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As young flag football players chase their dreams across Jacksonville and beyond, they're receiving some Olympic inspiration.
Prospective flag football stars threw and caught passes, lunged to tug flags and gathered some pointers from a Team USA national quarterback during tryouts for the Jaguars Elite girls squads at Fort Family Regional Park on June 13.
For Darrell Doucette, quarterback for the USA Flag Football men's national team scheduled for an Olympic debut at the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles, opportunities in the sport have grown beyond his wildest dreams.
"It's just now starting to get the recognition and get noticed. That's the amazing part about it," he said. "Never would I have thought this sport would make it as far as it has, and it's continuing to grow."
Doucette, a New Orleans-area native who said he had been playing since around second grade, shared his experiences with a crowd estimated at more than 150 young athletes before the tryouts. In all, more than 500 players participated in the three-day event on Jacksonville's Southside.
"They're just out here to have fun with the sport, and I think that's what it's all about," Doucette said.
Jaguars Elite, which has official support from the NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars, has qualified teams at seven age brackets (three boys, four girls) for the NFL Flag Championships from July 23-26 at the Grand Park Sports Campus in Westfield, Ind.
Last year, the Jaguars Elite won the national 14U title, highlighted by spectacular plays from Mandarin High School receiver Brysen Wright.
Someday, players trying out on these fields could compete on television in the national flag football finals, or even wearing the national team's red, white and blue at a future Olympic Games.
In the fast-growing sport in 2026, opportunities can extend well beyond the high school level.Two players who developed with the Jaguars Elite program — Nina Kamma-Hill from Paxon School for Advanced Studies, now at the University of St. Francis in Indiana, and Emma Rayes from Ridgeview High School, now at Florida Gateway College in Lake City — also passed along their guidance to players before the start of drills.
"We want the girls to know this is an Olympic sport now," said Adriel Rocha, Jaguars vice president of community impact and football development. "They're all excited about getting scholarships and money to play college, so that's why we've brought the college girls out here. It's like, 'Here's somebody where you can make it to their level.'"
One Northeast Florida star who has made the jump to the next level is former Fleming Island High School receiver London Jenkins, now part of the USA flag women's roster. Jenkins, the All-First Coast player of the year in 2024, is scheduled to represent the United States women at the IFAF Flag Football World Championship from Aug. 13-16 in Dusseldorf, Germany.
"My encouragement for them would be to stay grounded, stay humble and to work hard," Jenkins said. "There's going to be so many opportunities with colleges coming out, even opportunities with Team USA and the Olympics."
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Team USA's Darrell Doucette inspires Jacksonville flag football stars
Continue reading...
Prospective flag football stars threw and caught passes, lunged to tug flags and gathered some pointers from a Team USA national quarterback during tryouts for the Jaguars Elite girls squads at Fort Family Regional Park on June 13.
For Darrell Doucette, quarterback for the USA Flag Football men's national team scheduled for an Olympic debut at the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles, opportunities in the sport have grown beyond his wildest dreams.
"It's just now starting to get the recognition and get noticed. That's the amazing part about it," he said. "Never would I have thought this sport would make it as far as it has, and it's continuing to grow."
Doucette, a New Orleans-area native who said he had been playing since around second grade, shared his experiences with a crowd estimated at more than 150 young athletes before the tryouts. In all, more than 500 players participated in the three-day event on Jacksonville's Southside.
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"They're just out here to have fun with the sport, and I think that's what it's all about," Doucette said.
Jaguars Elite, which has official support from the NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars, has qualified teams at seven age brackets (three boys, four girls) for the NFL Flag Championships from July 23-26 at the Grand Park Sports Campus in Westfield, Ind.
Last year, the Jaguars Elite won the national 14U title, highlighted by spectacular plays from Mandarin High School receiver Brysen Wright.
Someday, players trying out on these fields could compete on television in the national flag football finals, or even wearing the national team's red, white and blue at a future Olympic Games.
You must be registered for see images
In the fast-growing sport in 2026, opportunities can extend well beyond the high school level.Two players who developed with the Jaguars Elite program — Nina Kamma-Hill from Paxon School for Advanced Studies, now at the University of St. Francis in Indiana, and Emma Rayes from Ridgeview High School, now at Florida Gateway College in Lake City — also passed along their guidance to players before the start of drills.
"We want the girls to know this is an Olympic sport now," said Adriel Rocha, Jaguars vice president of community impact and football development. "They're all excited about getting scholarships and money to play college, so that's why we've brought the college girls out here. It's like, 'Here's somebody where you can make it to their level.'"
One Northeast Florida star who has made the jump to the next level is former Fleming Island High School receiver London Jenkins, now part of the USA flag women's roster. Jenkins, the All-First Coast player of the year in 2024, is scheduled to represent the United States women at the IFAF Flag Football World Championship from Aug. 13-16 in Dusseldorf, Germany.
"My encouragement for them would be to stay grounded, stay humble and to work hard," Jenkins said. "There's going to be so many opportunities with colleges coming out, even opportunities with Team USA and the Olympics."
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Team USA's Darrell Doucette inspires Jacksonville flag football stars
Continue reading...
