The first MaxPreps girls flag football rankings of the 2026 season arrived without a single Indiana team in the national Top 25.

That omission may reflect the relative youth of sanctioned girls flag football in the state. Indiana completed its inaugural championship season in 2025, while nationally ranked programs in states such as California, Georgia, Alabama and Illinois have already developed larger schedules, deeper postseason histories and more opportunities to compete against established opponents.

Still, leaving Indiana entirely outside the national conversation means overlooking the strongest résumé the state has produced.

Penn went undefeated, won Indiana’s first state championship and returns one of the country’s most decorated quarterbacks in Quinn Driscoll.

The Kingsmen may not have entered the preseason rankings, but they have already given national evaluators several reasons to reconsider.

Indiana Shut Out of the Preseason Top 25

MaxPreps published its 2026 Preseason Top 25 on Aug. 5, ranking JSerra Catholic of California first, followed by Central of Alabama and Maine South of Illinois.

The rankings included programs from California, Alabama, Illinois, Arizona, Georgia, North Carolina and Colorado. Three Illinois schools appeared in the Top 25, but no Indiana program was selected.

Penn’s exclusion is particularly notable because the Kingsmen finished their first season with a perfect record and a state championship.

The question entering 2026 is not whether Penn has accomplished enough within Indiana. It has.

The question is what the Kingsmen must do next to convince national evaluators that their dominance can translate beyond the state’s borders.

A Perfect Beginning

Penn completed the 2025 season 13-0 and defeated Lawrence North 35-12 in Indiana’s inaugural girls flag football state championship game.

The Kingsmen also beat Fort Wayne Snider 28-6 in the state semifinal. Penn’s school publication reported that the program was ranked No. 1 nationally by MaxPreps at the time of its championship victory, illustrating how highly the team’s performance had been viewed during the season.

Penn did not simply survive its first season.

It established the first championship standard for the sport in Indiana.

The Kingsmen combined an efficient offense with a defense capable of creating turnovers in bunches. In the championship game, Alivia Dawson intercepted four passes and returned one for a touchdown. Macy Little added another interception, while quarterback Quinn Driscoll accounted for three passing touchdowns and one rushing score.

That performance capped an undefeated season built around multi-sport athletes, experienced leaders and a roster that adapted quickly to a new varsity sport.

Now Penn must prove that its opening season was the beginning of a sustainable program rather than a single historic run.

Quinn Driscoll’s National Résumé

Any national evaluation of Penn should begin with Driscoll.

As a junior, the Penn quarterback completed 160 of 214 passes for 2,010 yards, 41 touchdowns and only two interceptions. She added 576 rushing yards and eight more touchdowns, giving her 49 total scores during the championship season.

Those numbers helped Driscoll earn recognition far beyond Indiana.

MaxPreps named her its 2025-26 Indiana Girls Flag Football Player of the Year after she led Penn to an undefeated season and the state championship.

She was also named an honorable mention selection on the inaugural MaxPreps Girls Flag Football All-America Team, which recognized 60 players from nearly 20 states. Driscoll was one of the few athletes on the list representing a state in its first sanctioned season.

The Maxwell Football Club selected Driscoll as Indiana’s Girls Flag Football Player of the Year representative, placing her into consideration for the organization’s national award. The selection considered athletic performance, academics and community service.

Then came another national opportunity during the summer.

Driscoll was selected to compete in USA Football’s 2026 Select Bowl at Dignity Health Sports Park in Los Angeles as part of the organization’s Summer Series.

The Select Bowl brought together more than 380 athletes chosen through qualifying events around the country. Players competed in five-on-five, Olympic-style flag football in front of USA Football evaluators, with opportunities to earn invitations to future U.S. National Team trials.

Driscoll’s participation placed her inside USA Football’s National Team Development Program and gave her experience alongside athletes from more established flag football regions.

That experience matters for Penn.

When Driscoll returns to Indiana competition, she brings more than championship experience. She has now competed in a national development environment connected to the pathway used to identify future Team USA athletes.

More Than One Player

Driscoll is the headline, but Penn’s case is not built around one quarterback alone.

Dawson emerged as one of the state’s most productive offensive and defensive players. MaxPreps statistics credited her with 638 receiving yards and 15 total touchdowns, while her four-interception performance in the state championship demonstrated her ability to change a game defensively.

Little led Indiana with 17 interceptions during the 2025 season, according to the MaxPreps state leaderboard. Her production gave Penn another defensive playmaker capable of turning opposing possessions into immediate scoring opportunities.

Lauren Petras, Kami Bauer and other contributors also provided Driscoll with multiple scoring options during the undefeated run.

That surrounding talent is important because nationally recognized programs are rarely sustained by one elite player. Penn’s ability to develop another complete roster around Driscoll will determine how long it remains Indiana’s standard.

What Penn Must Do Next

Penn has already proven it can dominate Indiana competition.

National rankings, however, often reward programs that combine championship success with interstate schedules, victories over ranked opponents and multiple seasons of documented results.

That is where the Kingsmen still have ground to cover.

Penn cannot manufacture the longer history possessed by programs in California, Georgia or Illinois. Indiana’s sport is only entering its second sanctioned season.

The Kingsmen can continue winning convincingly. They can schedule the strongest available competition. They can pursue interstate opportunities when practical. They can also demonstrate that the defensive depth and offensive efficiency of 2025 were not dependent on the novelty of a first-year season.

Driscoll’s national recognition gives Penn credibility before the first snap. Another dominant season would give voters something more difficult to dismiss.

Other Indiana Programs Waiting for Their Opportunity

Penn owns the state’s strongest national case, but it is not the only Indiana program capable of earning attention.

Lawrence North reached the inaugural championship game and gained direct experience against the state’s benchmark program.

Fort Wayne Snider reached the semifinal round before falling to Penn.

Terre Haute South, Warren Central, New Prairie, Munster and Harrison also qualified for Indiana’s inaugural eight-team state-finals field, establishing themselves among the first group of postseason contenders in the sport.

The next step for those programs is creating separation.

A breakthrough season, an upset of Penn or a deep run with a returning core could move another Indiana team into the regional or national discussion. As the sport expands, evaluators will need more than one Indiana program to assess the state’s overall strength accurately.

A Ranking Penn Can Change

Preseason rankings are projections, not final judgments.

Penn begins 2026 outside the national Top 25 despite finishing 13-0, winning a state championship and returning a quarterback who has been named Indiana Player of the Year by MaxPreps, recognized as a MaxPreps All-American and selected for USA Football’s national development pathway.

That combination does not guarantee Penn belongs among the country’s 25 best teams.

It does guarantee the Kingsmen deserve to be watched.

Indiana girls flag football is still establishing its national identity. Penn has the first opportunity to define it.

The Kingsmen were overlooked in August.

Another undefeated start could make them impossible to ignore by October.