by John Sorce
john.sorce@theleaven.org
KANSAS CITY, Kan. — The gridiron is getting a new lineup.
Now, high school girls in the state of Kansas will have the opportunity to participate in flag football after the Kansas State High School Activities Association (KSHSAA) voted to sanction the sport for the 2026-27 school year.
Four archdiocesan high schools will field teams this year: Bishop Miege High School in Roeland Park, Bishop Ward High School in Kansas City, Kansas, St. James Academy in Lenexa and St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Overland Park.
Three of the schools previously fielded club teams through the Kansas City Chiefs Flag Football program in partnership with the National Football League.
Now, players will officially be able to represent their school at the state level.
In anticipation of this groundbreaking season, The Leaven spoke with the coaches at the archdiocesan high schools that will field teams this year.
Bishop Miege
Kevin Neenan has an extensive history with both the game of football and Miege. His three sons graduated from the school, and he currently has a daughter enrolled there.
Those experiences made him a natural fit to lead Miege’s program, and he was excited when approached by athletic director Joe Schramp about the opportunity.
“They thought of me right away and really didn’t have to get the full sentence out before I said yes,” Neenan said. “I think it’s a natural fit with my background in the sport and in being involved with girls’ flag football through CYO.”
Neenan coached a group of girls last year through the Chiefs program. But once the sport was officially sanctioned by the state, he saw the desire to play climb, with about 50 girls expressing interest at the end of the last school year — not including incoming freshmen.
“It’s a fun sport and the girls love it,” Neenan said. “They just haven’t had the opportunity. We’re hoping this will help lay the bricks for the foundation.”
Neenan expects great things from the Lady Stags and hopes that fans will rally behind them.
“These girls are good and they’re fun to watch,” Neenan said. “We’re going to put on a show, and we hope to have a lot of energy and support from not only the students but the [entire] Miege community.”
Bishop Ward
Unlike Neenan, Jess Duff does not have a history with the game of football.
An English teacher and the debate coach at Bishop Ward, Duff stepped up to coach the Lady Cyclones when the opportunity to partner with the NFL presented itself.
“I told our athletic director I would be interested in helping, and he reached out to me when we knew we would have the opportunity to partner with the NFL,” Duff said.
In years past, girls would often ask if flag football was offered at Bishop Ward, Duff said. So, knowing the interest was there, the school jumped at the opportunity.
Duff is quick to credit assistant coach Quinique Pike in helping her with the fundamentals of the game.
“She is really the brains of the operation in terms of the actual football playing and has been a huge help to me in understanding what the rules are and what the game should look like,” Duff said.
Duff feels fortunate to be a part of the school community and believes this sport will add to it.
“One of the great things about Bishop Ward is we are able to do awesome things with our sports and extracurriculars despite being a smaller school,” Duff said.
“I think adding flag football is going to help us be a school to watch out for,” she continued, “and it gives girls an opportunity to play a sport they want to while staying local to the Wyandotte County community.”
St. James Academy
Matt Hightower was hired by St. James to build its girls flag football program from the ground up. But he’s no stranger to the school.
He has been active in the St. James community as a parent and was excited about the opportunity to lead the program when it opened.
“The goal is to grow the sport and provide these young ladies with an opportunity to not only enjoy a new sport, but also be part of building the foundation at St. James for the teams that will follow them,” Hightower said.
Hightower played football at Urbana University in Ohio. He redshirted one year while there, which gave him his first taste of coaching.
That started a path that has led him to coach youth sports for over a decade, including girls flag football through CYO for the last four years.
Hightower believes flag football will continue to grow as more girls are exposed to the sport from a young age.
“I think this freshman class is the tip of the iceberg of girls who played CYO and are now at the high school level,” he said. “I’ve seen flag football grow at the CYO level, and I think those girls will continue to pursue it now that the opportunity is there in high school.”
While the sport is entirely new for some of the girls at St. James, Hightower expects their athleticism from other sports to translate onto the gridiron.
“We have a mix of girls who have played before and some who haven’t,” Hightower said. “But we have tremendous athletes that have proven their athletic ability in other sports at St. James, so you can expect us to have a lot of fun.
“They’re super excited to be the foundational piece. Nobody will ever be able to take away that these girls helped build this, and there is no flag football program at St. James without them.”
St. Thomas Aquinas
The Saints will be led by one of their own: Sam Paradise, who graduated from Aquinas in 2003 before heading to the University of West Florida to play basketball.
That’s where she was introduced to flag football and played on a competitive club team for a few years.
Paradise has been back at Aquinas since 2021 and serves as the director of community relations. But when the flag football announcement came, she didn’t think much of it.
It took convincing from some students to get her involved.
“I had some student interns who wanted to get involved with flag football their senior year,” Paradise said. “They needed a moderator and knew my sports background, so they came to me and it took off from there.”
Paradise credited the 30 Saints who will play this year with opening a door that future student-athletes will be able to walk through.
“We’re going to be a gritty team that is relentless in the pursuit of excellence,” Paradise said. “They are trailblazers and are truly relentless in their pursuit of getting things done. That is what I am most proud of.”
Paradise doesn’t have to look far to see the potential impact the sport can have on future generations.
“I have a daughter who just started first grade who loves football,” she said, “but there has never been a true option for her.
“This will open the door for young females to look up and admire some older mentors and help them see goals that they can reach and sustain.”
Paradise hopes to see support not only for her own team, but for girls at high schools throughout Kansas who are paving the way for the sport’s future.
“This is a great opportunity for female athletes and to show support for where it’s going,” she said. “I hope people will come out to support each of their school’s teams and make this first year something really special.”
