotte Division Championship.
▪ Berry won the Queen City Division Championship.
PHOTOS: CMS Girls Flag Football Championship
This story was originally published May 13, 2023 at 9:06 PM.
