SOUTH MISSISSIPPI (WLOX) – The NFL may have wrapped its season with the Super Bowl on Sunday, but for some on the Coast, the football season is just getting started.

For those, the chance to take the field is also an opportunity to redefine what it means to “play like a girl.”

“I think it means just play your heart out, have fun and don’t listen to what anybody says or thinks and just play like you always play,” Vancleave High School freshman and flag football hopeful Savannah Hoak told WLOX News Now on day two of tryouts.

Having fun is exactly what Hoak and her fellow Lady Bulldogs plan to do as they flip the script on the outdated adage and hit the field this spring.

A year after launching girl’s high school flag football in Louisiana, the New Orleans Saints are moving into Mississippi for a league of their own.

Four-time All-Pro linebacker Demario Davis announced the new 12-team league, which includes three schools from Jackson County, during Super Bowl festivities in New Orleans last week.

According to Vancleave High School Athletic Director Dean Lepoma, the Saints’ support is invaluable.

“It’s a great thing. You know public schools don’t have the money to go out and buy all the equipment, all the uniforms – start from scratch,“ Lepoma said. ”And the Saints and the MHSAA have come in and given us everything we need.”

St. Martin High School Athletic Director Jesse Kanode says the pilot program could even be worth its weight in gold once the Los Angeles Olympic Games roll around in four years.

“We feel like we are empowering our young ladies to break barriers and stereotypes,” Kanode said. “We may have a gold medal winner coming from South Mississippi. It’s going to be an Olympic Sport in 2028.”

More than 30 girls signed up for tryouts in Vancleave, including one who is no stranger to the pigskin. Junior Jordyn Raynor also kicks for the boys’ varsity team but admits the opportunity to play with the girls just makes sense.

“It’s made it a little easier because now I’m out here with girls so now I can enjoy myself a little bit more,” Raynor admitted. “Have more people to talk to out here, but it’s a little different because the rules are different.”

Bulldogs football coach Todd Alford tells WLOX that tryouts have been competitive and he wishes he could keep them all.

“We have a lot of girls that came out yesterday and they are giving it their all just trying to be a part of the team,” Alford said. “We wish we could take all of them. They are kind of limited on the numbers that we’ve got right now. That’s not just us, that’s the whole program. But hopefully, it will grow and be something we can look forward to in the future.”

For Lady Bulldogs Raynor and Hoak, the future is now.

“I always want to push myself to do things that people think I can’t do,” Raynor said.

“Try something new,” Hoak added. “You never know if you are going to like it or not.”

Besides St. Martin and Vancleave, East Central is also in the league, as well as other nearby schools: George County and Picayune.

The complete list of participating schools includes:

• Brandon High School

• East Central High School

• George County High School

• McComb High School

• Meridian High School

• Oak Grove High School

• Perry Central High School

• Picayune High School

• Richland High School

• South Pike High School

• St. Martin High School

• Vancleave High School

The season starts March 17 with all weekly games to be held at Southwest Mississippi Community College and Picayune High School.

“In keeping with our mission to enhance the educational experience through opportunities for participation in interscholastic activities, this initiative reflects our commitment to growing access and opportunity for student-athletes throughout the state,” MHSAA Executive Director Rickey Neaves said.

“We are grateful for the New Orleans Saints and the NFL for their partnership in this effort and look forward to building a robust, long-term relationship with the Saints organization.”

Flag football will officially be included in the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games program, led by efforts of the International Federations of American Football (IFAF) and supported by the NFL.

Tryouts continue at Vancleave while St. Martin begins next week.

See a spelling or grammar error in this story? Report it to our team HERE.

Copyright 2025 WLOX. All rights reserved.