“[The sanctioning] is important because it gives a goal for girls to look forward to,” Walker said. “Knowing that it’s a real high school sport … it’s something they can make their main sport and take it seriously. They don’t have to stop when they’re young — they can keep playing.”
After first gaining experience competing during the pilot program — which the Broncos helped fund and support — the athletes have certainly felt the positive impact of the sanctioning process and are eager to embrace the opportunities it may provide in the future.
“It was really cool to just kind of pioneer the sport with my team and my coach,” Walker said of participating in the pilot program. “Just watching it grow and watching it turn into something that’s become so competitive and something that’s gained a lot more respect over the course of two years … I think it’s amazing.”
The Denver Broncos and Denver Broncos Foundation played a significant role in the sanctioning process and in the expansion of opportunities for youth across the state, contributing more than $700,000 to the sport.
Efforts in this area were fueled by Broncos staffers Bobby Mestas, the Broncos’ director of youth and high school football, and Allie Engelken, Denver’s vice president of community impact. The Broncos’ support paved the way for athletes such as Cadwell, Cordova, Looney and Walker to compete at the highest level.
“I think [the Broncos] are a big part of why it’s sanctioned in the first place,” Cordova said. “To have a big organization support us and fight for it to be sanctioned, I think it means so much more.”
Now having the opportunity to compete on the national level, the Colorado natives are grateful for the role the Broncos organization has played in elevating their athletic experience while continuing to put the sport on the map.
“[The support} opened the eyes of a lot of people that it’s not a joke,” Looney said. “It’s a real sport. It takes competition, it takes athleticism and I really enjoy playing it — so I’m very glad it’s taken off in this way.”
Added Cadwell: “It’s just incredible how much the Denver Broncos really have put into flag football. Seeing them invest their time and money into a girls’ sport to make it possible for everyone to play football … I think that’s really awesome.”
A recent graduate of Ralston Valley High School, Cadwell now plans to attend Kansas Wesleyan University where she will play college flag football. She believes that without high school competition this past season, none of her future plans would be possible.
“I learned so much in just my singular high school season at Ralston Valley,” Cadwell said. “It gave me the foundation I need to play at the level I’m at right now, and I hope to continue to grow and learn from everything that I learned in high school.”
While Cadwell moves on to college competition, Cordova, Looney and Walker will all return to competition at the high school level. As all of their teams qualified for the state tournament last year, they look forward to building off this momentum heading into their upcoming high school season.
“I just want to get better as fast as I can, as much as I can, and see where that takes me,” Walker said.
