Kansas City school wins the very first Kansas state championship in girls flag football

By Seth Jahraus,

Published October 27, 2026 at 4:00 PM CDT

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Quarterback Emme Albright is lifting up the plaque declaring them state champions alongside her St. James team. They are all in their blue and white uniforms and many of them have medals around their necks and in their hands showing off the win. They are jumping in celebration. — Quarterback Emme Albright holds the Kansas state championship plaque overhead. She helped lead St. James to the win and cemented the team as the first state champions in Kansas flag football history.

Two teams from the Kansas City suburbs faced off for the inaugural Kansas title in girls flag football. Newly anointed champions St. James Academy hope it’s a critical moment in advancing participation and support for women’s sports.

The St. James Academy Thunder last week bested the St. Thomas Aquinas Saints, 26-7, to win the inaugural girls flag football state championship in Kansas.

Back in April, the Kansas State High School Activities Association sanctioned girls flag football as an official sport. The designation came following overwhelming support, with a petition led by the Chief’s “Let Her Play” campaign garnering 11,000 signatures.

That effort came to a close on Oct. 21 when St. James took home the trophy.

“It's cool to have the ability to be a part of it. You can say you were one of these people who helped change women's sports,” said Emme Albright, the St. James quarterback and linebacker.

The original championship game, set to take place on Oct. 16, was postponed following a crash that killed two people and injured several others in Wichita at the Scheels Stryker Sports Complex. The two teams from sister Catholic schools led a prayer that Sunday following the incident.

The game was rescheduled and moved to Shawnee Mission South.

Quarterback Emme Albright is rushing and extending the ball beyond the end line. Two St. Thomas players are attempting to grab her flag. One is kneeling on the ground and reaching for Albright's flag belt. — Quarterback Emme Albright threw 4 touchdown passes in St. James' win over St. Thomas Aquinas. She also secured an interception on the defensive side while playing linebacker.

Albright led the charge on both sides of the ball, with four touchdown passes and an interception. She hopes their win paves the way for younger students hoping to try new sports, and advocate for opportunities at their own schools.

“ We've always wanted flag football at St. James,” Albright told KCUR’s Up to Date. “We knew this was our chance to do it, and we had the team to do it.”

Matt Hightower, the head coach of St. James, said it was a season made up of 6:30 a.m. practices and multi-hour film reviews. Hightower said he would often get up at 4 a.m. to prepare strategies.

”As a coach, it's the same feeling you get as a dad watching your kids put in all the hard work to accomplish a goal,” Hightower said.

Andy Brown

KSHSAA Covered

Coach Matt Hightower took over the St. James girls flag football team just months ago. He assembled a championship winning squad filled with many girls who had limited prior experience.

Albright, along with 11 other players, are seniors and will be graduating at the end of the year. That fact helped harness a now-or-never mentality for the team, but now it leaves a gap in the roster for Hightower to fill.

“ Hopefully with the state championship, the popularity within the building will grow. We'll get some additional girls,” he said. “The goal will always remain the same and we're gonna attack it with whoever's out there.”

Emme Albright, St James Academy girls flag football quarterback
Matt Hightower, St James Academy girls flag football coach