Nighthawks Soaring in First Year of CHSAA Flag Football

Starting this fall, girls' flag football is an officially sanctioned CHSAA (Colorado High School Activities Association) sport, and Northfield is dominating so far. This is not the first time the school has had a flag football team, however, it has now been upgraded from a club to a school sport. This means a more official playoff and more attention from students and other spectators of high school sports across the state. Head Coach Rebecca Hopeck talked about how adding flag football as a CHSAA sport is a new opportunity for girls to play sports and a step towards equity for girls who want to compete as high school athletes.

The team is off to a 7-2 start and is currently ranked 28th in the state. With the season wrapping up in two weeks and the playoffs coming up, the Nighthawks seem poised to make a playoff push. Since girl's flag football only became a CHSAA sport at the start of this school year, the team isn’t even sure how the playoffs will be formatted. However, Coach Hopeck believes that the team can succeed no matter what. When asked about the team’s playoff outlook, she said, “We have some really smart girls. We have a good quarterback and some really good athletes so I think anything is possible.” So far, Northfield has certainly shown they are capable of going on a deep playoff run.  The team is led by junior quarterback Ale Garcia and team captain, senior Izzy Puckett. There are ten other seniors on the team who also share captains’ duties.

Northfield has five more games over the next two weeks with the season finale at home on October 19 at 10:30 AM against Thomas Jefferson. After that, they will compete in the CHSAA state playoffs. This season and upcoming playoff run is only the beginning for Nighthawk Flag Football. Coach Hopeck explained that she expects to have a JV team next year and likely three teams the year after that. By continuing to grow and learn, the coaches and team intend to stay on the map and establish one of the elite programs in Colorado.