Two-time defending state champion St. Joseph will actually have some substitutes this time around.
The Detroit Sports Commission announced Tuesday, Aug. 11, that it has added a girls flag football doubleheader to the 21st annual Amazon Prep Kickoff Classic at Tom Adams Field on the campus of Wayne State in Detroit.
The Bears will face Macomb L’Anse Creuse North at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 26, and Redford Thurston takes on state runner-up Gibraltar Carlson at 8 p.m. immediately afterward.
The other boys football games during the Week 1 showcase are Novi Detroit Catholic Central vs. Clinton Township Chippewa Valley (4 p.m.) and Grand Rapids Kenowa Hills vs. DeWitt (7 p.m.) Thursday, Aug. 27, followed by Birmingham Groves vs. North Farmington (4 p.m.) and Michigan City, Indiana, vs. Detroit Cass Tech (7 p.m.) Friday, Aug. 28.
It’s the third season a girls game will be featured at Wayne State. This time, though, the girls get their own night instead of being the matinee for the Day 1 games.
Groves beat Genesee 32-6 in the inaugural game in 2024.
But the 2025 matchup was a little crazy.
School was already in session for St. Joseph, so it could bring only seven players to Detroit. For those unaware, seven is how many you must have on the field at once.
Yet that’s all the Bears needed.
Quarterback Lainie Dorow completed 16 of 24 passes for 143 yards, two TDs and an extra point, while receiver Meghan Postelli caught 10 passes for 112 yards to help St. Joseph edge Redford Union 13-6 and kick off its title defense.
“We were back in school then, so I had to twist the arms of some of our players to get them out of their other sports to come with me,” Koch said in a phone interview. “I showed up with exactly seven players, and that seventh player couldn’t commit until 5 a.m. that morning, so it was a challenge, but we showed up and a couple of our girls played well, even with it being one of those weird games.”
St. Joseph won’t be shorthanded this time.
The Bears don’t return to school until the following Friday, so Koch expects many players from his Michigan Girls High School Flag Football League championship team this past spring to make the trip.
That includes Dorow, who threw for 1,969 yards, 28 TDs and two interceptions during the Bears’ 7-0 run. St. Joseph beat Gibraltar Carlson 28-12 in the state championship game, while Dorow was unanimously voted by coaches as the inaugural Michigan Miss Flag Football winner.
St. Joseph will face a tough L’Anse Creuse North squad that won its Only The Beginning Division, and knocked off Detroit King and Thurston in back-to-back playoff games before falling to Carlson in the state semifinal.
The Crusaders return a loaded roster, led by seniors Aaliyah Lawson, Brielle Grant and Grace Peraino, who are ranked among the top-30 recruits in the state by the Michigan Flag Football Network. Sophomore Knoelanni Gjelaj is also a top-25 prospect in her class.
It should be a good test for the Bears as they try to defend their championship for a second straight season.
“The bright lights don’t really impact them,” Koch said. “We’ll play you anywhere. St. Joe, Battle Creek, Ford Field, Wayne State. It’s still just 7-on-7 football and the same field. We’re just excited about the chance to suit up and play. Just tell us who we are playing, and we’re ready to go. That’s always been our mindset.”
The nightcap should be just as exciting.
Carlson’s state runner-up team looks much improved after a busy offseason of camps and tournaments.
A few Carlson players walked away from the Reaction Technologies Girls Flag Football Showcase and Development Camp in July at Wayne Memorial with college offers, including quarterback Jordan Sikora (Davenport), receiver Jillian Farago (Eastern Michigan) and defensive back Lunden Davis (EMU).
Sikora, Farago and Davis are each ranked among the top-30 players in the state, as are teammates Jaylin Golab, Jillian Gates and Blake Zachary.
Despite graduating key starters, Thurston is out to build on last year’s effort, when it won the Motor City Muscle League over rival Redford Union and reached the second round of the playoffs.
The Eagles will be led by quarterback Rayanna Lewis and receiver and defensive back Emiya Franklin, who are both ranked among the state’s top-30 players.
Prep Football Classic schedule 2026
Wednesday, Aug. 26
Thursday, Aug. 27
Friday, Aug. 28
Prep Football Classic tickets 2026
Admission: The girls flag football games are free Aug. 26. Tickets to the APKC boys games Aug. 27-28 are $15. One ticket provides admission for both games that day.
Where to buy: Tickets can be purchased at detroitsports.org/pkctickets.
Brandon Folsom covers high school sports for the Detroit Free Press. Follow him on X at @folsomwrites.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: State champ headlines 2 girls flag football games at Prep Football Classic
Reporting by Brandon Folsom, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Brandon Folsom, Detroit Free Press | USA TODAY Network
