USA TODAY Sports released its inaugural All-America flag football team, and Arizona is well-represented on the list of top high school players.
Five Arizona preps made the team in total, with three from metro Phoenix and two from southern Arizona.
The Arizona Republic, as part of the USA TODAY network, participated in selection of the team.
Junior quarterback Marlie Phillips and senior wide receiver and defensive back Makenna Johnson, both from Peoria Liberty, and Phoenix Xavier Prep sophomore wide receiver and defensive back Evie Maas were the three Valley-based athletes selected.
In addition, senior wide receiver and defensive back Kayla Tacker from Casa Grande and sophomore quarterback and linebacker Isla Collins from Tucson Salpointe Catholic
were the selections from southern Arizona.
Phillips is set to play her first season for Liberty after spending her first two years at Chandler Hamilton, where she went 38-0 as a starter and threw for 10,864 yards and 173 touchdowns.
Johnson, who also plays basketball, caught 82 passes for 1,015 yards and 17 touchdowns on offense and racked up 70 flag pulls and 14 interceptions on defense. She caught the attention of Nebraska this offseason, becoming the second active Arizona prep to get a Power Four scholarship offer for flag football.
Maas was very impressive in her freshman season, where she hauled in 72 receptions for 1,044 yards and 16 touchdowns, and spent the past summer with the United States Under-15 national team.
Tacker, a finalist for the 2025 NFL FLAG Player of the Year, is one of the top two-way players in the state. She has a combined 3,122 yards, 47 touchdowns and 219 receptions on offense. On defense, she is Arizona’s all-time career leader in interceptions with 47.
Collins continues to gain national recognition. She has played with the United States junior national teams the past two summers, at rusher and linebacker. Collins, who helped lead Salpointe to the 4A state championship in the school’s first season of the sport, was recently named the MaxPreps National Freshman of the Year.
The 2026 AIA flag football season starts on Sept. 14.
Logan Stanley is a sports reporter with The Arizona Republic who primarily focuses on high school, college and Olympic sports. To suggest ideas for human-interest stories and other news, reach out to Stanley at logan.stanley@usatodayco.com or 707-293-7650. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter: @LSscribe.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: 5 Arizona players land on USA TODAY All-American flag football list
