Girls flag football kicks off and Washburn's Ryan Galindo earns Coach of the Week honors

Minnesota's first high school girls flag football league kicked off its inaugural season in April, featuring 51 teams from across the state. Among them are all seven MPS community high school programs, competing on five consecutive Sundays this spring. The season will culminate in a 12-team tournament at Twin Cities Orthopedics (TCO) Stadium on June 9.

View current league standings and schedules.

Last spring, schools including MPS participated in a small pilot girls flag football program sponsored by the Minnesota Vikings. Girls flag football continues to gain momentum with the statewide rollout as the sport prepares to make its Olympic debut at the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles.

MPS received a special honor in the first week of the season: Ryan Galindo, a Washburn High School teacher and coach, was named Vikings Flag Football Coach of the Week!

Coach Ryan Galindo and Washburn flag football team on April 27.

The Vikings shared with Coach Galindo: "We received feedback from officials praising your coaching and patience, the sportsmanship the athletes on your team exhibited and how great of a host Washburn was on Sunday."

Galindo has served as the head football coach for the Washburn boys team for 10 years, and took on coaching the girls team this spring. A proud 1999 graduate of Washburn, he has also been a physical education teacher at Washburn for 12 years.

Ryan received a $1,000 donation to support Washburn athletics and two tickets to the Vikings home opener this fall.

Read more about the girls flag football season opening from the Minnesota Star Tribune.