Calvary Day proves it belongs on national flag football stage

Calvary Day School left Canton, Ohio, with a 2-2 record, a 69-39 scoring edge and a clear national benchmark for where Savannah flag football stands. The Cavaliers were one of only 22 teams invited to the Unrivaled High School Flag Football Nationals at Hall of Fame Village, a field that pulled together elite programs from 11 states and put Calvary on a stage far bigger than its usual slate.

The results gave the trip real weight. Calvary opened with a 29-0 win, then took a 26-14 loss to a Florida team that entered as the defending Class 4A state champion. The Cavaliers answered the next day and closed the weekend with a 20-0 shutout of the Connecticut Lady Warriors in the consolation game, a finish that showed the group could absorb a setback and still leave with momentum.

Julianna Kitchen was the central figure in that run. She earned a spot on the All-Tournament Team after scoring five touchdowns and intercepting three passes, a two-way line that fit the best players in flag football, where one athlete can alter a game on both sides of the ball. In the final game, Sa’Nai Williams delivered a sack to set the tone on defense, and Page Stewart finished a touchdown connection with Kitchen to help seal the shutout.

The trip also sharpened the broader context around Calvary’s rise. Georgia did not sanction girls flag football until the 2020-21 season, making it the fourth state to give the sport official high school status. The Georgia High School Association now runs a five-division state championship format, and Calvary already owns a place in that history after winning the first GHSA girls flag football title in December 2020, a 6-0 victory over Portal at Georgia State’s Center Parc Stadium.

That local foundation has become part of a much larger surge. More than 300 Georgia high schools were expected to play girls flag football in fall 2025, the GHSA said about 8,500 girls participated at more than 300 schools last year, and the National Federation of State High School Associations reported 68,847 girls competed nationally in 2024-25, with nearly 1,000 more schools offering the sport. For Nick Grassi’s program, Canton provided more than wins and losses. It gave Savannah a result that can help with recruiting, stronger scheduling and a growing case for respect beyond state lines.