MENTOR, Ohio — Lake County, Ohio, is known for a lot of things: the shoreline, wineries and outdoor attractions.
Now, you can add another point to that list.
Mentor is the birthplace of a statewide movement that's inspiring a new generation of athletes.
You cannot ignore the rapid rise and growing popularity of girls flag football.
This school year, it’s now a state-sanctioned varsity sport in Ohio, kicking off its first season this spring. Plus, girls flag football will make its Olympic debut at the 2028 LA Games.
And in Ohio, its roots are in Mentor.
A local couple played a big part in making that happen.
WATCH: Learn how girls flag football was born out of Mentor
"It builds confidence,” said Bob Berwald, Northeast Ohio Flag Football.
Bob and Gennine Berwald helped elevate and establish girls flag football in Ohio.
It was fall 2020.
"We said you know, ‘Let’s look at doing this,'" Berwald said. "It’s done in other states!"
He was involved in Northeast Ohio Flag Football and reached out to the Cleveland Browns about starting girls high school flag football.
"I went to the Browns, Jenner Tekancic, I’ve known her for a long time, and our kids are the same age, and said, ‘Jenner, we want to put this in place,'" Berwald said. "And Jenner looked at me and said, ‘Absolutely. Whatever you need, the Browns will back you without hesitation.’”
It started small. Really small — just two girls signed up.
"They’re like, ‘Oh, two teams?’ and I said, ‘No, two girls and they’re my daughters,’” Berwald said.
Berwald drew up a new game plan.
A lifelong teacher and coach at Mentor, he reached out to fellow football coaches in the area who also had teenage daughters.
"Within five minutes we had Coach Rosati, we had Tiger LaVerde, we had a team out of Lake Catholic, and it just kind of grew from there,” he said.
The sport went from six rec teams in spring 2021 to growing into a club sport at the high school level. Now, the Ohio High School Athletic Association is officially recognizing girls flag football as Ohio’s 29th varsity sport this summer, with more than 140 schools now offering it.
I asked Berwald what drives him.
"First and foremost, it’s my kids," he said.
Bob and Gennine's daughters were the first two to sign up, and now Alexis Berwald will be part of the first girls flag football team at John Carroll as more colleges establish programs as well.
"The second part is to make the community a better place and to make sure kids have the opportunities to be able to do things,” he said.
I also had the opportunity to talk with some of Mentor's girls' flag football players.
"I love it because it’s a new opportunity to show that girls are tough, and we can play football just like the boys play football," said Kailynn Ingram, a Mentor junior.
Ingram said she loves the camaraderie and said it's like a sisterhood.
"Oh, very much," she said. "It is very much a sisterhood, and once you start, it’s kind of hard to leave it!”
Alison Norris' dad played football at Mentor.
"I look at him whenever I score or do something good; I'm like, 'Yeah!'" she said.
The Mentor sophomore said she grew up around football and can't believe she gets to now play for Mentor.
"It's an honor, really,” Norris said.
Ingram agreed.
"You wear Mentor across your chest, and they’re like, 'Oh, yeah, Bob Berwald helped start it all in Ohio,' and we’re like, 'Yeah, we did,'" Ingram said. "Very proud. It's a blessing to wear it across your chest."
Berwald said they've talked about getting a plaque, no names, recognizing Mentor as the birthplace of girls flag football in Ohio.
Katie Ussin is the Lake County and We Follow Through anchor at News 5 Cleveland. Follow her on X @KatieUssin, on Facebook KatieUssin, Instagram Katie_Ussin_wews or email her at Katie.Ussin@wews.com.
