During her first season playing flag football at Carlmont, sophomore Ameena Mohammed never expected to be featured alongside her team in the San Mateo Daily Journal.
Mohammed previously played the sport in eighth grade at Nesbit Middle School and found that she had a talent for it. Even though she had a history of playing baseball and basketball, she decided to try out for Carlmont’s flag football team out of interest.
“I decided to join the team due to it being a new sport at Carlmont. Since I had played in the past, I knew I would be good at it because of my prior experience,” Mohammed said.
Despite taking a break from flag football through her transition from middle to high school, her coach Oscar Fabic praised her on her inherent ability for the sport.
“Ameena has excellent instincts to go along with her athleticism, and a feel for the game that is difficult to teach. She’s also very tough. She’s a football player,” Fabic said.
In a previous game against the Hillsdale Knights, Mohammed was able to defend the ball by stepping in front of the receiver, subsequently intercepting it and turning it into a 44-yard pick-six.
Due to Carlmont’s winning streak, as of Oct. 12, the team was able to climb the ranks and secure its place as the No. 1 high school girls’ flag football team in California.
Consequently, while many athletes excel in their sports, few possess a true passion for them. Mohammed displays her commitment to flag football by giving it her all on the field.
“Ameena is almost always early to practice and does what I ask to the letter. She’s very humble, very coachable, and works as hard as anybody on the team,” Fabic said. “She’s also got a great team attitude. When someone scores or gets an interception, Ameena is just as excited and happy for them as she is for herself, if not more!”
For the past couple of months, Mohammed had been training alongside her teammate Dana Boudreau. When interviewed, Boudreau spoke highly of her positive attitude and her enthusiasm during practices.
“She’s a very positive person. She’s always looking to lift other people up, she brings energy to our practices and games. She just has a really positive energy and works really hard. It pushes us to work differently,” Boudreau said.
As both a field and team player, Mohammed has a promising future ahead of her.
