This past summer, head coach John Sowell held James Logan High School’s first ever girls’ flag football tryouts. With the overwhelming interest of nearly 70 girls who wanted to be part of the team, Sowell created a junior varsity and varsity divisions. That passion and excitement for the game was a hint at what was to come.
Since July, the varsity team has seen great success. The Union City high school’s first nine games of the season were all wins.
“If you had told me before the season that we would start 9-0, won the league we are in, made the tournament championship game, qualified for NCS by hitting all three qualify options, made NCS at large and finished the season with a 17-5 record, I would not have believed you,” said Sowell.
Although the team did so well in their first season, it wasn’t without its challenges. Playing 19 games in such a short amount of time impacted what Sowell decided to focus on during the team’s training. Since they had limited time between games to focus on learning specific skills for each position, Sowell played to the strengths each girl already possessed.
“We tried to put the girls into positions that came easily to them and they felt comfortable playing,” said Sowell. “The girls did a great job of playing through the long weeks.”
After claiming the first place league spot, James Logan qualified for the NCS Flag Football Championship. Unfortunately, their first playoff game would be the last of their season as the team took a loss against Clayton Valley with a 0-27 score. The Colts had some holes in their defense that Clayton Valley was able to exploit. Although the team was able to strengthen their defense as the game went on, it was a challenge to get anything through the field.
“The final game was tough. Our energy was great, and we were so excited about playing in an NCS game in our first season,” said Sowell. “We were upset about the outcome of the game, but very proud that the girls competed as hard as they did. They never gave up and kept battling the entire game.”
Even with the loss the Colts played an impressive inaugural season and Sowell is walking away with a vision for 2026. “We can take away some confidence into next season. We have a better understanding of what we need to work on in the off season.”
