Madison's Ross headed to Heidelberg for school, flag football

In her four years at Madison High School, Kennedy Ross was involved in a plethora of athletics.

“Soccer has been a huge part of my sports career,” the recent graduate said. “I started playing in preschool and just finished my last season senior year. I also did track and field, and had some great accomplishments in that as well.”

But one sport emerged for Ross as she progressed in high school.

“Flag football rose to the top of everything else pretty quickly when we started the team my sophomore year,” she said. “I wanted to be a part of something brand new at Madison, and show the community what’s it all about.”

Now, Ross is planning on continuing her academics and the sport at Heidelberg University, a Division III athletics school in Tiffin.

“Heidelberg checked every box,” she said. “The campus environment, academic opportunities and athletic support system all aligned with what I envisioned for my college experience.

“Staying relatively close to home also played a major role in my decision, as I wanted to make sure family, friends and former teammates would be able to come support me.”

Heidelberg’s flag football team began club competition in this spring.

There’s no question flag football has grown in popularity. The Ohio High School Athletic Association recently announced flag football will be fully recognized for the 2026-27 school year, and become the OHSAA’s 29th varsity sport next spring.

“Every play is different,” Ross said. “There are lots of strategies that can be implemented into the game, and you get to see what works and what doesn’t. I love being a part of a team sport where everyone competes at a high level.”

Ross isn’t a novice to flag football.

“I played rec. flag football for about a season or so in elementary school, but got away from it because of other sports,” she said. “My family inspired me to start the team at Madison. My dad [Jay Ross] has coached in other leagues for years and both of my siblings play as well. I found multiple high schools near Madison had teams, and knew it was our turn.”

In the 2026 season, the Blue Streaks went 16-5 overall and won the Browns Regional to qualify for the state tournament.

“I couldn’t be prouder of our team this season,” Ross said. “As a captain, being able to lead the team to success is something that I made a priority, especially this year.”

In addition to Ross, CC Alley, Leah Brock, Gianna LaMarco, Riley Fridrich and Payton Kerr were among the key contributors for the Blue Streaks this season.

Jay Ross is proud of Kennedy’s accomplishments, and believes she will be an asset for Heidelberg.

“Kennedy is an incredibly independent woman,” he said. “She had a strong connection for Heidelberg. She was impressed with their scholastic reputation. When it came down to the sports part of the equation, she loved the facilities, especially the brand new indoor field.”

At Madison, Kennedy Ross played just about every position both offensively and defensively, but her favorite are receiver, running back and rusher.

In the 2026 season, she notched 765 yards receiving, 366 rushing, 1,162 total yards, 16 total touchdowns and 105 points offensively.

“Throughout the process, she loved a lot of coaches and programs, but Heidelberg really wanted to use her immediately as one of their very first recruits,” coach Ross said. “Even with all of her accomplishments in Madison, we believe that her best football is actually ahead of her.”