Madras High School's girls flag football program helped blaze a trail — and on Monday, the sport they helped pilot officially joined the Oregon high school athletics calendar.
The OSAA Delegate Assembly voted October 12 to approve girls flag football as a fully sanctioned high school sport, beginning with the spring 2027 season. Oregon is now the 25th state in the country to recognize flag football as an official girls sport, a milestone backed by financial support from the Seattle Seahawks and Nike, who have pledged equipment and jerseys to growing programs across the state.
Madras Was in the Game From the Start
Madras High was one of just six Central Oregon schools that fielded a girls flag football team while the sport was still in the OSAA Emerging Activities program — the two-year trial period the association uses to determine whether a new sport has the participation and staying power to earn a permanent spot on the schedule.
The other Central Oregon schools in the pilot were Mountain View, Summit, Bend High, Crook County, and Central Christian. Statewide, more than 50 schools participated in the spring 2026 season — enough to convince the OSAA Delegate Assembly that the sport had earned its place.
First State Championship Set for Spring 2027
With sanction now official, the first OSAA-sanctioned girls flag football state championship is scheduled for spring 2027. Girls flag football joins boys volleyball — added for the 2025-26 school year — as the two sports to advance from Emerging Activities to full OSAA recognition in recent years.
For Madras athletes who spent a season competing without a state title to chase, next spring could bring exactly that opportunity. The White Buffaloes flag football program now has less than one year to prepare for a fully sanctioned postseason run.
Buffaloes Football Eyes Thursday Road Test
On the traditional gridiron, the Madras White Buffaloes varsity football team heads to Elmira this Thursday, October 15, for a 6:15 p.m. kickoff. The Buffaloes are 1-5 overall and 0-2 in 3A Special District 3 play, looking to find their footing in the second half of the season. Fans can follow the game live on MaxPreps.
The White Buffaloes beat Pleasant Hill in the final regular-season game last year to earn a share of the 3A SD3 title — a reminder of how quickly fortunes can turn in a short high school season.