Girls flag football: Badin claims regional crown, will play for back-to-back state championships

CINCINNATI — Badin High School senior Addi Marshall grimaced after injuring her foot earlier in the tournament Monday night inside Paycor Stadium.

Then she kept making plays anyway.

Marshall fought through the injury to deliver a series of highlight-reel touchdowns and earned Offensive MVP honors as the defending state champion Rams captured the Cincinnati Bengals regional girls flag football championship, securing another trip to the state tournament in just the program’s second season.

The Rams will compete for a second-straight state title on Saturday, May 16, at Tom Benson Stadium in Canton beginning at noon. The state tournament includes the four teams from each of the Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns regional tournaments.

“It’s really exciting,” Marshall said. “I’ve never been doing this, obviously, so going to state is really fun. … I’m just hoping to pull out a state victory before my last year at Badin High School.”

Marshall played like a player determined to finish her high school career with another championship.

The senior receiver hauled in deep passes from junior quarterback Bella Heile, made difficult catches in traffic and turned several receptions into long touchdowns while refusing to let the foot injury slow her down.

“Honestly, I just forgot about it,” Marshall said. “I just try not to think about the pain and just keep going through it. I play multiple sports, so it’s nothing big for me.”

Marshall said she entered the season unsure of what to expect in her first year playing flag football. Instead, she quickly became one of the stars of the regional tournament under the lights at Paycor Stadium.

“It’s honestly a really cool experience,” Marshall said. “I love the environment. I love the playing field. It’s just a fun game for me to play.”

Senior Blake Sakach received Defensive MVP honors after snatching a handful of interceptions along the way.

Badin coach Mike Sebastian said the Rams began playing with confidence on Monday, midway through their opener against Walnut Hills, and never looked back. Badin won 26-6.

“From that point on, we were hands down the best team on all three fields,” Sebastian said. “It’s just a testament to the girls.”

Sebastian admitted nerves were high entering the regional after watching several top teams struggle early in the day. But once the Rams settled in, the defending state champions looked every bit like a team capable of making another deep postseason run.