Flag football is one of the fastest-growing sports in the United States. The National Football League (NFL) reported that participation in youth flag football had exceeded 7.8 million participants in 2024, and flag football is on track to make its Olympic debut in the Los Angeles 2028 games. BASIS Independent McLean is part of this growth. This year has been the inaugural season of BIM Flag, and we are headed to the playoffs!
The road to the playoffs has been anything but easy. Our roster is built mostly from middle school students, many of whom had never played organized football before. Our first game of the season was against The Lab School of Washington, an experienced team with many high school players. “Playing The Lab School, the first game was the biggest challenge,” said Rocco Clark, an 8th grader on the team. “They were very good and had many more high school players than our team.” We ended up losing the game to The Lab School, even though we came in very confident. And unfortunately, this was the tone for the next few games. We would come to the games strong and confident, doubting the other teams, which caused us to lose 12-point leads quickly as we were not mentally prepared.
We also lost the next two games. Despite the early losses, our team did not fold. The BIM Flag Football team is a perfect example of BASIS student attributes. We persevered and still kept showing up. As the quarterback, Gayatri Setty said,
“Our team is unique because of the diversity in age and skill levels, but everyone wants the same thing — to win.” And we did. After a 0–3 run, we won our next game 68–0. This big win showed our team that perseverance and hard work pay off. The team is smaller, physically and numerically, than many of its opponents, but few teams have shown the same relentless effort as BASIS. BASIS has consistently sprinted the full length of the field many times to catch a flag, and Rocco has made several notable diving catches. The BASIS Hawks have shown a strong drive to win.
As we now prepare for playoffs, the team is hungry for more. The early losses that once defined us are now fuel. The 68–0 win vs The Siena School is proof that we are ready to play The Lab School again. The playoffs will not be easy — but neither was clawing back from a 0-3 record. Whatever happens next, the BASIS Hawks will not go down without a fight. Flag football is growing fast around the country. At BASIS Independent Mclean, it is just getting started.
