Pulling Flags and Breaking Barriers
Girls flag football isn't just growing in Houston — it's taking over. From Spring Branch-Memorial Sports Association fielding its first all-girls team this summer to Duchesne becoming the first Houston private school to offer girls flag, the sport is showing up in neighborhoods all across the city. Coach Jeffrey Klam's SBMSA squad — featuring players like Marin Rohling, Cleo Hodges, Demi Smith, and Claire Denson — advanced to the Texans regional tournament and finished second, while his competitive 10U team opened fall NFL FLAG play undefeated with a 38-0 blowout. Meanwhile, 13-year-old Mary Margaret Dybesland, known locally as "Hail Mary," has already earned spots on USA Football's 12U and 14U Select Teams and has Olympic dreams set on Brisbane 2032. The article also spotlights Tayton Coffelt, who built The Farm League Lady Colts from scratch in 2020 to give his little sister a place to play — that program now has over 100 players. And at The Emery/Weiner School, sixth-grader Taylor Asmus earned a starting role on the boys' team after overcoming a rare autoimmune disease and an undiagnosed spinal condition, proving that nothing keeps these girls off the field.