INGLEWOOD, CALIF. — Oct. 10, 2024 —
Deja Smith of
St. Mary's Academy (Inglewood, Calif.) is the MaxPreps/USA Football Girls High School Flag Football Player of the Week for Sept. 30–Oct. 6. The sophomore quarterback led the Belles to a 3-1 record during with wins against the Ramona, Serra and View Park.
During their 3-1 stretch, the Belles outscored opponents 159-41 with two shutout victories. Smith completed 60 out of 75 pass attempts for 1,085 yards and 12 touchdowns in the wins. She also contributed 26 flag pulls and an interception on defense.
St. Mary's Academy has a 10-2 overall record and an 8-1 record in league play.
Notable statistics from Deja's incredible week:
• Smith completed 60 out of 75 pass attempts for 1,085 yards, 12 touchdowns and two interceptions.
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Smith led a 60-0 rout against View Park, completing 18 of 20 pass attempts for 375 yards and five touchdowns with no turnovers.
•
Smith followed up the View Park game by completing 23 of 26 pass
attempts for 420 yards, five touchdowns and an interception in a 52-0
shutout against Ramona Convent.
Smith will receive a complimentary invitation to a USA Football Talent ID Camp of her choosing to be further evaluated through USA Football's National Team Development Program. Talent ID Camps feature Olympic-style 5v5 scrimmages, combine testing, 1v1 drills and competitions designed to develop and assess athletes. The National Team Development Program expands the pathway to USA Football's U.S. National Team and is designed to help flag football athletes and coaches refine their skills, showcase their talent and compete at an elite level.
USA Football, the sport's governing body in the United States and the organization that creates and leads the U.S. National Teams that will represent our country in international competitions, including the Olympics, partnered with MaxPreps to start the Girls High School Flag Football Player of the Week award and continue to bring attention to the exploding popularity of flag football throughout the country. Smith is the first-ever recipient of the award.
USA Football and MaxPreps will announce an award winner each week during the fall and spring high school girls' flag football seasons based on game statistics entered by coaches into MaxPreps.
This award celebrates the achievements of the athletes that are helping to drive flag football at the high school level. USA Football research shows more than 1.6 million athletes ages 6-17 played the sport in 2023, representing a 36.2 percent increase in participation over the past decade. Much of that growth is being driven by girls and women. Participation among girls ages 6-12 increased by approximately 222 percent from 2014 to 2023.
Opportunities for girls and women to play flag football competitively for high school and college programs are increasing. Thirteen states sanction girls' flag football as a varsity sport for current or future seasons. Women's flag football at the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) level features college scholarships and a national championship.
About USA Football: USA Football is the governing body of American football in the United States, the sole U.S. member of the International Federation of American Football, and a recognized sports organization of the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee. Its non-profit mission includes designing and delivering premier educational, development, and competitive programs for American football, including tackle and flag football. USA Football is the only organization that selects and organizes men's and women's U.S. National Teams in federation-sanctioned international competition.
About MaxPreps: MaxPreps is the nation's leading high school sports destination, offering fans the most comprehensive coverage with the latest scores, statistics, news, rankings, photos, and more. MaxPreps aspires to cover every high school team, game and player by partnering with more than 100,000 coaches throughout the country. A unit of Paramount and a CBSSports.com site, MaxPreps was founded in August 2002 and is headquartered in El Dorado Hills, Calif. For more information about MaxPreps, please visit www.maxpreps.com.
