ORANGE PARK - Orange Park High senior flag football ace Brictani Platas has a goal of an Olympic team invite somewhere in her future, but for the next few weeks, Platas will be preparing for the NFL's Super Bowl LVIII in February in Las Vegas.

Not that Platas will be playing in the game at her usual defensive back position amongst the behemoths of the NFL, but Platas will be a guest of the Jacksonville Jaguars after she earned two tickets to the sports season finale in Las Vegas.
"They asked questions about how flag football impacted my life and how I learned the sport itself," said Platas, also a striker for the Orange Park High girls soccer team. "I've been playing flag football for my four years here at Orange Park and have thought about the Olympics as it is an exhibition sport this year and will become a medal sport in the future."
Platas answered questions on how flag football has impacted her life as a Hispanic student at Orange Park High School and was chosen as winner of the Grant Award Winner for Latino Youth Honors by the Hispanic Heritage Foundation Team and the Jacksonville Jaguars as one of eight finalists of 56 competitors.
The National Football League and the Hispanic Heritage Foundation (HHF) announced the inaugural “NFL Latino Youth Honors,” recognizing outstanding high school tackle and flag football athletes from around the country for their academic and athletic excellence. Eight of these exemplary student-athletes were announced as finalists, representing each of the eight league divisions.
“The NFL is proud to again join forces with the Hispanic Heritage Foundation in the launch of this year’s ‘NFL Latino Youth Honors,’ where Latino students and their inspiring stories will motivate the next generation of fans and athletes of this great sport,” said Marissa Solis, NFL Senior VP/Global Brand & Consumer Marketing.
The elite group of athletes will be in Las Vegas and will also participate in a variety of events before attending the game. The HHF and the NFL will also announce a national winner of the 2023 NFL Latino Youth Awards.
Platas' excellence on the field was with an estimated 62 flag pulls last year with six tackles for loss, three sacks, and six interceptions as well as 18 pass breakups. Off the field, Platas has a 3.2 grade point average.
"I'm the oldest child in my family and played lots of sports," said Platas, who gets a round trip flight with a friend (an aunt), hotel and accommodations and her two tickets to the game. "I fell in love with the sport once I played it."
Flag football — a fast, non-contact and gender-equal format, renowned as the most accessible and inclusive version of American football — is spearheading exceptional worldwide participation growth in American football, especially among women and girls.
An estimated 20 million people in more than 100 countries currently play flag football, which is growing in tandem with the exploding international popularity of the NFL, as America's favorite spectator sport continues to build on a global fan base of 340 million.
This year, 65 national representative teams will participate in the IFAF continental flag football competition, building towards the IFAF World Flag Football Championships to be held in Lahti, Finland in August 2024.