De La Salle High School girls flag football team etched their names in the history books once again, clinching their second consecutive Saints Girls High School Flag Football League championship with a hard-fought 7-0 victory over Warren Easton at the Ochsner Sports Performance Center. The win capped another undefeated season for the Cavaliers, who finished 8-0 in a league that doubled in size and intensity from its inaugural year.
The championship game was a defensive showdown, with both teams showcasing why they boasted the stingiest defenses in the 20-team league. De La Salle entered the final with a remarkable 111-6 scoring differential, while Warren Easton held a 68-18 edge against their prior opponents. The first half ended scoreless, as both squads traded stops, with De La Salle’s senior Rae’l Simons setting the tone early with an interception on Warren Easton’s second drive.
Related: De La Salle wins inaugural girls’ flag championship
The game’s only score came with 12:20 remaining when sophomore quarterback Tamia Cole connected with senior Shayla Santos.
“First, I’m trying to read the defense, see who’s open,” Cole told neworleanssaints.com. “And I’m trying to lead the receiver to the ball.
“(Winning the title) was very satisfying being able to prove everybody wrong that said they could beat us and that they’re better and they were coming for us. Being able to show that we’re still the No. 1 team, we’re still on top.”
Simons was named the championship game MVP after coming-up with her second interception to sealed the victory late in the game.
“It was definitely difficult, because they have film on us now and I’ve had coaches come up to me and say, ‘We saw y’all on film, we’re running y’all’s plays,'” Cavaliers Coach George Neumiller said. “So, it’s an honor to have them saying that, but it is tougher because they’ve seen our plays, they’ve played us before, they’re studying film like every team would be. So it’s difficult.”
The Cavaliers’ repeat championship comes in the second year of the Saints Girls High School Flag Football League, which expanded from 10 to 20 teams, with 25 players per roster. The league is backed by the New Orleans Saints, NFL FLAG, and partners like Nike and the Louisiana High School Athletic Association (LHSAA) aims to elevate girls’ flag football to sanctioned status in Louisiana.
The LHSAA is expected to sanction the sport in the near future. The approval would make Louisiana the 16th state to sanction the fast-growing sport.
The game drew notable support, with Saints owner Gayle Benson kicking off the coin toss and players like Cameron Jordan and Demario Davis cheering from the sidelines. The league’s growth is also evident in its talent pool, with nine players from the finalists holding college scholarship offers for flag football, a testament to the sport’s rising prominence.
