I would say that the team chemistry is different.”

Alayna Adamez

With softball star Alayna Adamez throwing instead of catching, and lacrosse stars Madi Brinkman and Josie Leonard going for touchdowns instead of goals, one just knew the Park flag football team was going to succeed Sunday.

Down 20 points at one stage of the game, Park rallied for a dramatic 34-33 win over Simley in the second game to keep their flag football record spotless. Park improved to 8-0 on the season and drew the top seed in the section playoffs which start June 1.

“I would say that the team chemistry is different,” said Adamez. “Like I don’t know that many people on this team so I definitely had to learn how to collaborate with a lot of different people and I’m creating all these new bonds that I wouldn’t even know. Like I’m learning a new sport and getting more active is what I love to do and me being a part of this, especially with us winning, is just really a fun thing. Being happy all the time is really nice.”

Park had a much easier time in the opener, easily topping South St. Paul.

“Flag football is lot more like plays, you’ve got to know stuff, if you don’t know stuff you’re going to be messed up,” said Brinkman. “You’ve got to know everything. If you look at our coach on the sidelines, he’s giving plays, he doesn’t talk to us. He gives us signals and if you’re not watching him and if you are not watching him then it’s like … because in lacrosse it’s a lot of free play but in football it’s no free play. You get a play and you have to run it.”

Kick-started locally by grants from the Minnesota Vikings, girls flag football is the nation's fastest-growing emerging high school sport

Following a high school pilot program in 2024, the Vikings launched the first high school girls flag football league in partnership with 51 schools in 2025.

This year 51 high schools began competing in the state’s rollout of girls flag football. Games are played on Sunday, allowing athletes to double-dip and play flag football alongside spring sports such as softball, lacrosse, golf or track.

That was definitely true for the Wolfpack this season as a mixture of athletes from the traditional high school spring sports have joined together to tackle, er touch, football.

“I think it’s fun to see people who aren’t in their normal, either on the ice or in a softball field, I think it’s really good to see people play on the turf, like you don’t see that and outside their normal environment,” said Leonard. “Learning something new is great and especially here today seeing all the younger girls and seeing they can actually play football at our school. I think it makes more opportunities for people to get outside their comfort zone.”

The Vikings sponsor the spring league, which is not sanctioned by the Minnesota State High School League but aims to establish the sport in high schools.