​Girls’ flag football is growing across the country, and this fall Great Falls athletes will contribute to the sport’s growth here in Montana.  C.M. Russell High and Great Falls High will field flag football teams for the first time, and there’s plenty of excitement on both sides of the river for the opportunity to be on the ground floor of a new program.Brian Crosby takes the reins of the Rustlers’ flag squad with plenty of varsity coaching experience under his belt, while A.J. Griffith leads the Bison with a strong resume of years of coaching local baseball.Both teams take the field for the first time at Memorial Stadium against Bozeman Gallatin on Saturday, Aug. 29, starting with Great Falls High at 2 p.m. and CMR slated to kick off at 3:30.More: Top opponents for CM Russell, Great Falls High football 2026More: 20 things to know entering the 2026 football season for CMR, Great Falls HighWhat is the status of girls’ flag football in Montana?Girls’ high school flag football began in 2021 in Montana and now has 39 participating schools across all classifications (AA, A/B, C).Flag football is designated as an “emerging sport” by the Montana High School Association, meaning it is still in the “pilot” phase to assess interest and progress before it becomes an officially sanctioned sport by the state’s prep sports governing body.Twenty-four states have officially sanctioned girls’ flag football, while Montana is one of 16 in the “pilot” phase, according to statistics from NFL Flag.All 16 Class AA schools will have girls’ flag football this fall, with the two Great Falls high schools entering the fold this year with Bozeman High, Bozeman Gallatin, Helena High, Helena Capital and Belgrade, according to 406 MT Sports.Conference alignment is the same as most other Montana prep sports, divided into the eight-team Eastern and Western AA leagues, and the top four from each conference making the state tournament.The state flag football tournament will be held in Billings on Oct. 7-8 in Billings.More opportunities in girls’ sportsWith the addition of flag football, there are now five girls’ high school sports going in the fall, along with volleyball, soccer, golf and cross country.While CMR senior Steely Stubblefield’s main sport is basketball, she was excited for the chance to play more flag football after enjoying powderpuff games during past homecoming weeks.“I’ve never really played a fall sport,” Stubblefield said. “But this is a good break time for basketball and to start playing something. So, I’m pretty excited.”Sophomore Faith Oakland, a state placer for Great Falls High wrestling last year, had previously considered playing tackle football, so joining the flag team was a natural fit.“I was going to go out for (tackle) football last year, but then I was like ‘I probably shouldn’t, I might get hurt,’” Oakland said. “Then they came out with this this year, and I was like, ‘You know what? Hec