Youth teams representing Texans, Jags capture NFL flag football titles
The Texas Fury Texans shut out the Bad Rabbits Cowboys 19-0 in the girls final after falling in the semifinals of the inaugural tournament.
Game MVP Emery Beckett was 8-for-8 passing for 102 yards and three touchdowns. She connected with Zahara Hill for a 12-yard score, Kelsey Quinn for another first-half TD and Hill again on a 3-yard toss in the game's final five minutes.
Kaitlyn Reynolds and Sonya Chalil recorded interceptions for the Fury defense.
The Bad Rabbits, representing the Dallas Cowboys, defeated AA Select (Philadelphia Eagles) 7-0 in one semifinal, while the Texas Fury edged Conquer (Los Angeles Chargers) 7-6.
On the boys' side, the Jaguars Elite and tournament MVP Brysen Wright posted a 13-0 victory over Showtime, which represented the Atlanta Falcons.
Jaguars quarterback Dalton Motes was 8 of 12 for 108 yards and two touchdowns -- a 30-yarder to Jaiden Barnett and a 15-yarder to Ry'land Williams.
Wright broke up a pass late in the game when Showtime went for it on fourth down. Wright, 14, scored 10 TDs in seven tournament games, including a tumbling one-handed catch in traffic that went viral and caught the attention of NFL stars Patrick Mahomes and Bijan Robinson, among others.
Showtime was 1 of 6 on third-down conversions despite recording more passing yards (117-104). Showtime QB Januel Morales was 8 of 13 for 73 yards and one interception, while teammate Vincenzo Mena was 4 of 10 for 51 yards.
The Jaguars Elite eliminated RFP (Buffalo Bills) 41-12 in one semifinal, while Showtime topped High Intensity (San Francisco 49ers) 13-7 in the other.
The three-day competition involved about 300 teams representing all 32 NFL clubs across 12 divisions. The event also featured international contests with eight teams traveling from Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, Great Britain, Mexico and Puerto Rico.
Flag football continues to surge in popularity ahead of the 2028 Summer Olympics, where it will debut as an official sport in Los Angeles. The NFL announced in May that its players will be allowed to compete.
--Field Level Media
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