The Arizona Interscholastic Association and Banner Sports Medicine hosted the third annual girls high school flag football combine in collaboration with Arizona State's flag football team Saturday morning at the Banner's Sports Medicine High Performance Center. 

Nearly 100 girls competed in drills designed to evaluate their skills and prepare for the upcoming fall season. The combine included agility drills, the 40-yard dash and broad jump, along with live competition focused on receiving, defense, flag pulling, route running and hand-eye coordination. 

The other very important component was that athletes learned vital injury prevention and ACL protection techniques from Banner’s top sports medicine experts. The turnout also showcased the continued growth of girls flag football in Arizona, with athletes from across the state competing alongside and against one another. 

“It's nice to see how many people showed up,” Basha senior Luci Burt said. “It's definitely a good environment having everyone supporting each other.”

Burt stood out during the agility drills and caught the attention of college personnel in attendance. The defensive back and rusher has totaled 80 flag pulls and seven interceptions over the past two seasons.

“I’ve been working the most on my route running, footwork and things like that,” Burt said. “The competition is always great and it’s always fun competing with others.”

Burt will help Basha pursue a 6A state championship this fall and said she is excited about the Bears’ potential for a postseason run. 

Many flag football players also compete in sports such as track and field, soccer and basketball.

Gilbert junior Allison Bogle participates in track and field and soccer in addition to playing running back, rusher and linebacker in flag football. As a sophomore, Bogle recorded 13 flag pulls, five sacks and two interceptions. 

“This has been a lot of fun and a great way to get some preseason work in,” Bogle said. “You get to meet your typical opponents and become friends with them while competing and getting better.”

Arizona featured many high-level performances and Division I prospects last season, establishing the state as a hotbed for flag football talent. 

Hamilton went 20-0 in 2025, but the Huskies will enter this season with a much different roster. They graduated Samaya Taylor-Jenkins, the state career record holder in receptions, receiving yards and touchdowns, and lost quarterback Marlie Phillips, one of the nation’s top players, after transferring.

Several of the state’s top returning players have also made names for themselves in other sports.

Buena wide receiver Deztany Toyota-Villalobos is one of Arizona’s top track sprinters and returns for her junior season as a standout dual-sport athlete. She finished fourth in the 100-meter dash (11.94 seconds) at the AIA state championship last spring. Her speed has translated from the track to the football field, where she has consistently created separation from defenders. 

Campo Verde’s Jaiyana Bogan-Jacobs helped lead the Coyotes to a 5A championship last season. Its dominant run included four victories by a combined score of 189-0.

Bogan-Jacobs, the No. 3 basketball player in ESPN’s 2029 recruiting rankings, caught 53 passes for 969 yards and 25 touchdowns as a freshman on the football field. 

With young stars across Arizona, Saturday’s combine provided an early look at the talent preparing for the 2026 season as girls flag football continues to grow in the state and across the country. They players who attended also had a hand in helping the sport grow in Arizona.  

Their $25 registration combine fee will be donated back to an AIA member school to help launch a brand new girls flag football team in 2027.