Student-athlete Blair Dowdy has had a passion for sports since elementary school, focusing primarily on soccer and track and field, until a new opportunity presented itself. That opportunity was to get out on the gridiron and throw the old pigskin around. In April of 2025, the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) sanctioned flag football as an official high school sport in the state. This is the first sport to be added since girls’ bowling was added in 1999, according to the WIAA website.
Becoming a First
Dowdy, currently in her junior year at Lynden High School, was focused on soccer playing as a winger and striker and on track competing in the 100, 4×100 relay, and long jump. She didn’t have a winter sport in the past, using that time to train for her passions. The thought of playing football never entered her mind until she participated in powder puff at the high school, where each class had a team. They had some practices and had a night where they played a couple of games, and that was the end of it. With the WIAA adding a new sport, the mindset around football changed.
Excited to try something new, Dowdy and many of her soccer teammates chose to join the flag football team in its inaugural season. Head coach Mike Regis and assistant coach Blake VanDalen were tasked with forming and coaching this brand-new team, the Lynden Lions. With the athletes having little experience in the sport, the beginning of the season was a process of feeling out who should play where. After trying a variety of positions, Dowdy and her explosive speed ended up at running back and linebacker.
While the girls were new to flag football, many of them were already multi-sport athletes who had been competing together since elementary school on the soccer field. That synergy translated onto the football field as the season began. They started their season with a win against Everett High School on December 17, winning 35-0, and wouldn’t look back. They went on to win 16 more games straight before finding themselves in the first-ever Washington State girls’ high school flag football state championship. They met Squalicum High School on Saturday, February 14, at Federal Way Memorial Stadium for a Valentine’s Day Dowdy and her teammates will never forget. They won the game 21-7 and, with a perfect 18-0 record, went on to become the first-ever high school flag football state champs.
“Winning the state title felt good, but didn’t feel real. I was very proud of our team and how much effort we put in. It’s cool that it was the first year with girls playing football and that we made history. The coaches made it fun and invested a lot of time and effort in us. It really just felt like a big family,” said Dowdy.
Back To All the Things
While winning a state title is something to be celebrated, there’s only so much time before it’s back to reality and looking forward to all the other parts of life. Dowdy is enrolled in Running Start through Whatcom Community College, where she is currently taking Spanish, English, and history. She is also a part of Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA), where Dowdy gets to be around other students who are interested in going into a healthcare field after high school.
Between school, HOSA, and sports, Dowdy doesn’t have much downtime, which is common among student athletes. After the flag football season, she had only a couple of weeks before the track season would begin, and she would be out there competing with and against many of the girls who had just been a part of flag football. While being a student athlete is a lot, Dowdy wouldn’t have it any other way. She relishes the time she gets to spend with her teammates, who have become so close after so many years of being on teams together.
Planning For the Future
With a nonstop schedule, it can be hard to look ahead, but even though Dowdy is enjoying being in the midst of her track season, she knows her senior year and beyond will be here soon. In the fall, she hopes to have a successful senior season with her soccer team. As her favorite sport since she was a little girl, she hopes she and her teammates can come together for a state run.
In flag football, even though they will have lost seniors who were a big part of the championship win, Dowdy knows she and her teammates will work hard to keep the program successful going forward. While it’s hard to think about next year’s track season while amid the current season, she wants to keep setting personal records and contributing to the team’s overall success.
“If there were an opportunity for a scholarship, I would definitely play whatever sport in college. I love all my sports,” said Dowdy.
Dowdy has her eyes on Florida for college, where she has family and the perk of sunny weather. She hasn’t selected a school yet, but will be looking for programs that will lead to a career in medicine. In preparation for that, she will continue working hard as a student-athlete to achieve continued success in her sports and in the classroom.
