Flag Football a Big Hit | Ellet Girls Finish with a Flurry, Upsets Unbeaten Canton McKinley

Ellet coach J.D. Dimengo is confident the Lady Orangemen are among the best flag football teams in Northeast Ohio. He’s been somewhat giddy watching his team narrow the competitive gap with the sports elite.

On a perfect football Sunday, Ellet pulled off what some might consider the upset of the season. However, Dimengo saw it coming – a 27-20 victory over previously unbeaten Canton McKinley at Ellet Stadium on April 26.

Ellet finished the regular season with a 9-2 record in the Brown Division of the Southern Conference. They are tied with Hoban, and finished a game behind league leaders Canton McKinley (10-1) and Tallmadge.

Ellet made tremendous strides since its season-opening loss to Tallmadge. While Canton McKinley and the Blue Devils advanced to the state playoffs, the Lady Orange closed with the kind of momentum that’s likely to establish them as one of the favorites next season.

However, Ellet’s late surge into contention is a possible boost for flag football throughout the City Series. While Buchtel (3-8) and Early College (3-8) improved throughout the season, other schools may consider fielding teams for a sport that has experienced rapid growth over the past three years. There are more than 120 teams in Northeast Ohio – an increase of 50 percent over the past three seasons.

Dimengo, Buchtel coach Aaron Nelson and Early College’s Charles Burger envisioned all APS schools fielding flag football teams – and contending for the state tournament bids.

 “We were allowed to compete as a club team and everybody was allowed to compete in the postseason when we started four years ago,” Akron Early College coach Charles Burger. “It was a pretty cool experience. We had less than 65 teams altogether, and the Browns were really instrumental in pumping money into the league and getting everything started.” 

Ohio became the 17th state to officially sanction girls high school football last July. The Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals, both of whom provide uniforms and starter kits ( uniforms, rope ladders, flags, footballs and cones) are sponsoring the inaugural sanctioned state championship tournament May 16, 2026 at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton with more than 120 teams expected to compete.

“We've had some tough losses, including (Canton) McKinley, who's kind of a powerhouse in our division,” Burger said. “I’ve got to give a big hat off to Ellet and what Dimengo is doing with the young ladies over there.

“I would like to see the sport grow and I would hope that all of the city series teams would field a team because I think it's an amazing sport. I think flag football is like anything else in that it teaches you how to handle adversity and the value of teamwork.”

Said Nelson, “We can actually have a City Series just like the boys. It’s nice playing schools out of district, but there's nothing like our girls competing within the city. I feel like every school needs a girls flag football team.”

Nelson, a Firestone CLC graduate, is planning to spend the off-season looking to bolster a roster that features all underclassmen. With flag football officially an Olympic sport, he anticipates greater participation in 2027.

“The coaches can support the girls, but the schools have to get behind it,” said Nelson, whose Griffins closed with a thrilling 35-25 loss to Field. “It shocked me that Firestone doesn't have a flag team, just because of the amount of kids it has over there.”

The district’s three largest schools – Firestone, Garfield and North – will be challenged to form teams as the sport continues to gather momentum.

“If you want to be a part of this thing, I say get on it now while it’s rolling,” said Nelson, who has been in contact with college coaches looking to recruit flag football players. “You can fall behind just waiting.”

The student athletes are no longer waiting. The coaches expect their roster to grow next year with all three having both junior varsity and varsity teams. 

“I’ve seen improvement from everybody,” said Ellet senior middle linebacker Jamiyah Davis. “I really wanted something to get out of my comfort zone, and I feel like flag football is perfect for me.

 “After our first few games, things began to click. We understood what we had to do to execute, and we found some chemistry at the end of the season. Now, everybody is on the same track.

“When I made the team, my motivation really went higher and I realized I could do this. It's really fun and it gives my mind a break. I just love the team.”

Saniya Williams, a junior, who helped Ellet capture the City Series basketball championship, stars on both offense and defense. “Basketball and football are kind of like the same things because I used similar skills,” Williams said. “I adjusted quickly by using my IQ and instincts.”

Ellet stumbled early in a blow-out loss to Tallmadge, but rebounded to make a run at the postseason. 

“I think that first game we didn't know what to expect,” Dimengo said. “There was a big adjustment for both the players and the coaches.”

It was an even bigger adjustment for Burger, considering he did not have any assistants. He manipulated an uneven practice schedule, but still managed to extract more from an Early College team that was competitive during the second half of the season.

“We were excited to be playing that first game, and we got caught up in the moment,” said Burger, whose team won its season finale. “We settled down and relaxed, which helped us play better down the stretch. We had more practices under our belt, and it helped our fundamentals.”

Fundamentally, all three APS teams were stronger during the second half of the season. Ellet, however, managed to draw closer to the league’s top teams and surge past more established programs in Massillon, Hoban and Canton GlenOak, in part, because of their leading scorers, sophomore Ja’Niyah Carter and freshman Pashion Ward. 

“It was extremely cold still early in the season,” Dimengo said.
”I would tell the girls the best way when you're not thinking about the temperatures is just play football and when you're scoring touchdowns and pulling flags, you stop thinking about the temperature.”

“The game is a little bit more physical than some of the girls thought it would be,” said Burger, whose first team included players from both Early College and STEM. “Now, there’s a lot of excitement around our team.”

Unless the rules change, Akron Early College will be unable to participate in next year’s postseason play even if it qualifies. Currently, club teams are ineligible to compete in OHSAA-sanctioned playoffs. The school student athletes have the option of playing with the school in their district. For now, those options are only Ellet and Buchtel.

“If you want an opportunity to play in the postseason that's fine,” said Burger, whose team was led by senior quarterback Sa’Viona Finney, sophomore running back/blitzer London Laster and sophomore receiver Samariah McDaniel.

Burger added that a handful of his players reside in the East CLC cluster. But when East could pull together a team, Early College was an option. Burger, like the other APS coaches, are hoping the district continues to support flag football.