The moment Vanessa Monaco tried the quarterback position in the Friday Night Lights youth football program as an eighth grader, she knew she was onto something.
Monaco, now the captain and quarterback of the Shadow Hills flag football team, started playing flag football on a boys' club team during her sixth grade year and she grew to love the sport as a receiver but was striving for more.
“They let me play quarterback for a couple of plays and that's when I really knew that I had the opportunity to be a good quarterback,” she said.
The timing was perfect for Monaco because just as she was entering high school, girls' flag football had become an official sport.
Everything came together and she was locked in on furthering her career as a quarterback.
The first decision was which school she would attend. Eventually she set her path toward Shadow Hills and she's been happy with that choice.
“It was definitely the right decision, the culture here is amazing. I have great teammates, a great coach, the program, it’s great,” Monaco said after a recent win over Indio.
When it comes to Monaco's quarterbacking skill, the stats don't lie. Last year as a sophomore, she played in 28 games and threw for 4,511 yards, a whopping 72 touchdowns to go with just 14 interceptions. She also played receiver and had 13 touchdown receptions. So far in 2026, in 14 games Monaco has 2,643 yards passing and 31 touchdowns. She also has seven rushing touchdowns. Add it all up in and Monaco, who was named the Desert Empire League offensive MVP in 2025, has been responsible for 123 touchdowns in just 42 games.
Coming in at 5-foot-10, Monaco is one of the tallest on the team and that has worked to her advantage she said.
“I feel like some people wouldn’t understand this a lot, but I think when the rushers are shorter being able to see over them, it makes it a lot easier to see the field,” she said.
Her throwing ability — she can throw the ball 40 yards without breaking a sweat — has led to some lofty comparisons.
“I have people tell me, like a lot of girls from other programs, sometimes they'll be like ‘Is that Tom Brady?’ And my mom, sometimes she’ll be like ‘Why are you throwing it like you're Patrick Mahomes?’” she said with a laugh.
A Leader In Training
Keith Rouzan, the head coach for the flag football team at Shadow Hills, has known Monaco since she was in the first grade. Since then he's watched her grow into a top-notch athlete and great leader.
“She knows that as the leader, as a quarterback, you get all the credit when you do something well, and you get all the blame when the team does something bad," Rouzan said. "She showed me what kind of leader she was going to be when she got hurt her freshman year."
Monaco also played as a wide receiver and during freshman year when going in for a catch, caught the ball but came down with a broken collar bone. Staying dedicated, she continued showing up to practice, training, and being there for her team.
As her coach, Rouzan was always impressed by that dedication.
“She trains constantly for football. She also plays basketball. She has a 4.0 GPA. She has a part-time job and then she volunteers and helps out with kids. So I don’t even know how she does all this,” he said.
College aspirations
Monaco is interested in leveling up after high school and finding a spot to play flag football at the college level. On top of the Shadow Hills team practices, she works with trainers and specialized coaches, including former quarterback at Palm Desert High AJ Rivera.
With the sport being so new and still growing, the colleges that have the most opportunities are on the East Coast. However Monaco is looking through all her options and has been talking to friends in different places. Rouzan says in the offseason when she trains and plays travel ball more offers will be rolling in and she says she'll be ready.
“I think definitely since it’s a developing program in college, I know that my opportunities are very big, but at the same time a lot of schools aren't recruiting the class of 2028 right now. I’ve had a lot of schools have interest but they've also told me 2028 is gonna have to wait a little bit,” said Monaco about the recruiting process.
Looking into the future and working toward a higher level of a sport can be intimidating but Monaco is doing everything she can to work her way up.
Coach Rouzan believes whatever college team takes a chance on her, is going to be rewarded.
“What she will bring is dedication and then effort. One thing we teach at our program is energy and effort. You can control your energy, you can control your effort and she maxes that out every practice, every training, every game," Rouzan said. "So they will be getting a girl, not only is she a standout on the field but she's also a standout in the classroom. So truly a great student athlete."
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Meet Vanessa Monaco, the desert's most prolific high school quarterback
