Reporter: Lauren Halpern
•8/26/2026
BONITA SPRINGS, Fla. (WINK) — Two Bonita Springs High School seniors are getting statewide recognition for their work on the flag football field.
Jaslene Garcia and Lillianna Raphael earned FACA All-State honors. Garcia is a second team All-State selection, and Raphael received honorable mention.
Four years ago, Raphael and Garcia were just taking a chance on a new sport. Neither could have imagined where that chance would take them.
"No, I just thought it was like a fun thing to try out for. So it's kind of crazy to think of what it is today," Garcia said.
Their coach says the two seniors represent something even bigger.
"It's the first set of girls that have been here from freshman to senior year, and you know, not very many people in their life get to say that I started something from nothing. And these girls can say that," said Thomas McGuire, head coach of Bonita Springs High School flag football.
Teacher and head coach McGuire headed up this program four years ago when flag football was introduced to Lee County Schools. He says it's going to be an emotional senior night this season, but he hopes these athletes are filled with pride looking back at the legacy they've built.
"If we weren't as a tight knit family as we are, we definitely wouldn't be as far as we are," Raphael said.
That family has already taken Bonita Springs from a program with no road map to a district championship and Sweet 16 appearance.
"Everything that you see here is because of the tradition these girls have built, and their dedication to stay with it through four years," McGuire said.
The sport that started as something new is opening new doors.
"D1 offer at Eastern Michigan University. I'm weighing my options, seeing if any more offers come in," Raphael said. "It's just a big growing sport and a big opportunity for me."
