Rome High Launches Girls Flag Football With Sky-High Expectations

Led by head coach Jared Hughes, the Lady Wolves’ first-ever flag football team blends passion, purpose, and talent — building a foundation for future generations of Rome High athletes

Rome High School Lady Wolves Flag Football / Threadgill Photography / IG: threadgillphotography

Girls Flag Football is one of the fastest growing high school sports in all of the country at the and it's starting to grow just as rapidly on the college level, creating scholarship opportunities at many schools.

Just How Big Has Girls Flag Football Become?

It's actually a really big deal.

Speaking for the state of Georgia, the Atlanta Falcons are backing the high school flag football programs across the state. NFL teams are huge supporters of the sport across the nation. In Georgia, just like the boy's side of football, the girls also get to play their state title games in Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia.

Big deal, right?

This sport is rapidly gaining the interest of young female athletes everywhere and with the opportunity to potentially attend college and play flag football on a scholarship is even more intriguing. This sport is even going to be featured in the next round of the Olympics. Georgia continues to add high school flag football programs and one of the latest is Rome High School. Already know for great and competitive athletics programs, expectations are high that Rome and succeed with flag football, right out of the gate.

Rome High Lady Wolves Are Ready to Get The "Ball" Rolling

With 70+ girls coming out for tryouts for the girl's flag football program at Rome, it seems like there is instant excitement and interest around the sport. Many of the girls are dual sport athletes and are busy with not just those other sports and activities but obviously school. Knowing that it is a lot to juggle, these girls still found the drive, the will and the want to come out and try this new sport within the program.

A Lot of Buzz Around the Program

The Lady Wolves head coach is Jared Hughes, who also serves as the school's girls basketball head basketball coach, as well as the Rome strength coach for female athletics. Needless to say, Coach Hughes has a great deal on his plate, but he embraces every bit of it, and it shows in the success of his teams and how they go about their business. When talking with Coach Hughes about the feeling around the Rome program and community with girl's flag football coming in, he obviously understands the program standards, and he has a group of girls who are ready to tackle the challenge.

"Rome High has a longstanding tradition of football excellence," said Hughes. "With all the girls taking part for the first time, there is a lot of buzz and excitement within our school building and even outside in the community. Most importantly, our Rome female athletes are incredibly excited for this new opportunity to shine.

"Flag football is the fastest-growing sport in the nation. It is now providing collegiate scholarship opportunities and will also be showcased to the world in the next Olympic cycle. I'm ecstatic that our Rome girls are in on the action."

Taking On Another Big Task and Maximizing It to The Fullest

Hughes is already successful with his girls basketball team, leading an outstanding group of girls and his vision is much more than just a sport or a title. Coach Hughes explained what went into this decision to lead his new team.

"I think our success on the basketball court was a deciding factor when the administration approached me to consider starting the program," said Hughes. "It was much less about football knowledge and more about maximizing the talent within the female athletes of our building. My programs have always pursued a Standard of Excellence, not necessarily in wins and losses even though we've been very fortunate in that regard, but more-so with how the girls carry themselves."

It's the little things that go a long way and when you are maximizing young athletes and their skillsets on and off the field or court. The winning usually follows. Hughes has a high standard for his girls in basketball, in the weight room and now on the gridiron. Coach Hughes credits his experience and previous coaches and programs for how he goes about dealing with his own teams. Hughes has learned under some great coaches and he himself has been at high levels before working to establish his plan and program even if that meant starting from scratch.

"From my personal standpoint, I found it intriguing to be able to start a program's culture from scratch. When I first started coaching girl's' basketball, I was blessed to transition easily from being an assistant under longtime coach Kevin Strickland, who had spent years establishing a high standard. When I went to the college ranks as a head coach, I inherited a program with a very poor culture, and we worked very hard to re-establish success quickly. So, I've been presented with various coaching scenarios throughout my career, which have hopefully prepared us for this challenge of implementing it all from ground zero. That challenge may be the last "Hoo-rah" of my now 15+ year coaching career, and I did not want to pass it."

A Family Full of Different Backgrounds and a Single Purpose

When starting from scratch in a sport within a program with such high standards, it's easy looking from the outside in and seeing different backgrounds and judging a new program that's just beginning. But, when you have a common goal and you have to build from the bottom together, it builds a family and trust that will be life-long and far beyond a game. These types of situations and challenges build character and teach so many lessons that can be applied to adulthood and life in general. For Coach Hughes and his staff, they have been able to adjust with other fall sport coaches and schedules which has given the staff an opportunity to be able to sit back and watch a team family bond while hoping it becomes contagious throughout the school.

"We were able to work well with our fall sport coaches to assemble a team of shared athletes from cross country, soccer, volleyball, cheer, softball and basketball. If you look at the national statistics, flag football has also gained popularity amongst students who don't participate in any other sport/activity. We have a few of those sprinkled in our roster as well. It's exciting to see such a talented group of young ladies from different backgrounds and various interests come together for a purpose. That's what team sports should always be about. It's been fun to watch thus far, and I believe that the sense of family within the program can only grow and expand to other parts of your school building." said Hughes.

The Desire and Dedication to Be the Best on and Off the Field

It's one thing to have talent but it's another thing to have a talented roster and a roster of tremendous girls who are respectful, hardworking, loving, caring and the will to learn at a deeper level and not just a surface level. Coach Hughes and his staff seem to have just that and it's a breath of fresh air to have a roster like that, especially when starting up a brand-new sport in any program!

"The roster we have assembled has been a coach's dream thus far. All of the players are seeking out instruction by asking relevant questions. They have a tangible desire to improve simply because they are so competitive. Every player receives constructive coaching incredibly well, and the retention of knowledge and application thereafter has made for insanely productive practices in a short time. The biggest takeaway is the amount of positivity around every practice and team event. It's very common to hear players say, "Thank you!" after receiving coaching points from our staff. As a staff, we don't want to gloss over that. I can't stress enough how unique that is in today's athletes so we're very grateful to our players and their families that have this desire to be the best and to have an immediate positive impact. Said Hughes.

Building a legacy of Impact for the Next Generation

A special group will always influence a generation, and this group of Lady Wolves are leading by example and plan to do a lot more than just win, they win all-around! It's important as a great athlete to be a great student, a great citizen and to lead by example and maximize the God-given abilities that we have all been Blessed with. For these Lady Wolves, they are already making that impactful mark.

"We are very aware that this group will be looked at as trailblazers. In that regard, we could not have selected more deserving players. If Rome High had a magazine for athletics, each one of these ladies would deserve to be on the cover. They are well-rounded in multiple activities, respectful in the classroom by peers and teachers, and are high achievers academically. I have already had families reaching out about possible young camps for the next summer as we grow the program. That's the lasting impact these ladies will have as the next generation has their eyes upon them. I honestly hope that's not lost on our current athletes because that responsibility is something special that most do not get to bear." Said Hughes.

Playing with Purpose and an All-Around Identity

It's important to have a team that understands hard work, togetherness and selflessness. The Lady Wolves have been showing their coaches they possess that, and they plan to take that to the gridiron and make big things happen!

"Rome will have athletic playmakers on the field at all times. We could not have chosen a better mix that represents everything we want to stand for. They are no-nonsense, "Lunch pail" type kids that show up, outwork everyone in the room, rinse and repeat. When you piece together a puzzle of what a complete football team should be, I believe we have several of those ingredients. We have the most elusive quarterback in the area in Lilly Blanchard, who has been nearly impossible to bring down on the initial pass rush. Denisse Funez-Vela has been the cerebral one who has picked up the "Football IQ" with little hesitation. Mykeelah Dennis plays pass rusher for us and finds herself shedding blocks into the backfield while disrupting the other team. Kyleigh Adams rounds out our senior class as an aggressive flag puller who doesn't give ground at linebacker.

It sounds as if the Rome Lady Wolves are talented from top to bottom and those names mentioned are going to be major pieces that are relied upon during this first season. However, the program has a lot of young faces on the team that could not only make impact this season but for seasons to come.

"I wouldn't deem our program as strictly 'senior-led.' We expect a ton out of all of our kids, despite age and experience. With all of our athletes on the same learning curve, there is no excuse for us to not row this boat in the same direction together. Almost 75% of our roster are freshman and sophomores." said Hughes.

There is a strategy to this team being young and it's going to not only benefit now but the near future as well.

"As a staff, we purposely built the roster this way to allow multiple years of growth," Hughes explained. "However, we have been pleasantly surprised with how quickly some of them have picked up on our concepts. Sophomores Bella Echanique and Melanie Hernandez should be talked about as some of the best 2-way players in Georgia. I would argue they could be All-Region at multiple positions this year. If you are a stock enthusiast, you may want to buy into freshman Ra'Nhiya Sams before her price skyrockets over the next few years."

The beautiful thing about starting up a new sport within a great program like Rome High School is, you get to work with outstanding student-athletes. As for the student-athletes, they get to learn under great coaches and this combination creates a tremendous recipe. However, you still have to figure it all out and make it work but that's exactly what Coach Hughes, his staff and the student-athletes are working towards.

"Probably the most exciting part of when you ask about impact players is at this juncture, it is anyone's guess," added Hughes. "We are still mixing and matching lineups, positions, and rotations, in order to find the perfect fit. There is a constant sense of competition because all of these young ladies want to see the field and improve. It's a great starting point for a program and I'm excited to see where we end up if that mentality holds."

With everything being built from ground, up, one thing is for certain, this amazing coaching staff and group of student-athletes are working to find a way to win and be as great as possible on the gridiron, but most importantly they are learning, being taught and working in ways to lead and be impactful to the next generation watching their every move.

The excitement is at an all-time high at Rome High School for the Girls Flag Football program, and you can expect great things from the Wolves on and off the field this season. Be sure to keep up with what the Lady Wolves are doing this year.