Jonathan Gannon and the Cardinals will start training camp next week with the goal of winning a Super Bowl.
For Toby Bourguet and the Tucson Turf flag football squads, their championships begin Friday in Canton, Ohio. The club will have three different age groups representing the Cardinals at the annual NFL Flag Championships.
“We’ve been fortunate to be on a very, very long streak of qualifying, and we’ve always been fortunate enough to have multiple teams,” Bourguet said. “We’re just a really small group of kids, so it’s neat. It’s really neat to be able to do this for so long.”
Teams qualify by winning regional tournaments and receiving an invitation to compete against organizations from across the country. Other teams repping the Cards include 480 Elite, playing in the boys 9u age division, while Rooted Football will have teams in 11u and 13u for boys. Queen Bees Syndicate will play in the 13u girls tournament. Bad Rabbits will play for the Cardinals in the 15u girls division.
Tucson Turf, the organization with the most teams participating in the event, will represent the Valley in 13u Boys Rec, 15u boys, and 18u girls. The games will be played on July 19-21 and can be watched on ESPN, ABC, NFL Network, and other platforms.
Tucson Turf has taken part in the NFL Flag Championships since 2012. Their 18u girls team has the chance to win it all. Ranked No. 2 in the nation according to Zorts National Power Index, the team has an 86-3 record in the last seven months. They’ve also won 13 out of the last 15 tournaments they’ve played in.
Bourguet’s daughter, Rylen, is the quarterback and defensive back, while Malaysia Roebuck is a wide receiver and safety. Rylen was a member of the USA U20 Select Team and earned an invite to the 2025 trials.
