A year ago, the Rome High School flag football program was still a dream yet to become a reality. A grant from the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation, in partnership with the Atlanta Falcons, helped pave the way for the Wolves’ program, which went from not existing to reaching the second round of the state playoffs in roughly six months.
Rome High School’s program has again been selected to receive a foundation grant to continue to grow as it prepares to enter its second year.
“We can’t thank the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation and the Atlanta Falcons enough for their strong support of flag football. Their initial grant allowed us to go from talking about flag football to actually fielding our first flag football team,” Rome High School Athletic Director Chris Boden says. “Last fall, our girls showed what is possible by going from never playing the game to reaching the second round of the state playoffs. This new grant will help us continue to grow the sport.”
Rome’s team began with tryouts in late May and a lot of work over the summer months, just learning the basics of the sport. Led by Coach Jared Hughes and a roster of athletes from other sports learning the basics of flag football, the team took off.
The team finished the year with a 10-3 record as the Area 7, Division 2 runner-up and reached the second round of the state playoffs. The Wolves topped a fifth-year program, Washington, in the opening round before falling to eventual state champion Greenbrier in the second round.
“There's not a group of kids at Rome High that deserves more attention, that deserves more praise. We talk all the time in my programs about the standard. Well, the standard's been raised, and the standard is now this team,” Hughes said after the season-ending loss to Greenbrier. “We already exceeded expectations, so the pressure's going to be on to repeat this. It's not going to be any easier a path. We have a group underneath that's not interested in taking a step backwards, so I'm excited to see the growth of the program.”
Hughes and his charges continue to work, and with the second grant announced earlier last week, they will use the funding to keep moving the program in the right direction.
“Rome City Schools would like to thank the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation and the Atlanta Falcons for helping us to start a flag football program,” Rome City Schools Superintendent Dr. Eric L. Holland said. “It was amazing to see the amount of energy, enthusiasm, and excitement the flag football team generated last year, and we can’t wait to see what the team has in its future.”