HONOLULU — A few minutes after Gov. Josh Green loosened up his shoulder and tossed footballs to Moanalua receivers to celebrate the first Oahu Interscholastic Association girls flag football game, the real show took place.
Na Menehune junior Zaira Sugui put passes on point, short and long, and compiled 305 yards and seven touchdown throws in a 44-0 win over Roosevelt — an emphatic demonstration of what some think is possible for the sport in Hawaii.
Flag football got significant backing from Hawaii's highest levels as it became the 12th state to make it a sanctioned high school sport. Many teams statewide played unofficial preseason games over the last few weeks, but Tuesday's event at Roosevelt's Ticky Vasconcellos Stadium received the greatest fanfare as the OIA's official launch.
[Note: See below for more photos of Moanalua-Roosevelt girls flag football.]
“I'm out of breath after throwing passes to them,” Green, a former youth soccer goalkeeper, said as he greeted the media.
The governor flipped a special Patsy T. Mink coin before kickoff. He was accompanied at by Department of Education Superintendent Keith Hayashi, Keith Amemiya, head of the governor’s sports task force, state Legislators and other officials.
Amemiya told Spectrum News that the 7-on-7 sport had gained steam as an idea over the last five years.
“Flag football participation in community leagues across the state has been strong for a while now, so it was only a matter of time until it became an official high school sport,” Amemiya said.
Green said it gained real momentum over the last two years in particular. The DOE has 46 schools participating this year in addition to seven from the Interscholastic League of Honolulu and a handful of private schools on the neighbor islands.
“We want men and women to have equal opportunity,” Green said. “And so that's when it started. We just want to keep giving young people something special to do, because it enhances their lives. It's good health, keeps young people out of trouble. But women love football, just like men do, and so that's why we're here.”
Spectrum News asked Green if he foresaw any obstacles to the sport remaining beyond its pilot season.
“I don’t. My team, my cabinet and administration is always going to fund it,” Green replied. “I think we'll get more and more support from the collegiate ranks, also from the professional ranks, which we're attracting a lot of attention from. Frankly, it's already pretty extraordinary to have over 40 teams, so it's a much lower cost sport than many, and so it's easier for us to get going.”
The state support for its pilot season included help from a couple of NFL clubs. The Las Vegas Raiders contributed $25,000 for uniforms and the Seattle Seahawks put on preseason clinics to help acclimate local girls to the sport, many of whom were trying it for the first time.
Marcus Mariota’s Motiv8 Foundation, HMSA and Hawaii Dental Service also contributed funds or equipment.
While there have been several lopsided games (like Moanalua-Roosevelt) as there are no tiers of classification in this pilot season, Kamehameha and Iolani engaged in an entertaining 13-12 battle last week in the first week of ILH play. In the OIA, Kaiser beat Kailua 26-21, Castle topped Kahuku 19-13 and Waianae edged Nanakuli 18-15.
Schools will play a half-dozen games over a three-week period. There will be a singular, 16-team HHSAA state tournament in April.
It is shaping up to be an interesting debate after this season whether the sport remains in the spring — which would align with the burgeoning college game — or shift to the fall, when there are fewer sports.
“Thinking about this as an Olympic sport in LA (2028 Games), (and) opportunities for female athletes to get college scholarships is a win all around,” Hayashi said.
Amemiya called the participation levels for flag “phenomenal,” noting about 1,300 girls have signed up to play among nearly 60 schools. Judging by the Seahawks' preseason clinics, turnout was especially strong among freshmen, which could augur well for the sport's numbers going forward.
Some, however, have expressed concern for numbers in other spring sports, including softball, water polo and track and field. But in some instances they are not mutually exclusive; some athletes are attempting to play both water polo and flag, Spectrum News learned.
OIA softball and MIL water polo have experienced some forfeits for numbers shortages in league games.
Hayashi urged the public to get behind flag football as a trend. A couple hundred people attended the Moanalua-Roosevelt game.
Brian McInnis covers the state’s sports scene for Spectrum News Hawaii. He can be reached at brian.mcinnis@charter.com.
