BY CLIFF SMELLEY
Telegraph Staff Writer
Kimberlyn Woods, a 2023 Bradford High School graduate, is a part of history, becoming the first BHS flag-football player to get the chance to play in college as she’s set to join Graceland University’s inaugural team.
“I thought I was done playing after senior year, but I’m super excited to be able to continue,” Woods said.
Graceland, which is located in Lamoni, Iowa, will begin play this spring season as part of the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference, which currently consists of nine schools.
Woods said her opportunity came about through participating in a Jacksonville Jaguars flag-football showcase.
“They send out film to everybody, so I got a few offers from that,” she said. “Graceland was one of them.”
For Woods, the caring attitude of the Graceland coaches made an impression on her.
“I like the relationships I’ve built with the coaches,” she said. “They kind of stood out.”
Woods caught 35 passes for 327 yards and three touchdowns during her senior season, in which Bradford won its first-ever district championship and finished with a 16-1 record after a 7-0 loss in the Region 1-1A quarterfinals.
“She was a huge part of that successful season we had last year,” said John Staples, who coached BHS in 2022 and 2023. He added, “She had the best hands on the team. She never dropped passes.”
Woods’ college coach will be Greg Criswell, a 1986 Graceland graduate who’s spent 30 years in coaching — mostly as girls basketball coach at Urbandale (Iowa) High School.
“Coach Criswell is a great person,” Staples said. “He’s really high on Kimber coming in.”
Flag football is a growing sport, with more than 11,000 high-school teams throughout the U.S. and now more than 19 colleges and universities participating since the sport was launched at the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics level in 2021. It has been added to the 2028 Olympics.
The sport began being played at the high-school level in Florida in 2002-03. Florida is one of eight states with varsity level programs.
“I’ve always loved watching football,” Woods said. “Then, whenever I got to play and be like my brothers (Dallin and Gavin, who played at BHS), I just fell in love with it.”
Staples can see more student-athletes at BHS getting flag-football opportunities in college. He said players who haven’t even started a game at BHS could start for a college program in a couple of years.
“The amount of flag-football talent at Bradford High School is unbelievable,” Staples said.
When it comes to Woods, Staples said there’s more to her than just being a flag-football player.
“She’s just a great person to have around, no matter what the circumstances are,” he said, adding, “She’s got a great future.”
