Boys Embrace Flag Football as Safer Alternative to Tackle

Lick-Wilmerding High School's flag football team dominates its league, but players still long for the culture of traditional football.

Published on Feb. 7, 2026

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›

While girls' participation in high school flag football is booming, the number of boys playing the sport has actually decreased in recent years. At Lick-Wilmerding High School in San Francisco, a group of boys have embraced flag football as a safer alternative to tackle football, which their parents won't allow them to play due to concussion concerns. The Lick-Wilmerding team has found great success, but the players still long for the culture and appeal of traditional tackle football.

Why it matters

The rise of girls' flag football and the reluctance of some parents to let their sons play tackle football highlights the growing concerns around the safety of the sport, especially for young athletes. Lick-Wilmerding's flag football program provides a model for how schools can offer a safer version of football, but the struggle to gain the same cultural appeal as tackle football remains a challenge.

The details

The Lick-Wilmerding High School flag football team has dominated its local league, going 25-1 over the last two seasons with a pair of championships. The team runs about 60 different plays, studies film, and dedicates significant practice time to flag-pulling and flag-evading drills, emulating the strategy and preparation of traditional tackle football. However, the players acknowledge that flag football lacks the same level of physicality and cultural appeal as the tackle version of the sport.

  • Lick-Wilmerding High School's flag football team has won two championships over the last two seasons.
  • The NFL recently announced a new partnership with Pop Warner to expand youth flag football opportunities.
  • Flag football will be included in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, with both women's and men's competitions.

The players

Austin Sheepo

The quarterback and a senior on the Lick-Wilmerding High School flag football team, who has played his last high school snap already.

Briggs Cline

A teammate of Sheepo's on the Lick-Wilmerding High School flag football team, who has a history of concussions that led him to choose flag football over tackle.

Oliver McCulloch-Juilland

A senior on the Lick-Wilmerding High School flag football team who has always wanted to play football but whose mother was concerned about the risk of concussions.

Benjy Cho

A senior on the Lick-Wilmerding High School flag football team who is the best at pulling flags, though his primary passion is baseball.

Davion Fleming

The coach of the Lick-Wilmerding High School flag football team, who was a running back and linebacker/safety at Northwestern and is now the director of admissions at the school.

Got photos? Submit your photos here. ›

What they’re saying

“It's almost like a toxic relationship. You want to get as close to football as you can without actually playing football.”

— Austin Sheepo, Quarterback, Lick-Wilmerding High School flag football team (CNN)

“Football is, by far, my favorite sport and I've always wanted to play. But my whole life, my mom, she's just really big on not letting me get concussions and stuff.”

— Oliver McCulloch-Juilland, Senior, Lick-Wilmerding High School flag football team (CNN)

“I watch it all the time. I watch stuff on YouTube. Like, I learn techniques on YouTube, even though in flag football you can't use certain techniques that I've learned.”

— Oliver McCulloch-Juilland, Senior, Lick-Wilmerding High School flag football team (CNN)

What’s next

The NFL plans to financially support the launch of men's and women's pro flag football leagues in the coming years, providing a potential pathway for the Lick-Wilmerding players to continue playing the sport they love at a higher level.

The takeaway

The Lick-Wilmerding High School flag football team's success highlights the growing appeal of flag football as a safer alternative to tackle football, but the players' longing for the culture and appeal of the traditional sport underscores the challenge of fully embracing a version of football without the violence that has become so deeply ingrained in the sport's identity.