Freshman flag football player Taylor Jones dominating New Jersey scene
In Newark, a freshman is quickly rising as one of the best flag football players in the state of New Jersey. Her coach said she's becoming a "face" of the sport in the state. At her pace, she may soon be among the faces of the sport in the nation.
Taylor Jones became the first player in New Jersey to pass and run for over 1,000 yards apiece this season, and had accumulated 2,596 yards on the season, as of May 19. On Tuesday night, she helped Central High School (Neward, N.J.) beat the second-seeded West Orange in the SFC-North semifinals, throwing a 15-yard touchdown pass in double overtime to walk it off, beating a team that only allowed six touchdowns all year, according to NJ.com.
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This was the fifth game-winning drive for Central of the season, according to the outlet. The Blue Devils improved to 10-1 on the season.
Through the first 10 games, Jones led the state with 1,426 rushing yards. She also had 1,152 passing yards and 25 total touchdowns, 11 of which were through the air — now 12 of her 26 touchdowns after Tuesday — according to NJ.com.
Jones played tackle football in Pop Warner before switching to flag football in middle school and moving from running back to quarterback.
'I didn't know coming into the season how special she was,' Newark Central head coach Mark Ingram told NJ.com. 'She has supreme talents in football. She makes winning plays. She's a five-star player and puts the work in.'
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'I've always wanted to play quarterback,' Jones said to the outlet. 'If I notice something that I can't do, I work even harder at it.
Central is now prepping for the championship game, which is scheduled to take place May 31. In addition to Jones, wide receivers senior Serenity Muhammad and sophomore Zaniyah Dixon have been key on offense, as has running back Briyuanna Carter, according to NJ.com. On the defensive side, juniors Aishat Hassan and Harmony Roundtree have been pivotal.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY High School Sports Wire: Freshman flag football player dominating New Jersey sport
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