Story Written By: Damon Cook @ CHSAANow.com
AURORA, Colo. — After a near perfect season, Tim Test and his Mountain View squad became the 4A CHSAA Girls Flag Football Champions, winning the title during the sport's inaugural season of being a sanctioned sport by the Colorado High School Activities Association.
Test helped the Mountain Lions go 18-1, outscoring their opponents 669-140 throughout the season. That dominance helped him become the first-ever Denver Broncos Coach of the Year for flag football.
Test will be honored on the field during the Broncos High School Salute game this Sunday versus the Colts.
Tim Test
Record as an NFL Flag Football coach: 705-211
Record at Mountain View: 18-1
What do you feel was special about this team?
It's been an unbelievable journey. Have you ever had a dream that's so far away, so out of reach, and you're determined to see it through? But when it finally happens, it's even better than you could have imagined? That was this season. It's been the culmination of seven years of hoping and pushing to bring girls flag football to Colorado. I always say my first win was when CHSAA voted to make it a high school-sanctioned sport back in April. From that point on, everything else was just gravy. To be the only school north of 136th Avenue to have a team—and to even have the opportunity to interview for the job, let alone earn it — was a dream come true. And then, to take girls from seven different schools and turn them into a team, to create a family, to go on a run with 13-straight wins, and eventually win the first-ever 4A state championship. It feels like a fantasy.
What was the locker room like after the State Championship win?
Right after the game, it was nothing but tears of joy, hugs and pure love. Our whole team, the parents — we went out to celebrate together. At our end-of-season banquet, we watched a 22-minute hype video that a friend of the team made for us. There were just so many cheers, so many tears. I think we all had the same thought — 'Is this real?' Several girls said that, in the weeks after the win, they had to stop and remind themselves that it actually happened. It felt like a dream. For me, the focus all season was to make sure the girls enjoyed the moment, especially for my seniors. A lot of women I've talked to over the age of 20 have said they wished they could have played, so I really wanted my team to appreciate the opportunity.
How have you seen flag football grow and develop in Colorado over the past couple of years?
The growth has been incredible. When the Denver Broncos got involved, it really made a difference. In 2022, they had 28 teams, and that number grew to 72 by 2023. I think CHSAA will see the same kind of growth. We had 64 teams this year, and it wouldn't surprise me at all if we're over 100 next year. Now that more schools are aware of it, more will want to join in. We had 21 girls this year, but I wouldn't be surprised if we double that next season. And, you know, it was just voted as an Olympic sport for 2028. We're seeing more coverage, more exposure and I think it's only going to grow from here.
What would you say was the biggest challenge for your team this season, and how did you overcome it?
The biggest challenge was believing we could actually win it all. From the very beginning, our assistant coach Noah Tank said 'State Championship' and honestly, we didn't fully believe it at first. We didn't know what other teams were like, so we were cautious. But after a string of big wins, I started realizing we were very special — our passing game, our playmakers, the athletes we had. But I didn't want to let myself believe it. It's like they say — it's the hope that kills you. I didn't want to jinx it. But that Valor game, even though we lost by two points, was huge for us. It showed us that we're human, and we can be beaten. It also showed us how to bounce back. We came back strong in the playoffs, even when we were down in the Ponderosa game, that loss taught us resilience.
At what point this season did you realize your team could win the State Championship game?
By about our sixth or seventh game, I knew we were special. We had a quarterback who threw for more than 3,000 yards, and we were passing in ways other teams weren't. But I didn't fully let myself believe we were going to win the state title until later in the season. There's a part of you that's always wary about being too confident. When we started 5-0, then 10-0, I was just focused on enjoying the journey and not letting the pressure build. I always said to the team, 'We've already won by just being here.' Anything after that was a bonus.
What does winning the State Championship game mean to you and the team?
I've been coaching flag football since 2006, and I've coached more than 100 teams, but this one will always be my favorite. I first saw all-girls flag football in Florida in 2017 when I took a boys team to the NFL Flag Championships. I saw these girls competing, and they were fierce, athletic and serious about the sport. It just made me think, 'We need this in Colorado.' I'm so proud of where we are now, but there's still work to be done. We're the 11th state to jump on board, but states like Florida and Georgia have been doing this for years. There are 50 states in the union, and we still have a long way to go.
What do you think the future of flag football looks like in Colorado?
The future is incredibly bright. Flag football is so inclusive, it gives so many more athletes the chance to play the game we love. The impact we saw this season — how little girls at elementary schools were looking up to our high school girls as role models, it's just powerful. It's not just about the competition, it's about giving girls the opportunity to shine. I'm already planning to have an all-girls third-through-fifth grade flag football club this spring. I can't wait to see how the sport continues to grow, not just in Colorado, but across the country. And you know what? I really believe we'll see flag football in all 50 states soon.
