Young women on the sideline sprinted to meet their teammates on the field in a celebratory mob, lifting the black-and-silver trophy above their heads in triumph.
"This means everything for them," Mahtomedi Head Coach Nick Sullivan said. "Everything that we do, and all the success, it's for them. We have a lot of seniors on our team that graduated this weekend, so this kind of a last hurrah for them.
"One last game, the inaugural season? I mean, this is as big as it gets," Sullivan added.
Trailblazers.
It's true of the Zephyrs, who became the first team in state history to officially win the girls high school flag football championship.
It's true also, though, of 50 — 50! — other teams that competed this season. After helping launch a pilot program in 2024 with four teams (La Crescent-Hokah, Rosemount, Houston and Pine Island), the Vikings in 2025 looked to expand to a full league — and expand they did.
"It's just been so cool to see the growth," La Crescent-Hokah senior Savanah Klinski said prior to the final game. "The number of people who have been out here today, it's just been amazing. Last year we were just a small little group, and now the bleachers are filled. It's incredible."