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Atlanta Falcons bus Montana girls flag football teams to Seattle for Week 3 game

Atlanta Falcons' Marcus Mariota and Troy Andersen sign autographs for Montana girls flag football teams.
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SEATTLE — Week 3 of the NFL was a special one for the Treasure State as two of Montana's most profound football players came face-to-face for the first time in their playing careers, but believe it or not, there was more that made Sunday's Falcons-Seahawks game special.

As part of the Atlanta Falcons effort to establish girls flag football in Montana, the organization bused the state's three pilot programs to Seattle over the weekend to enjoy Sunday's game: Butte, Flathead and Glacier High school.

Prior to kickoff, the three teams attended the Falcons' walk-through on Saturday at the Dempsey Indoor Center, which is a practice facility located at the University of Washington.

At the end of practice, the girls got to meet several of the players, including Dillon's Troy Andersen.

While many of the girls said this is an experience they'll never forget, they shared that the impact it's had on the game is far greater.

"It's important because not only does it show girls younger than us but just girls all over that we can do things that boys can do too," Flathead senior Akilah Kubi said. "That's been one of our main things that we've been emphasizing is girls can do it all. Girls can do it too and sometimes better."

The Falcons hope that as girls flag football continues to grow across the state of Montana, MHSA will eventually sanction it as a high school sport.