Orange girls flag football lands multiple all-conference honors after 7-3 season

Orange’s girls flag football team turned a seven-game winning streak into a stack of Super Football Conference American White honors after finishing 7-3 overall and 3-3 in division play. The Tornadoes’ late surge gave the postseason recognition real weight, with the program ending the spring looking less like a novelty and more like a contender.

Sophomore receivers Nayeli Anderson and Soukeinatou Sacko earned first-team offense spots, while the first-team defense included senior Kayla Dorcey and junior Honest Hinds. Anderson had already shown how Orange could separate from opponents during the run, rushing for 130 yards and four touchdowns in a 29-12 win over Nutley on May 12 at Bell Stadium, a result that helped extend the winning streak to seven games. That streak had reached five by May 7, when Orange blanked Columbia 20-0 at Underhill Field in Maplewood.

Orange’s depth showed up across the rest of the list. Second-team recognition went to Ashley Mathurin, freshman Rhyan Mansook, Makayla Battle, Viahelhee Noel and Genesis Parker, while honorable mention went to Naomi Sonubi, Sa’myra Butler-Allen, Deja Torrian and Mekayla Bogado. Mahder Begashaw was named as a punter, and Mansook also drew special teams recognition as a kick returner, underscoring how many pieces Orange used under head coach Omar Mitchell.

The honors landed at a meaningful moment for a program that was still new more than two years ago, when school officials said they wanted girls flag football to become as big as boys high school football. Orange has now backed up that ambition with results and recognition, and the broader state picture shows how quickly the sport is moving. Girls flag football became the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association’s 35th sanctioned sport after four years as a pilot, participation has risen nearly 400% since 2021, and the state has grown from 16 teams in the sport’s early form to 173 by 2026. For Orange, the all-conference selections mark a roster that is not just winning games, but helping set the program’s identity as the sport gains firmer footing at the school.