Founded just this February by Kanisha Hartman, the Ladii Warriors are a new girls flag team already growing and making a name for themselves. Starting as a training camp in February 2026, this is the team’s first year competing, recruiting students from across the Cedar Rapids area as the first girls flag team in the city!
And for such a young team, they already have players showing great promise, such as Kylee Parks at running back and safety, as well as Emani Phelps, also a running back and safety. Other standouts include Kaylanee Williams, a quarterback with good discipline, and Sijourney, who Coach K has described as “the glue of the team”. With all of their students being so young, the oldest right now being 11, it’s important that the Ladii Warriors have built a sisterhood as a team, relying on and supporting one another even against older, more experienced opponents.
According to Coach K, playing against older teams was something they struggled with at first, but she found that the team built each other up, often with the younger students encouraging the others and keeping the team focused. With a team that is so new to the sport, it’s been great for them to see the students stepping up to lead, correcting each other’s mistakes and learning from them.
Looking to grow, the Ladii Warriors want to provide more opportunities for girls to be involved with the sport. To that end, Coach K hopes to get the parents of students more involved as well, to show the team their support and help the students where they can. Already some of the parents have stepped up in this regard, with Kenneth helping coach. With more time and experience, the Ladii Warriors will surely continue to become an even stronger team, and grow the sport of girls flag football.
For more information on the Ladii Warriors or to get into contact with them, you can find them at Roosevelt Middle School Tuesdays/Fridays from 5-6:30, Sundays from 2-3:30, or on their socials below:
Facebook: Cedar Rapids Ladii Warriors