:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/adn/IVPRAP5VCBCNPBGKTGVFCS4XEQ.JPG?ssl=1 "North Pole flag football players will represent Alaska in televised showcase associated with NFL’s Pro Bowl Games")
Alaska held its first sanctioned flag football state championship in October, making it one of about a dozen states to claim the designation.
Already, the brighter spotlight is having a ripple effect on the student-athletes who compete in the sport.
A pair of players from the state champion North Pole team have been invited to compete in a high school flag football showcase associated with the NFL’s Pro Bowl Games.
Tiahna Guzman and Camryn Williams are in Orlando this weekend to compete against and alongside players from seven states including Florida, California and New York. The game is scheduled for 9 p.m. AKST on Sunday, and will be broadcast on ESPN during Postseason NFL Countdown.
For Guzman, the all-star game is yet another door that was opened to her from participating in flag football. A senior, she plans to play flag football at Bryant & Stratton College and attend the school’s campus in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin.
“I think it was very important,” she said of the sanctioning. “That’s how my college reached out to me and that’s how they reached out to us for (this game), because we won state.”
Being the state champion in a sanctioned league landed North Pole (15-1) in eighth place in USA Today’s Top 25 rankings. That got them on radar of NFL Flag, the league’s official flag program. The 30 players in the game all hail from teams in the final Top 25.
“The sanctioning of it, really, it opens up a lot more opportunities like this,” North Pole coach Jamie Darby said.
Both players are excited and a bit nervous to compete with players from other states. As Guzman noted, “they’re most definitely getting more reps than us. They have more time in the summer too, and they’re probably getting a lot more games than we did.”
“I’m super excited to see all the talent these girls have,” Williams said. “I always see them playing on clips on Instagram and stuff like that. They’re super cool. Yeah, I can’t wait.”
While Williams isn’t planning to play collegiately, she is hoping to go into sports management, and part of the itinerary includes a presentation of women in sports.
“I’m super excited to network and make all those connections,” Williams said. “I also can’t wait to meet all those other girls as well as just being a part of the whole NFL-sponsored event.”
Darby said these types of opportunities will only multiply as the game continues to increase in popularity nationwide.
“I think we’ve perfectly scheduled our sanctioning with this blow-up across the nation to show that Alaska is involved,” she said. “It’s going to be a great opportunity for more girls to be able to go … to the next level, go to college. This year really put a good spotlight on Alaska.”
The itinerary also includes trips to Epcot and Topgolf although Guzman said she was uncertain of whether meeting NFL Pro Bowl athletes would be included.
The game at Camping World Stadium will be followed on Sunday by Pro Bowl Games festivities, including a tug-of-war, a relay race and a 7-on-7 flag football game.
Playing in a game that’s televised will bring an added level of pressure, but neither Alaska player seemed too worried.
“I think there’s gonna be a North Pole watch party for our team for any family and friends that want to join,” Williams said.
The game is part of a whirlwind last year for Guzman, who wouldn’t have dreamed that flag football would be such a big part of her future plans.
“I did not think I was going to college (to play) flag football,” she said. “This was all just in this last year. So random, but I’m super excited.”
