WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Texas — On Sunday, millions will watch some of the most athletic men in the world compete for the Lombardi Trophy. But this past weekend, another group of football players won a national title – a group from right here in Central Texas.
On a field in Williamson County, you'll see players "throw like a girl, run like a girl and catch like a girl." The girls are part of an elite all-girls flag football team called the Texas Fury.
“The best family I've ever had,” one of the players told KVUE.
They haven't always had their own team.
“I grew up playing with all boys,” Fury quarterback Ava Wallace said. “I played tackle with all boys.”
But growing up, Wallace rarely got a chance to even touch a football.
“I went seasons – like, years – without getting the ball thrown to me,” she said.
Her teammates went through the same thing.
“Because they're boys, and [the boys] were afraid that I'd be better than them,” Kelsey Quinn, the team’s wide receiver, said with a smile.
It turns out, she probably was better. The Fury just got back from competing in the NFL Flag Football Championships. It’s part of the NFL's Pro Bowl weekend in Orlando.
“It was a dream,” Fury receiver Marynell Thompson said. “The whole thing was a dream.”
The Fury made it all the way to the title game, which was nationally televised on ESPN.
“I remember thinking, 'Don't look at the cameras, don't look at the screen, just play your game,'” Quinn said.
Before the first snap, their coach, Keenan Hughes, pulled them in and let them know that win or lose, “Our mission was accomplished.”
“The respect was actually earned before the ring this time,” Hughes said.
Wallace was focused.
“I tuned everything out,” she said. “I tuned the crowd out, the other team’s coaches. And I was just dialed in on my teammates and delivering the ball to them.”
You may think being national champions is the pinnacle. But this is just the beginning. The team members who are about to graduate from high school are taking their talent to the next level, going to play football in college – on scholarship.
“I'm actually going to play flag on scholarship,” Thompson said with a smile. “I'm going to Reinhardt University.”
She's not alone.
“Every single girl that has come through the Texas Fury flag football program has received a scholarship to play flag football in college,” Coach Hughes said.
As for those boys who didn't used to let these girls play?
“A few of the guys told me, 'I just saw you on TV, and I was like, 'Oh, really?''” Quinn said. “They're like, 'Yeah, you're actually good.'”
They’re better than good – they’re the best.
Flag football continues to boom in popularity. In 2028, it will be included in the Olympic Games. Wallace has her tryout for the national team next month.
If you know someone who’d like to try out for the Fury, the team is hosting a tryout on Feb. 17 and 18. You can click here for the details.
