Mya De Jesus knew nothing about the game of flag football when she was first approached by Harrison head coach Dan Nankivell about playing after a girls basketball game her freshman year.
“He came to watch one of my basketball games and after he was like, I want you to try out for our team,” DeJesus said. “I had no idea what it was, but I was like, okay, it seems like fun. I saw a game from their first year and was like, why not?”
Less than three years later, flag football has taken her to the New York Jets practice facilities twice a week where De Jesus and her teammates are routinely visited by Jets players and the subject of a new documentary series, titled “EmpowHer” that premiered on the team’s web site and on YouTube last week.
De Jesus, who just completed her junior year, was one of just 12 players selected to play for Jets Flag Elite, a 5-on-5 flag football team that is competing in tournaments across the Northeast.
“It’s such an amazing opportunity,” said De Jesus, noting it still feels crazy that they have the type of access to the Jets facilities. “When we give security our name and they open the gate for us, I’m like ‘wow, I’m actually at the Jets facility.”
The Jets announced the creation of Jets Flag Elite in February during its annual High School Girls Flag Football Media Day. Tryouts were held in March with the initial roster selected later that month.
Two other NFL teams – the Jaguars and Chargers, sponsor a girls flag football club travel team, but the Jets are the first to start it from the ground up, rather than connecting with previously established teams.
“We already have so many NFL teams reaching out about how we’re doing this,” said Jets Flag Elite and Ridgewood High School head coach Mickey McDermott. “You’re going to see a lot of NFL teams follow here soon on what we’re doing.”
Following the March tryouts, which featured around 20 candidates, DeJesus, a star running back/linebacker for Harrison was unsure if she had done enough to make the final cut.
“(After the tryout) I was like, okay, I think I have a chance,” De Jesus said. “But I didn’t feel like I did anything crazy to have the confidence to feel I definitely got picked.”
“Mya is a very dynamic player that I think jumps off the screen whether it’s on film or trying out in person,” said Nakivell. “She can play really any position on the football field.”
Unlike the 7-on-7 version of flag football played during the high school season, Jets Flag Elite is 5-on-5 and played on a more narrow field. The changes create a quicker pace and eliminates the running game component so De Jesus’s responsibilities at linebacker are different than when she plays for Harrison.
“It took a lot of getting yelled at and just having to go through the motions,” said De Jesus about getting used to the different style. “As a linebacker, I have the whole middle by myself, so if I see something crossing my face, I have to watch it.”
“What separates Mya from the rest is just her instincts and her natural athletic ability,” McDermott said. “Her range and change of direction’s very good with the way that she tracks the ball and she is very skilled at flag pulling. Those are some of the things that set her apart from the other girls.”
After multiple practices and scrimmages, Jets Flag Elite played its first tournament, on May 3 in Elizabeth.
According to the team’s press release announcing the roster, the Jets cover all uniform, equipment and tournament fees and seek to “provide pathways to college scholarships and support opportunities for the USA National team as girls flag becomes an Olympic Sport in 2028.”
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Jason Bernstein | Observer Sports Writer
Jason Bernstein joined The Observer as its sports writer in March 2022, following the retirement of Jim Hague. He has a wealth of sports-writing experience, including for NJ Advance Media (nj.com, The Jersey Journal, The Star-Ledger.)