By Donald Heath
Special for the Effingham Herald
GUYTON – Malaya Signal is growing up in a football family.
Mom loves the Kansas City Chiefs. Her stepdad roots for the Broncos and Dad is a ‘Cowboys fan for life,’ Malaya Signal says, slightly smirking while acknowledging the Cowboys are having their struggles this season.
The South Effingham senior understands the game and understands the attraction.
And now she has an attraction to flag football. Maybe she’ll be a flag football fan for life.
“I love running, I love the adrenalin,” Malaya said. “I just love flag football. It’s so much fun for me.”
A year ago, she was an all-area performer in the sport and helped the Mustangs advance to the state playoffs. She returns for her third season as a running back and cornerback.
South opened the 2024 season with a 2-2 record and has a big area game against Richmond Hill in its home opener Thursday.
“Malaya’s one of those players who doesn’t have many words but when she does talk, it’s for the betterment of her teammates and they know that and respond,” SEHS coach Turner Davis said. “The younger group looks up to her.”
Signal began developing a passion for football while watching her younger brother play. Then, in 2020 when Signal was a freshman, the Georgia High School Association sanctioned flag football as a girls’ sport with support from the Atlanta Falcons and the Arthur Blank Family Foundation.
Signal said she didn’t hear about South Effingham’s initial push to field a team. During her sophomore year, a friend convinced her to try out.
“Flag football is definitely growing like wildfire,” Davis said. “It’s probably the hottest sport out there right now. It gives more athletes more opportunities. You might not play softball or volleyball, but flag football might be that sport for you.”
Since flag football was nestled between the fall and winter seasons, it might seem as if finding athletic talent would be difficult. But Davis is seeing more girls interested in playing multiple sports. Varsity softball players Madison Mills and Taylor Swann will join the team after the softball season ends.
Jordyn Young (Game Day Cheer) and Allie Grassi (Competition Cheer) are playing flag football while working around cheer obligations. Grassi is a pole vaulter on the track team as well.
Signal plays varsity soccer. Ironically, she broke her collarbone in soccer, not football, last spring when she was tripped during a match.
Fully recovered, Signal is the flag football team’s leading rusher and has a couple of interceptions this season, Davis said.
“It’s funny, (joining the flag football team) all started when a friend said I should try out for the team,” Signal said. “Now it’s become a part of me.”
