MaxPreps names inaugural girls flag football All-America team, led by Akey

MaxPreps unveiled its inaugural girls flag football All-America team with 60 athletes from nearly 20 states, and Ariana Akey of Mountain Vista in Highlands Ranch, Colorado, headlined the group as the company’s first national player of the year. Akey quarterbacked Mountain Vista to back-to-back undefeated seasons and a second straight Class 5A state championship, then finished her varsity career 38-0 as a starter with more than 11,700 total yards and more than 200 touchdowns.

The roster reached well beyond Colorado. Orange Lutheran’s Makena Cook, from Orange, California, was named national junior of the year after throwing for 7,083 yards and 112 touchdowns, while Vincent Memorial’s Azul Trujillo earned national sophomore of the year honors. Salpointe Catholic’s Isla Collins, from Tucson, Arizona, was selected as national freshman of the year after steering her team to a 16-1 record and a 4A state title.

Collins’ season was especially efficient down the stretch. She passed for 2,432 yards and 47 touchdowns and averaged more than 100 rushing yards over four playoff games on the way to the championship.

NFHS says 16 state associations sanctioned girls flag football in the 2025-26 season, with 18 more states operating independent or pilot programs. Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, New Jersey and North Carolina are set to join the sanctioned group in 2026-27, and the federation said most of the sport’s growth has come in the past five to seven years. Florida remains the biggest proving ground, with more than 360 schools and almost 10,000 participants.

MaxPreps and iFlag announced a two-part MaxPreps Flag Football Showdown on April 14, with the first national invitational scheduled for Sept. 11-12, 2026, at the Elite Athlete Training Center in Chula Vista, California, and a second East Coast event planned for spring 2027. The sport is also set to debut at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.