Ava Ortman didn’t have time to think. Rolling right, chased out of the pocket, she found Mya Smith working back toward the pylon and let it fly. Smith came down with it just inside the goal line, and the Los Angeles Seahawks had themselves an NFL FLAG Championships title.
The Seahawks beat the Austin Texans 15-14 in overtime Sunday to win the Girls’ High School division at the third annual NFL FLAG Championships, capping four days of youth flag football at the Droplight Grand Park Sports Campus in Westfield, Indiana. According to NFL.com, the finish came on a two-point conversion after Ortman and Smith connected again to force extra time.
Earlier Sunday, the Ocala Bucs ran away with the Boys’ Under-14 title, beating the New York City Ravens 33-21 behind tournament MVP Drake Eason.
Seahawks Survive a Back-and-Forth Final
The girls’ final had no shortage of swings. Ortman hit Smith to open the scoring, but the Texans answered fast — Emery Beckett found Zahra Hill to tie it right back up. Austin’s Kaitlyn Reynolds then turned a highlight-reel pass breakup on defense into a go-ahead touchdown catch on the next series, giving the Texans the lead.
Ortman and Smith weren’t finished. Ortman found Smith again, this time on a throw over the middle just past the goal line, tying the game and setting up the extra session. The Texans went back ahead on a one-point conversion in overtime, but Ortman and Smith closed it out with the two-pointer that won it.
Colts owner Kalen Jackson presented the championship trophy on the field afterward, per NFL.com‘s recap of the game.
NFL posted on X: “AVA ORTMAN TO MYA SMITH FOR THE WIN! The Seahawks are 2026 HS Girls @NFLFLAG Champions!” —
AVA ORTMAN TO MYA SMITH FOR THE WIN! 🏆
The Seahawks are 2026 HS Girls @NFLFLAG Champions! pic.twitter.com/fZJVbLvwnd
— NFL (@NFL) July 26, 2026
The Texans came in as the defending champions, adding an extra layer to a final that went the distance.
Bucs Pull Away Behind Eason and Two Pick-Sixes
The boys’ final wasn’t as tight. Eason got Ocala rolling early with a touchdown throw to Kingstyn Henderson, then hit Duke Simpkins on a deep shot to push the lead to 15-0. Two pick-six interceptions by the Bucs’ defense stretched the margin to 33-13, and New York City never found a way back in.
Colts quarterback Daniel Jones handed out the championship hardware to the Bucs on the field at Grand Park, according to NFL.com’s coverage of the event.
NFL posted on X: “.@Colts QB Daniel Jones hands out the hardware to the Bucs from Ocala, FL! A new 14U Boys NFL Flag Football champion is crowned at @GrandParkSports!” —
.@Colts QB Daniel Jones hands out the hardware to the Bucs from Ocala, FL! 🏆
A new 14U Boys NFL Flag Football champion is crowed at @GrandParkSports! pic.twitter.com/1LWAOOEvxb
— NFL (@NFL) July 26, 2026
NFL also posted during the game itself: “ANOTHER BUCS PICK-6. They are closing in the 14U Boys Flag Championship at @GrandParkSports” —
ANOTHER BUCS PICK-6
They are closing in the 14U Boys Flag Championship at @GrandParkSports 🏆
2026 @NFLFLAG Championships on ESPN/NFLNhttps://t.co/u9u8C2UgX8 to find a league near you pic.twitter.com/BRNSM8HnuY
— NFL (@NFL) July 26, 2026
A Weekend That Went Well Beyond Two Finals
The championship games were the headline moments, but they were the finish line for a tournament that ran Thursday through Sunday and pulled in every corner of the sport. All 32 NFL clubs had a regional champion in the field, joined by 15 international teams — the largest field in the event’s three-year history, and the first time the tournament has been held in an NFL club market.
Saturday brought international hardware, too. Mexico won the International U15 Girls’ Championship, and Canada took the International U15 Co-Ed title. The CK Divas won the High School Girls’ B Bracket, and MIA FLAG claimed the Boys’ B Bracket championship on the same day.
| Division | Champion | Runner-Up | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Girls’ High School | LA Seahawks | Austin Texans | 15-14 (OT) |
| Boys’ Under-14 | Ocala Bucs | NYC Ravens | 33-21 |
| International U15 Girls | Mexico | — | — |
| International U15 Co-Ed | Canada | — | — |
ESPN and the Disney networks carried the Boys’ U14 and Girls’ High School brackets in full, from the Round of 16 through the championships — 30 games total across ESPN, ABC, ESPN2, NFL Network, ESPN Deportes, Disney Channel and Disney XD.
Why This Weekend Matters Beyond the Trophies
Flag football’s profile keeps climbing, and this tournament is part of the reason why. The sport makes its Olympic debut at the 2028 Los Angeles Games, and youth participation numbers — the NFL cites roughly 20 million players worldwide — are part of the pitch for why a two-hand-touch derivative of the pro game now gets four days of national TV real estate every summer.
That broader push is also why the location mattered this year. Moving the championships to Westfield, an NFL club market for the first time, put the tournament closer to Colts ownership and made it easy for Kalen Jackson and Daniel Jones to hand out trophies in person rather than via a league executive standing in for the market.
