With girls high school flag football booming and the number of teams in Michigan doubling since 2025, it’s no surprise players are looking for more opportunities to improve, compete in front of college coaches and stay involved during the offseason.
Dozens got that chance June 12-13 at the Nike Girls Flag Football Showcase and Prospect Camp at Birmingham Groves High School.
Hosted by Saginaw Valley State coach Amber Clark-Robinson, a two-time gold medalist with the USA Women’s National Flag Football Team, players went through drills, competed in one-on-ones and showcased their skills in front of coaches from Davenport, Purdue Northwest, Lewis and SVSU.
Here are four storylines from the event:
Tigney gets tested in front of scouts
Redford Union defensive back Amaya Tigney spent last offseason refining the fundamentals.
She learned how to backpedal, cover a zone while keeping an eye on the quarterback and communicate with linebackers and fellow defensive backs.
Those skills paid off in the Michigan Girls High School Flag Football League this spring. She snagged seven interceptions, including three in a 12-0 loss to Detroit Renaissance in Week 4.
Now the 5-foot-4 incoming senior is ready to catch the attention of college coaches.
“I really came to get the exposure with the coaches,” Tigney said. “I’ve been looking forward to meeting them and putting myself out there in front of the coaches. I wanted to get some film, and I wanted the competition and face the talent.”
Mission accomplished.
Tigney batted down passes, grabbed interceptions and went toe-to-toe with elite receivers, including Orchard Lake St. Mary’s Olivia Willoughby, arguably the state’s second-best pass catcher this spring behind St. Joseph’s Meghan Postelli.
“I’ve never seen a girl like Olivia before,” Tigney said. “I’ve never been up against a good wide receiver like that, but it taught me a lot about what I need to do.”
Tigney has more tournaments and camps on her schedule. She also hopes to improve her strength and speed as colleges recruit her to play safety or cornerback.
Buskin wants to follow in brother’s footsteps
Birmingham Groves senior Ke’lko Buskin has spent most of her life on the sidelines.
Flag football finally gave her a chance to get on the field.
She’s always been around the sport, especially while watching her older brother, Albion College cornerback Devon Buskin Jr., play for Southfield A&T. That background helped her develop a feel for the game.
As a multi-year starter, Buskin has become one of Groves’ top players. This past season, she completed 42 of 89 passes for 439 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 47 yards. She also starred at safety with 22 flag pulls, two interceptions and eight pass breakups.
Now she’s hoping to follow her brother into the college ranks.
“Being around my brother and all of his friends, I’m like a tomboy, so I’ve been around guys my whole life, so I just love football,” Buskin said. “The closest I could get to football without any judgement has been [sideline] cheer. I’ve been doing cheer my whole life, so just to be able to play football in high school and maybe get to a bigger level, it’s been really exciting.”
The Nike camp on her home field is just the first stop of a busy month. Buskin will compete in the Women’s National Football Conference Varsity Top 100 tournament June 19-21 in Frisco, Texas.
The event features 100 of the nation’s top players competing at Ford Center at The Star, the Dallas Cowboys’ world headquarters.
Her goal is simple: Get in front of as many college coaches as possible.
“I just want to get my name out there since flag is getting really big,” she said.
The future is bright for St. Mary’s 2 stars
Orchard Lake St. Mary’s quarterback-receiver tandem Reese Holton and Willoughby enjoyed such breakout seasons as first-year players that both are seriously considering playing flag football in college.
Which says a lot because each is already on track to play another sport at the next level.
Despite missing the postseason, Holton finished as Michigan’s third-leading passer, trailing only Brighton senior Emma Adamczyk (2,051 yards, 34 TDs) and St. Joseph state champion Lainie Dorow (1,969 yards, 28 TDs). The 6-foot-1 team captain threw for 1,032 yards and 15 touchdowns.
“I’m excited to meet coaches and learn about the [recruiting] process,” Holton said. “I still don’t know much about it, but I want to figure out what we can do from here, especially because I’m going into my senior year, so I’ve got to figure out if this is something that I want to do past high school.”
If not, she’ll likely play basketball.
Holton already holds an offer from Alma College and expects to draw interest from more small colleges while attending camps with the Eaglets this summer.
But if she continues to develop as a QB, expect flag football offers to start arriving from around the Midwest.
Holton burst onto the scene in her debut, helping St. Mary’s (3-1) beat Farmington, 60-13, while completing 18 of 32 passes for 349 yards, five TDs, three one-point conversions and one two-point conversion. She also returned interceptions 37 and 22 yards for TDs.
She kept it rolling over the next three weeks. St. Mary’s only loss came against state powerhouse Brighton, 13-0. Had the Eaglets landed in a different division, they likely would’ve made some noise at Ford Field.
“I’m definitely excited to see where this goes,” Holton said. “I’ve always loved football, but I like basketball, too, and I’ve got offers for that. So I can do whatever I want with it, but there’s just something about football. It’s fun and just enjoyable.”
Of course, Holton’s favorite target is also taking a long look at football.
Willoughby finished as Michigan’s second-leading receiver with 20 catches for 561 yards and 11 TDs. Those numbers are even more impressive considering she didn’t have the benefit of three postseason games like St. Joseph’s Postelli, who led the state with 43 receptions for 806 yards and 12 TDs.
“I played flag football as a kid, and then they took it away when I reached a certain age that I couldn’t play anymore,” said Willoughby, a 5-6 incoming sophomore. “When they brought it back [with the Eaglets debuting their team in 2026], I was so excited. It’s been such a game-changer that the sport is finally back in my life.”
While attending White Lake St. Patrick Catholic School, Willoughby played in a local league while developing into a standout soccer player.
She has since climbed the club ranks with Novi-based Michigan Jaguars FC and is on pace to earn college soccer opportunities.
But those plans could change if flag football continues its rapid growth.
In her debut with the Eaglets, Willoughby caught seven passes for 223 yards, four TDs and a one-point conversion. She also returned an interception 22 yards for a score and earned Detroit Lions Player of the Week honors.
“I was happy to play again but surprised I got back into the groove of it really quickly,” Willoughby said. “It has definitely been a game-changer in my life and has made me second-guess my other sports and what I really want to play in college.”
Willoughby will have only one more season catching passes from Holton. But one more spring may be all she needs to grab the attention of college recruiters.
Another season as one of Michigan’s top receivers should do the trick.
The Mustangs are hungry to keep improving
Northville came within one point of winning a three-way tiebreaker in the All Grit League and earning a playoff berth.
It’s safe to say that didn’t sit well with the Mustangs.
That’s why three of their top players – incoming sophomores Taylor Chrzanowski, Jenna Chrzanowski and Lili Vettraino – signed up for the Nike camp.
“We need to get the reps in during the offseason,” said Vettraino, who led her division with nine tackles for loss while adding 13 QB hurries, two sacks, 14 flag pulls and a pass breakup. “Plus we want to get exposure in front of different kinds of players because we’ve never met as good a competition as the girls out here before.”
At nearly every position, too, especially QB.
Taylor got to throw alongside almost every top returning passer in the state except St. Joseph’s Dorow. That included St. Mary’s Holton, Groves’ Buskin and Redford Union’s Ameerah Saba.
“It was inspiring and nice to see because they have really good arms,” said Taylor, who finished sixth in Michigan with 684 passing yards, nine TDs and seven one-point conversions. “I liked watching how they moved their feet and their footwork in general. I definitely looked to them to find ways to improve my game.”
So did Jenna, Taylor’s twin sister.
She worked at both linebacker and receiver during camp, picking up new ways to keep pace with some of the state’s best players.
Jenna credited her time with Michigan Jaguars FC for helping her make cuts as a receiver and close space as a defender.
“It’s all similar to soccer, especially with cutting,” said Jenna, who broke out against Saline by returning an interception 20 yards for a TD, catching a 66-yard TD pass from Taylor and recording three QB hurries. “It helps me know where to move and how to cover people, but I know there are opportunities for me to improve out here, which is what I want to continue to do throughout the summer. We have a gap [at Northville], and we want to continue playing this summer to close it.”
Northville surrendered only 21 points all season, leaning on its three standout freshmen to post two shutouts and hold league champion P-CEP to just 12 points.
Ironically, the nine points the Mustangs allowed in garbage time against Ypsilanti Lincoln in Week 2 ultimately cost them a playoff spot.
If Northville’s players are this hungry after allowing only three TDs all season, imagine what that defense could look like next spring.
“We’re just going into our sophomore year, so there’s a long way for us to go, and I know we can improve a lot more,” Taylor said. “But any opportunities to get better, we’re taking it.”
Brandon Folsom covers high school sports in metro Detroit for Hometown Life and the Detroit Free Press. Follow him on X at @folsomwrites.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: 4 storylines from Nike Girls Flag Football Showcase
Reporting by Brandon Folsom, Hometownlife.com / Detroit Free Press
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By Brandon Folsom, Hometownlife.com | USA TODAY Network
