Jaelynn Perez powers North to 34-0 Phil Simms All-Star win

Jaelynn Perez turned the Phil Simms North-South All-Star Flag Football Game into her own showcase, and North turned it into a 34-0 statement. The Belleville native from DePaul Catholic grabbed an interception, returned it 25 yards into South territory and later scored on a 51-yard wheel route as the North pulled away Saturday night at The College of New Jersey in Ewing.

Perez’s second-half touchdown pushed the North to a 27-0 lead less than three minutes after halftime, effectively ending any suspense in a game that already had tilted quickly. By then, she had already shown why she was the night’s MVP, affecting both sides of the ball in a format that rewards players who can do more than one job well.

Her performance fit the profile that has made this all-star game matter more each year. Perez headed to Montclair State next, and the recap of her high school career made clear why she was such a natural fit for the stage: 700 rushing yards and eight rushing touchdowns, 28 catches for 255 receiving yards and three more scores, plus 89 tackles, 11 sacks and three interceptions on defense. In a game built around switching roles, she looked built for it.

Mya De Jesus of Harrison, who will play flag football at Manhattan University, had a team-high nine flag pulls and gave the North another local name in the box score. North Arlington’s Lyndsay Gilbert also was part of the regional group that helped give the game a distinctly North Jersey feel, with familiar names carrying the kind of recognition that can travel well beyond one summer night.

The result also reinforced how far the girls game has come inside the Phil Simms North-South Classic. The NJICA calls it the longest-running all-star game in New Jersey, and the girls flag football event was added as a standalone showcase in 2024 after debuting at halftime in 2023. The first standalone game ended North 37, South 12, after the 2023 halftime version finished North 20, South 14.

That rise has tracked with the sport’s rapid growth in the state. The NJSIAA voted May 4 to sanction girls flag football as a varsity sport beginning in the 2026-27 school year, after a pilot that started in 2022-23. Participation climbed from 83 teams and more than 2,000 athletes to more than 140 member schools by 2024-25, and New Jersey became the 21st state to sanction the sport. For Perez, the MVP was a personal honor. For the event, it was another sign that the all-star stage is becoming a real talent amplifier.