In the final 30 seconds of the 2024 New England Patriots Girls Flag Football Championship, head coach Terrell Patterson had two timeouts left to use to help his St. Mary’s High School squad go the entire length of the field to score.
The first pass his quarterback threw fell incomplete, and in his head, he began rehearsing what he would say to his team. Thanks to his daughter Kaileigh’s heroics, however, that consolation speech wouldn’t be necessary.
“I started preparing myself to give this speech about how far we made it, and for the girls not to hang their heads because we’ll come back stronger next year,” Terrell told Patriots.com during an interview Thursday.
“I’m preparing for how we’re going to handle this loss, and called the last play, and Kaileigh made a heck of a catch with just eight seconds remaining. It was one of those dream come true situations. To make a game-winning (one-handed) catch to secure a high school state championship – it’s usually the juniors and seniors. Kaileigh did that in sixth grade. Even talking about it now gives you goosebumps and takes you back to that moment because it was that special.”
For the father-daughter duo, this was just one of many great experiences that flag football has afforded them the last decade. The latest is a trip to Minnesota this weekend, as the seventh grader was selected for the 15U USA Junior National Team.
At just 12 years old, the Nahant, Mass., native is the youngest on a roster capped at 18 girls. Rather than being intimidated, though, she uses it to her advantage.
Just like she always has.
“It makes me want to work even harder and prove to everyone that my age doesn’t matter and hopefully I’m good enough,” Kaileigh said.
That mentality has served Kaileigh well since she started playing flag football as a young child.
Her father, a former college football player, coached tackle at various levels. When his young daughter began showing promise as an athlete involved in gymnastics and soccer, he started pursuing the emerging sport of flag football in hopes she would want to get involved.
“I really loved it and it was something we were able to bond over,” Terrell said. “She really stuck with it and it’s been her favorite sport since.”