Kansas was supposed to crown its first girls flag football state champion on Saturday night. Instead, the final between St. Thomas Aquinas and St. James Academy never kicked off. The Kansas State High School Activities Association suspended its championship and third-place games at the Scheels Stryker Sports Complex in Wichita after a pickup truck drove onto a youth soccer game on another field, killing a 6-year-old boy and a 35-year-old man.

The association said it "felt it was best to suspend" both games, according to The Wichita Eagle. Police have not released a cause, and the complex remains closed.

St. Thomas Aquinas vs. St. James Academy: How the Finalists Got There

Both semifinals finished before the crash. St. Thomas Aquinas beat Shawnee Mission West 47-20, and St. James Academy of Lenexa beat Shawnee Mission South 20-7, the Eagle reported. The third-place game was at halftime, with West leading South 24-6, when play stopped.

Shawnee Mission South reached the final four by edging Maize South 27-26 in the quarterfinals, per KSN. Maize South was the only Wichita-area team in the state bracket.

New Date for the KSHSAA Flag Football Championship

St. James coach Matt Hightower told KCTV5 on Monday that the final has been moved to Wednesday at Shawnee Mission South High School in Overland Park, with a start time still to come. As of Monday night, the NFHS Network's listing still showed the final on October 24 in Wichita, and the association had not posted an official time, so families should check KSHSAA before heading out. The status of the unfinished third-place game had not been announced.

Teams Lean on Each Other After Saturday

The two finalists prayed together after Saturday's crash, KCTV5 reported. St. James players organized a rosary in the school chapel Sunday night and chose to return to practice Monday morning, a call Hightower left to them. His message to the team was simple: "Don't sit in here alone with your thoughts."

Kansas sanctioned girls flag football for the 2026-27 school year, and this was the first state tournament. Whenever the final is played, it will crown a champion in a season nobody involved will forget. Follow the sport on the BallerTube flag football page.