HUNTINGTON, Md. – Team Elite, one of the top flag football organizations in the nation, is proud to announce that four of their players have been selected to compete on the 2023 Junior U.S. Flag Football National Team.
Founded in 2017 by Coaches Michael Randall and Edwin Randall, Team Elite has become one of Maryland’s longest-running travel flag football organizations. The nonprofit provides opportunities for players to compete at an elite level against top national and international teams.
“Our goal is for our players to use sports as a vehicle, not a destination. We aren’t about the flash. Our players work hard and play the sport with respect for themselves, their families, and their teammates,” Randall told The BayNet.
Michael Randall, Edwin Randall, and Andre Holland have coached Team Elite to achieve multiple victories. Notably, in 2022, Team Elite represented the NY Jets at the NFL Flag Championships during the Pro Bowl in Las Vegas. Moreover, the team won two Flag Football Life National Championships earlier this year in the 15U and 17U Divisions.
Micah Jones, Isaiah Randall, Jalen Barnes, and Keegan Thorne are the four players selected for the Junior U.S. National Team. Jones and Randall attend Northern High School, while Barnes and Thorne attend Calvert High School.
To earn a spot on the Junior U.S. National Team, the players had to go through an 18-month journey, which included a series of events and evaluation opportunities in three categories: evaluation/scouting for tryout spots, training and evaluation events, and competing at the U.S. National Team Trials.
On March 2nd, the players traveled to Charlotte, North Carolina, to compete for four days against the top national talent for a spot on the 2023 Junior U.S. Flag Football National Team. They underwent drills and tests that resembled the NFL Combine and competed in on-field scrimmages.
The four players will travel to Charlotte several times to train at the U.S. Performance Center with their new teammates and coaches.
The Junior Flag International Cup will be held at the United States Performance Center (USPC) and the University of North Carolina at Charlotte from July 5-8. The event coincides with the 2023 IFAF Americas Continental Flag Football Championship, featuring the U.S. Men’s and Women’s Flag National Teams.
Fans can follow the stats of the international competition on the US National Team’s Facebook and other social media accounts (@usnft), as well as on Team Elite’s Facebook (@BeTeamElite) and Instagram (@be_team_elite) accounts.
Contact our news desk at news@thebaynet.com
