Marvin Ridge's Landry Johnson named NFL FLAG Player of the Year finalist

Landry Johnson’s finalist berth for the NFL FLAG Player of the Year award pushed Marvin Ridge and North Carolina into one of girls flag football’s highest-profile national stages. The Waxhaw standout had already been named a first-team all-state selection, and now her name sits among the country’s top youth players.

The NFL and Toyota rolled out finalists for the 2026 Flag Players of the Year, a recognition program built to spotlight standout performance, leadership and visibility in NFL FLAG. Johnson’s selection places her in that national frame and gives North Carolina a player who has moved from statewide recognition to one of the sport’s most visible awards.

That matters beyond one trophy run. Marvin Ridge, already known in the region for competitive athletics, now has a girls flag football player drawing national attention in a sport that is still building its footprint in many schools. For Waxhaw and the Charlotte area, Johnson’s finalist status gives the local game a player families and coaches can point to as the sport expands across more campuses and more age groups.

Johnson’s rise also lines up with the way North Carolina’s girls flag football scene is taking shape. HighSchoolOT included her on its 2025-26 all-state team on July 3, when she was named a first-team selection in a package presented by Talk It Out NC and First Carolina Bank. That earlier honor showed she was already among the state’s best before the NFL and Toyota finalist announcement added a national layer.

Taken together, the honors give North Carolina a clear benchmark in girls flag football. Johnson now represents not just Marvin Ridge, but a program and a state trying to turn strong individual seasons into broader legitimacy, more participation and a stronger place in the sport’s growing national map.