Since Izzy Murray took her first snap on the flag football field, there’s something that sets Ponte Vedra’s quarterback apart from much of the pack.
Going deep. Really deep.
“I found I could just throw a ball really far,” Murray said, “and I just ran with it from there.”
A combination quarterback and linebacker for a Sharks team on the rapid rise, the hard-throwing Ponte Vedra junior is the Times-Union’s All-First Coast player of the year in high school girls flag football.
Murray and the Sharks jumped out to a 19-0 start this season to place Ponte Vedra on the Florida High School Athletic Association map. Not bad for a program that only began its varsity existence in 2025.
On the defensive side, she recorded 79 tackles and four interceptions, helping Ponte Vedra hold its opponents under five points per game. And with a football in her hand, she shredded opponents from the quarterback position, throwing for 71 touchdowns and 4,884 yards.
This year, an already effective quarterback rose to new heights, ranking sixth in the national MaxPreps list for passing yards.
“All of a sudden this year, she was seeing things she didn’t see last year, and she had the confidence to attempt throws she wouldn’t have attempted last year,” Ponte Vedra coach Scott Conroy said. “And with her arm, she can make all the throws.”
‘Super fun’
Murray came to flag football as a relative newcomer in eighth grade, after previously competing in basketball and volleyball. On the 80-yard field, her throwing arm soon made her a natural for the sport.
She found a home at the quarterback position quickly, where she was able to not just throw the football for long distances but also connect with her receivers for instant game-changing highlights.
“I thought it was super fun,” she said.
Conroy said that he got an early look at Murray as a coach on the opposite sideline at the club level, and realized just how much her arm strength complicates life for defenses.
“What’s special is her ability to put the ball in spots on the field that most other quarterbacks cannot,” Conroy said.
Whether Murray went short or long this year, defenses found it nearly impossible to guard against her passing.
Ponte Vedra racked up 610 points, more than 30 per game. Murray four times topped the 300-yard mark in games, with Peyton Gruver (131 catches, 1,717 yards, 24 TD) and Julia Conroy (121 catches, 1,606 yards, 24 TD) as her most frequent targets.
Until an upset loss to Tallahassee Chiles in the FHSAA regional finals, Ponte Vedra looked like a candidate to bring home Northeast Florida’s first state trophy in the sport. The Sharks are likely to enter 2027 among Florida’s state contenders.
“I knew we had the potential,” she said, “but I never expected us to have that kind of a run.”
In the long run, she said, she’s interested in playing flag football in the college ranks, and perhaps even get a chance to line up with the USA Flag Football national program.
But before then, she’s hoping to make one more championship charge with her Ponte Vedra teammates. After all, she knows using her high-powered throwing arm would be a lot less fun without Sharks teammates on the receiving end.
“It’s honestly like a teamwork thing,” Murray said. “I’m grateful I have the teammates to catch the balls and score the touchdowns. I wouldn’t be successful without them.”
ALL-FIRST COAST FLAG FOOTBALL PLAYER OF THE YEAR
QB Izzy Murray
Junior, Ponte Vedra
Age: 17
Resume: Ranked sixth in the United States MaxPreps list with 4,884 yards passing as a junior. … Completed 445 of 598 passes for 71 touchdowns and 16 interceptions, and rushed for 263 yards with seven touchdowns. … Also made 79 tackles, two sacks and four interceptions on defense. … Jaguars All-Prep Top 25 player of the year selection. … A repeat All-First Coast honoree. … Still evaluating college options.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Izzy Murray fueled All-First Coast flag football feats at Ponte Vedra
Reporting by Clayton Freeman, Jacksonville Florida Times-Union / Florida Times-Union
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Clayton Freeman, Jacksonville Florida Times-Union | USA TODAY Network
