Groves, Seaholm explore co-op to bolster girls flag football team

Birmingham Groves and Birmingham Seaholm will co-op in girls flag football for at least the inaugural Oakland Activities Association season this fall, a move Birmingham Public School District announced after months of discussion. Coach Geoff Wickersham called it a “pilot program,” and the schools have not yet decided whether the partnership will carry into the Michigan Girls High School Flag Football League next spring.

Groves was shorthanded twice in the 2026 spring season, including a non-league game at Brighton where the team dressed only 16 players and a matchup against rival Clawson when several starters were unavailable because of orchestra, dance and DECA. Groves finished 1-4 overall and 1-3 in the All Us League, even with five players, Aliyah Wright, JaLayah Buffin-Pitts, Ella Kecskemeti, Ke’lko Buskin and Morgan Bass, making the Free Press’ inaugural All-State team.

Wickersham said the fall roster should be easier to build because it will draw athletes who are not in season for lacrosse, soccer and track and field. Spring remains less certain, and he said if Groves and Seaholm each had about 30 players, administrators would decide whether to field separate teams.

The Detroit Lions’ Michigan Girls High School Flag Football League is entering its fourth season in 2026 after starting with four teams in its 2023 pilot season and growing to 41 schools and more than 1,000 participants in 2025. That same year, the league staged its first state championship tournament at Ford Field, where St. Joseph edged Brighton 21-20. The regular season runs about four weeks before a one-day postseason tournament, and the league is still operating as a club sport while pushing for state-sanctioned status.

In the NFHS participation survey, 68,847 girls played flag football at 2,736 schools in 2024-25, and the NFHS approved eight rule changes for 2026-27, including a comeback possession option after a try and a new field-size option.