USA Flag Football tabs rosters for International Cup

By Nick Pellegrino
Updated: April 21, 2024

2024 FLAG FOOTBALL

From staff and wire reports

USA FOOTBALL ANNOUNCES INITIAL ROSTERS FOR 2024 BOYS’ AND GIRLS’ FLAG FOOTBALL NATIONAL TEAMS

As flag football quickly grows around the world, USA Football sets initial rosters for Junior National Teams

LINK

INDIANAPOLIS – USA Football, the sport’s U.S. governing body and the only organization that creates and leads the U.S. Flag National Teams for international competitions, has announced the initial rosters for the 2024 U.S. 15U and 17U Boys’ and Girls’ Flag Football National Teams that will compete in the third annual Junior International Cup this coming July in Los Angeles, where flag football will debut in the Olympics in 2028.

Even though the event will be held in L.A., Southern California will be represented by just a half-dozen athlwtes — all girls — wih four hailing from Orange County, plus a pair from Calexico in Imperial County.

The Junior U.S. Flag National Teams will compete under International Federation of American Football (IFAF) rules against top boys’ and girls’ programs from around the world. IFAF is the international governing body for the sport of American football and boasts more than 70 member nations.

USA Football held Junior U.S. National Team Trials from March 21-24 at the United States Performance Center on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. More than 130 total athletes from across the country competed to advance to U.S. National Team Training Camp later this spring as members of the initial 18-athlete rosters. USA Football will trim the rosters to 12 active athletes with six alternates after Training Camp in early June.

The Junior National Teams are part of USA Football’s National Team Pathway, which offers athletes opportunities to compete in elite flag football from the youth level through adulthood. Several members of last year’s Junior National Teams tried out for the U.S. Men’s and Women’s National Teams earlier this month – and the prospect of competing in the Olympics in 2028 remains a realistic possibility for these Junior National Team athletes.

USA Football’s Junior National Team rosters feature youth athletes from coast to coast, representing 18 states – Arizona, California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia.

This past year marked a period of unprecedented exposure and success for flag football. In October, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) added flag football to the Olympic program for the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles, drawing applause from international players around the world. In 2023, the NFL transitioned the Pro Bowl, its annual all-star game, to a flag football format, receiving a positive response from players.

Across the globe, flag football is being played by millions of people in 100 countries. In the United States alone, flag football participation is growing at a tremendous rate. According to the most recent USA Football research, flag football participation among youth ages 6-12 in the last 10 years (2014-23) has increased 58%, with nearly 1.1 million young athletes in this age range playing the sport in 2023. In that same 10-year period, research shows that there was a 38% increase in flag participation among youth ages 6-17, with more than 1.6 million athletes in this age range playing flag football in 2023.

Last year’s Junior International Cup included teams from Canada, Japan, Mexico and Panama. The Junior U.S. National Teams defeated Japan in all four gold medal matches.

Rosters

2024 17U U.S. Girls’ Flag National Team roster
Annalise Anderson; WR/LB; Kansas City, Mo.
Tia Brown; WR/DB; Las Vegas, Nev.
Madison Cogar; WR/DB; Queen Creek, Ariz.
Sarah Colchamiro; RSH/WR; Staten Island, N.Y.
Paula “Nico” Cruz; C/RSH; Calexico, Calif.
Cate Goddeau-Hall; RSH; West Palm Beach, Fla.
Sophie Guitron; WR/DB; Redondo Beach, Calif.|
Maia Helmar; WR/DB; Newport Beach, Calif.
Akemi Higa; QB; Las Vegas, Nev.
Alexandria Lofton; WR/DB; Columbus, Ga.
Kaylin “KK” Ramsey; WR/DB; Lutz, Fla.
Landri Smit; WR/DB; Austin, Texas
Kate Smith; C/RSH/LB; Land O’Lakes, Fla.
Charlotte Soto; C/DB; Ossining, N.Y.
Samaya Taylor; WR/DB; Chandler, Ariz.
Gabriella Werr; QB; Tampa, Fla.
Kiona “Ki’lolo” Westerlund; QB; Henderson, Nev.
Tessa Wieloch; WR/DB; Lansdale, Pa.
Head Coach: Matthew Hernandez
Assistant Coach: Angellica Grayson

2024 17U U.S. Boys’ Flag National Team roster
Isaah Beard; WR; Martinsburg, W.Va.
Justin Bell; RSH; Waldorf, Md.
Luc Carrol; WR; Miami, Fla.
Eric Costa; DB; Miami, Fla.
Michael Enright; WR/DB; Bryn Mawr, Pa.
Vincent Hales; QB; Las Vegas, Nev.
Kerry “Rakem” Hammock; DB/WR; Greensboro, N.C.
Scott Holper; WR/DB; Henderson, Nev.
Jason Lajara; QB/WR; Brick, N.J.
Jordan Lleo; QB; Miami, Fla.
Joshua Lleo; C; Miami, Fla.
Omari Mitchell; DB/WR; Owings, Md.
Ryder Noche; LB/WR; Phoenix, Ariz.
Jeramyah Ramsey; DB; Las Vegas, Nev.
Andrew Richmond; C; Las Vegas, Nev.
Gregory Riddell; DB; Phoenix, Ariz.
Colton Smith; RSH; Miami, Fla.
Samuel “Champ” Smith; DB; Miami, Fla.
Head Coach: Johan Betancourt
|Assistant Coach: Andy Baca

2024 15U U.S. Girls’ Flag National Team roster
Jurisah Bailey; WR/RSH; Lecanto, Fla.
Keylee Baker; WR/DB; Orange, Calif.
Emery Becket; QB; Lakeway, Texas
Makena Cook; WR/DB; Costa Mesa, Calif.
Ava Dowdell; WR/DB; Royal Palm Beach, Fla.
Giavanna Gambino; WR/RSH; Tampa, Fla.
Juliet Gambino; WR/DB; Tampa, Fla.
Molly Hawkins; WR/DB; Leander, Texas
Alison Kaltenbacker; WR/DB; North Wales, Pa.
Sopia Lafontant; QB; Danvers, Mass.
Jessica Manriquez; C/DB; Calexico, Calif.
Makayla Martinez; WR/DB; Chandler, Ariz.
Brooklyn Meritt; WR/DB; Lusby, Md.
Hailey Morgan; C/DB; Vernon, Conn.
Shea Plantz; WR/DB; Tampa, Fla.
Kaitlyn Reynolds; WR/LB; Cedar Park, Texas
Trishell Tucay; WR/RSH; Las Vegas, Nev.
Victoria Whitfield; WR/DB; Tampa, Fla.
Head Coach: Willy Perez
Assistant Coach: Joshua Saunders

2024 15U U.S. Boys’ Flag National Team roster
Ethan Adair; WR/DB; Gilbert, Ariz.
Zaiden Amodo; WR/DB; Chandler, Ariz.
Amos Augustine; WR/DB; Gilbert, Ariz.
Britton Bayag; WR/DB; Miami, Fla.
Nicolas Constantino; WR/DB; Staten Island, N.Y.
Ryan Fernandez; LB/C; Las Vegas, Nev.
Caleb Gunn; QB; Fairfax, Va.
Nicholas Hales; WR/DB; Las Vegas, Nev.
Jackson Hardy; C/RSH; Las Vegas, Nev.
Kingston Harris; WR/DB; Greensboro, N.C.
Anderson Lee; WR/DB; Overland Park, Kan.
Jeffrey O’Neal Jr.; WR/DB; Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Jadiel Ortega; C/LB; Lynn, Mass.
Carson Pope; WR/DB; Celina, Texas
Gabriel Reina; RSH; Miami, Fla.
Malcomb Ross II; QB/WR; West Bloomfield, Mich.
Anthony Vera; QB; Miami, Fla.
Tyson Washington; WR/DB; Woodbridge, Va.
Head Coach: Rudy Fernandez
Assistant Coach: Todd Thomson

About USA Football: USA Football is the governing body of American football in the United States, the sole US member of the International Federation of American Football, and a recognized sports organization of the US Olympic & Paralympic Committee. Its non-profit mission includes designing and delivering premier educational, development, and competitive programs for American football, including tackle and flag football. USA Football is the only organization that selects and organizes men’s and women’s US National Teams in federation-sanctioned international competition.