The562’s coverage of Long Beach Poly is sponsored by Bryson Financial.
The562’s coverage of girls’ flag football is sponsored by the Los Angeles Chargers.
Although flag football is only in its second year in Long Beach, it has already produced outstanding athletes. Aaya McLyn is one of the current stars of Moore League flag football, playing wherever her team needs her. But McLyn isn’t only making big moves on the field.
As a dual sport athlete playing both soccer and flag football, McLyn has certainly made a name for herself. In her standout performance versus Lakewood on Sept. 11, McLyn set a Moore League record with seven interceptions, while adding two passing touchdowns and one rushing touchdown on offense.
“It was one of the best performances I had ever seen…one of the best performances from any Poly athlete we’ve seen in many years,” said Rob Shock, Poly’s girls’ flag football coach and boys’ athletic director.
McLyn joined the flag football team as a sophomore, and she admits she was apprehensive to join the team at first. However, playing flag football sparked new friendships and brought new opportunities for the star athlete, such as potentially playing for the United States National Team, one of her primary goals this season.
McLyn is a well-rounded player, playing on both sides of the ball. Her different positions demonstrate her great mobility, catching and passing. Yet, more importantly, it allows McLyn to lead her team from anywhere on the field, one of her main responsibilities as a team captain.
“She’s a great leader. She leads by example,” Shock said. “She’s actively involved. She’s very encouraging to her players. She coaches them up when they’re on the field. She has every aspect that you want from a player.”
Another one of McLyn’s goals is to win a CIF title, which will be up for grabs for the first time ever following the 2024 season.
“This year, our team is definitely shooting for that ring, especially all of our seniors,” McLyn said. “This is our last year to play…and we need this ring to kind of lift up our experience.”
When discussing her support system, McLyn notes that her family are her biggest motivators and supporters.
“Sometimes I get myself down, and they’re like, ‘You know you’re good, you know you can do it. Just get back up and keep trying,’” said McLyn.
Outside of her parents, McLyn said one of her biggest role models as Patrick Mahomes, the three-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs.
“I really like look up to Patrick Mahomes…I try to mimic him. I watch him on Sundays and take note,” McLyn said.
In addition to leading the flag football team, McLyn is a standout soccer player. She is committed to play Division I soccer at Washington State University. Unlike her participation with flag football, Aaya started playing soccer at a young age.
“I first got involved in soccer at age three because both of my older sisters played,” said McLyn.
Since then, McLyn hasn’t stopped and is excited to play at the collegiate level, following in the footsteps of older sisters Aaqila, who also played at Washington State, and Aasha, a current redshirt junior at Cal.
Off the field, McLyn is a student intern for Poly’s athletic training program, working alongside other students while shadowing Poly’s athletic trainer, Crystal Elston. McLyn learns about common athletic injuries, human anatomy, preventative taping and rehabilitation.
Overall, McLyn’s excellence is not limited to sports, but extends into her academics and extracurriculars as well. She can easily be summed up by Shock’s statement: “She wears number one for a reason.”
