Flag football players trying to balance busy winter sports schedules

Posted by author February 3, 2025 Football

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Some of Kitsap’s top flag football players are multi-sport athletes who didn’t want to pass up the chance to try a new sport this winter.

During Kingston’s first home girls flag football event earlier this month, two opposing coaches identified Buccaneers senior Kate Collins as a undeniable difference-maker, after she finished with two touchdowns on offense and four interceptions on defense in wins against Bainbridge and Olympic.

“Best player in the league,” one coach commented.

Collins sounded surprised upon hearing about the coaches’ compliments, responding: “That’s crazy! That’s so sweet!”

After helping Kingston’s first-year program win four of its first five games, Collins said she’s simply glad to have an opportunity this winter to play flag football, which could become an officially-sanctioned Washington Interscholastic Activities Association sport this April. Collins is also in the middle of the season for her club soccer team, Kitsap Alliance. She initially wasn’t sure she’d be able to participate in both sports at the same time.

“I talked to my coach and he was like, ‘Yeah, you guys are seniors, I want you to have fun, just try to be here twice a week,'” Collins said. “So he’s been really cool about it.”

Collins isn’t the only Kingston flag football player balancing club sport duties this winter. Buccaneers head coach Levi Andrew said out of the 17 athletes on his roster, seven are involved in club sports, including soccer and softball.

“I haven’t had anyone make a problem of it,” Andrew said.

As it turns out, Collins’ coach with Kitsap Alliance, Brandon Kluk, is a big fan of flag football and said there are more student-athletes balancing flag football duties with other sports this winter than people might realize. Kluk’s daughter, Mickie, is one of them — she competes for Olympic’s flag team in addition to playing club soccer for Kitsap Alliance.

“We have KAFC soccer players in all grades on every single team in the area,” Brandon Kluk said, “and they are a lot of the prime contributors on the flag football field for respective squads.”

Kluk said there is a misconception that Kitsap Alliance players aren’t allowed to compete in other sports, either in-season or out-of-season, stating that the club believes in the benefit of well-rounded athletes. Ultimately, it’s up to the individual player to decide if doing two sports at once is manageable — and many are trying.

Kitsap Alliance player Ayla Warden, a junior at Klahowya Secondary School, is competing with Olympic’s flag team as a receiver. Warden said a physical education teacher suggested she try out for flag football and she’s happy she listened.

“I feel like I’m learning things here that I can use in soccer,” Warden said.

“These players definitely have kept busy,” Kluk added, “and it has been commonplace to see them arriving at soccer training sessions in their flag football uniforms and doing a wardrobe change before jumping in.”

Kluk said he’s been an advocate for letting his athletes broaden their horizons instead of closing the door of opportunity, especially when it comes to seniors.

“Our senior players almost always sign up for some school sports they haven’t played before, just for fun, and as long as they keep up their end of the bargain with attendance and communication, we’re all about it,” Kluk said. “It’s been awesome to watch our seniors and all of the other players get the chance to try something new athletically with flag football, and I imagine it’s here to stay.”

Flag football playoffs approaching in February

With the season in girls flag football winding down this week, Kingston (11-1) has already clinched a Puget Sound League playoff berth as the top seed in the Olympic Division, while Olympic (6-6), Bainbridge (5-7) and North Kitsap (5-7) are battling it out for a second playoff berth. Those four teams, plus Bremerton (0-12), finish out the regular season Thursday with two games apiece.

There will be a six-team Puget Sound League tournament Feb. 4. District playoffs are Feb. 8 and state playoffs are Feb. 15.

In the South Puget Sound League, South Kitsap (7-6) concludes its regular season with a home game against Emerald Ridge on Friday.