Q: How long have you been doing flag football for?

A: I have been playing flag football since 8th grade.

Q: How did you get into flag football or what made you want to start flag football?

A: I wanted to start playing cause one of my dear friends, Ashlyn, told me to play, because she had played most of her life.

Q: In what ways has football made an impact on your life?

A: I mean, it’s really just a fun sport. It’s made me laugh a lot. I got a lot of new friends and it is really fun.

Q: Has there ever been a time where you wanted to quit and try something new, if so, what kept you from doing that?

A:  Not really. Sometimes I had thoughts about not wanting to be starting, but I never wanted to quit at any time. I only didn’t want to start because I felt too much pressure.

Q: How do you manage to balance sports, academics, and other parts of your life?

A: I play two sports right now for school. I either do [homework] early in the morning or late at night and sports I just go all out for it.

Q: What has been your proudest moment in your flag football career so far? How has your hard work and dedication led up to this moment?

A: I’m most proud of the first time ever starting in high school JV. We went undefeated. I’ve been practicing since mid July, and I’ve been putting all this work in. I have been practicing outside of practice and I try pretty hard to get the work done.

Q: What has your experience been like being the starting quarterback on JV football?

A: I love it, but I also sometimes don’t because it is a lot of pressure.

Q: Were there any times that you felt overworked or overwhelmed being pushed so high up at such a young age?

A: Yes, because I’m basically the leader since I’m the quarterback. I’m in every play and if I don’t do good, the team is not gonna do good.

Q: Do you have any personal goals that you want to work towards regarding flag football? 

A: I would say making it to varsity and starting on varsity.

Q: What has been motivating you to work toward those goals?

A: The people. I definitely like some of the people on varsity. They’re really fun and they’re good. I want to be in that environment where I know I can count on people and not have them drop passes or run backwards.

Q: Do you hope to go professional in the future, if not how long do you plan on playing for?

A: I wouldn’t say professional. I think if I were to like it, I would say college, but if not, then high school.

by MELINA ARYA, KAYLA GOLD, CHARLOTTE MAHON & ELIANA SPECK