A new era of high school sports is just weeks away in North Carolina.
North Carolina became the 21st state to sanction high school girls flag football in May, with more than 150 schools committing to field teams this fall. In the Wilmington area, the inaugural season kicks off Wednesday, Sept. 9.
Practice begins Aug. 31, with all four New Hanover County schools, along with North Brunswick and West Brunswick, competing in 2026.
Games will be played each Wednesday at two sites, except for Week 1, when all six area teams will gather at Ashley. Teams will play 10 regular-season games, often competing twice in the same night.
Playoff seeding is set for Oct. 28, with the first two rounds Oct. 31 and state championships Nov. 14. The NCHSAA has not yet
announced postseason classifications or championship locations.
Here are 31 Wilmington-area high school girls flag football players to watch in 2026.
Caroline Smist, Soph., Ashley
Ashley quarterback Caroline Smist is one of the area's top players, leading a Screaming Eagles squad that played for a championship trophy last fall.
Ashley is led by coach Bobby Edmonds, who will guide the Screaming Eagles into their first season of sanctioned play.
Flag football might be in its infancy in North Carolina, but Ashley already has a strong tradition in the sport. The Screaming Eagles won the inaugural state championship in 2024 and returned to the title game last fall while the sport was still unsanctioned.
Junior running backs Mariah Brown and Jaliyah Phason will see plenty of the ball this fall, while wideouts Elin Bentley and Chloe Laverty give Smist a pair of aerial threats.
On defense, Braeelyn Yoeman will start at defensive back, while sophomore Karsyn Fox will serve as Ashley’s center.
Bethany Bowen, Sr, Hoggard
The Vikings are led by coach Mitchell McCoy this fall as they enter their first season of sanctioned play.
Senior wideout Bethany Bowen leads the Vikings' offensive attack, while senior receiver and safety Harper Menius and junior Reagan Jones give Hoggard two more playmakers to work with.
Aaliyah Wright Lewis and senior defensive back Angel Gore round out a Hoggard group with plenty of talent and high expectations entering the 2026 season.
Brooklyn King, Sr., Laney
Another Wilmington school that is no stranger to flag football is Laney, coached by Robert Surface. The Buccaneers have played three unsanctioned seasons and enter their first sanctioned campaign under the leadership of star safety Brooklynn King.
At quarterback, Lucy Devane returns for her junior season as the Bucs’ lead offensive playmaker. She’s joined in the backfield by running back Liz Mejia-Portillo.
On defense, Maggie Bryant (LB) and Isabella Izcoa (CB) join King in anchoring a Laney squad that should be one of the area’s best this fall.
Victoria Quintana, Sr., New Hanover
The Wildcats are led by coach Semage Moore, a 2022 New Hanover graduate who played football for the Wildcats before continuing his career at Randolph-Macon College.
At 21, Moore is among the youngest head coaches in any sport in Wilmington. He views that as a tool, not a hindrance.
“It’s been very fun,” Moore said. “It’s been a lot easier to relate and get through to the girls because it hasn’t been that long since I was in their shoes.”
Leading New Hanover is senior wideout Victoria Quintana, a three-sport athlete who has two Division II offers to play flag football collegiately.
Junior running back Camille Brown and senior defenders Sa’Da Beatty (DB/WR) and Zeria Davis (DB) round out some of the Wildcats’ most promising players.
Laya Wizman, Jr., North Brunswick
North Brunswick is led by coach Dante Lombardi, who departed Ashley last fall after serving as the Screaming Eagles’ tackle and flag football coach for the past four years.
This fall marks the Scorpions’ first season playing flag football.
Lombardi, who also serves as North Brunswick’s defensive coordinator, is high on players like junior quarterback Laya Wizman.
Running back Ma’Niyah Gaskins and receiver Kaitlyn Knotts join all-around athlete Virginia Watkins as some of the Scorpions’ top offensive threats. On defense, Jaritza Barraza will play defensive back.
Bella Bullock, Jr., West Brunswick
West Brunswick also launches its flag football program this fall, with coach Donnie Johnson leading the Trojans.
Bella Bullock, Lexi Beers, London Richardson, Ashley Cruz and Janaeyah Holmes are among the team’s top players entering its inaugural season.
This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: 31 Wilmington high school girls flag football players to watch in 2026
