Last Updated on August 22, 2026 1:10 pm
Watauga High School's first-ever girls flag football team is officially underway, with 32 players turning out for the program's first day of preseason practice on August 19.
The team, coached by Andrew Wilson, is part of a new era for the sport in North Carolina. The North Carolina High School Athletic Association sanctioned girls' flag football as an official varsity sport for the first time this year, with teams statewide beginning official tryouts August 31, regular-season contests starting September 9, and the state championship set for November 14.
Watauga's program has been building toward this moment since summer. The team held its first skill-development workouts in late July, open to all rising ninth- through 12th-grade girls interested in playing. A “dead period” under NCHSAA rules ran from July 29 through August 18, after which conditioning resumed August 19 — the same day 32 players showed up for the team's first organized practice, splitting time between the field and Watauga's weight room.
That week's preseason schedule ran Wednesday and Thursday from 4 to 6 p.m., combining field work and weight room, with a shorter Friday session from 4 to 5:30 p.m. focused solely on the field. Players were asked to be on the baseball outfield, which is serving as the team's practice field, by 3:50 p.m. All athletes must have an updated physical on file and be registered through FamilyID to participate.
The Watauga County Board of Education has approved a contract to resurface the high school's baseball field with synthetic turf, which will also serve as the flag football field going forward — though the project won't be finished in time for this inaugural season.
A full game schedule has not yet been released. The team said it is still finalizing a handful of additional games before publishing the schedule, with a goal of having it complete by the end of August.
Girls interested in playing or families with questions can contact Coach Andrew Wilson at wilsonan@wataugaschools.org.
