Football Fridays in Georgia: Flag Football Fever

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From the 2024 GHSA Flag Football Division 3 Championship: Pace Academy vs. Pope

In this episode of the Football Fridays in Georgia Podcast, hosts Jon Nelson and Hannah Goodin explore the rapid rise of girls' flag football across the state. Once considered a recreational side note, the sport has grown into a competitive and fast-moving force, with more than 300 high school programs and dozens more on the way. Hannah and Jon trace the sport’s momentum from the Atlanta Falcons’ early support to legislative backing at the state level, and even to new opportunities at the collegiate level where Division I programs are now offering scholarships.

The episode also features two standout coaching duos who are helping define the sport’s future. At Pope High School, father-son coaches Kevin and Mark Fraser reflect on building a championship team and the importance of academic excellence, highlighting their players’ 4.4 GPA average and standout quarterback Abby Bensman. Down in Southeast Georgia, Marci and Nick Cochran, a husband-and-wife team, share stories from their near-perfect run at Southeast Bulloch, where they’ve turned a small-town team into a national powerhouse. With a documentary crew following their journey and a growing reputation across the region, they say flag football is not just a game, it’s a community-changing movement.

This episode of the Football Fridays in Georgia Podcast spotlights the explosive growth of girls' flag football across the state, from new high school teams to emerging college scholarships. Coaches from Pope and Southeast Bulloch share how their programs are setting the standard and reshaping perceptions of the sport.