Ryder Noche of Ahwatukee and Amos Augustine were excited when they learned in March that they were selected to compete on the 15U Team USA Flag Football National Team.
The two were picked alongside Gregory Riddell, a teammate on the Chandler Bears, a top youth tackle football program, and Elite Youth Flag Football, a team that sponsored by the Elite Community Foundation and Elite Athlete Management headquartered in Chandler.
It was an accomplishment the never would become a reality. In June, Augustine and Noche made the official roster, which opened the door for the two to represent Arizona on an international stage.
Together with their teammates, Amos and Ryder helped lead Team USA’s 15U flag football team to a gold medal in Charlotte, N.C.
“It was just an honor, really,” Ryder said. “I never thought that every time I played flag football, I would get the chance to be on the USA National Team. It’s a dream.”
The selection process for the team consisted of a tryout process in the spring. It mirrored the NFL Combine, with timed 40-yard sprints, shuttle drills and various other tools used by coaches to evaluate players on the field.
They knew right away they would have another shot at making the team come June when a final roster was out together for the team. Noche, an Ahwatukee resident preparing to play his first season of high school football at Brophy, got the nod to play on the team.
So did Amos, who is in his last year of junior high at Casteel in Queen Creek.
“It was honestly really good,” Augustine said of his experience. “We were all really close, the players, the coaches.
“Off the field we had fun studying, learning new plays and figuring out what we had to do to succeed and get the gold medal like we did.”
The two boys headed to Charlotte in early July. They both agreed that once they got there, it felt like they were receiving an experience similar to college football.
Early morning practices gave way to tight schedules that didn’t allow for much free time until later in the day. It was football all the time, something Amos and Ryder enjoyed from an athlete’s perspective. They stayed at the dorms on UNC Charlotte’s campus and played on fields nearby.
They had the chance to interact with teams that arrived from across the world.
“It was definitely cool,” Amos said. “This next year I’m going to definitely learn some Spanish and maybe some French so I can speak to them. Maybe Japanese. It was definitely a good experience.”
Once competition began, Amos and Ryder were all business.
Team USA went undefeated in pool play, beating Mexico and Canada. They faced Mexico yet again in the first elimination game but advanced with ease. By the time the championship game against Japan rolled around, the 15U team was firing on all cylinders.
They scored quickly and with ease against Japan, taking a 35-point lead in the second half. They knew they were going to come away with gold.
“When we got to the ceremony, when we all got the medals, everyone had smiles on their faces,” Ryder said. “Then the national anthem played. It was a real Olympic feel.”
Team USA swept the competition as a whole.
The 17U boys, 17U girls and 15U girls all won their respective tournaments. Team USA’s men’s and women’s teams also won gold that weekend in the International Federation of American Football Americas Championship.
Having the opportunity to play against international teams allowed Noche and Augustine to see different brands of football. Some teams played fast and with different styles of plays than what is commonly seen in the U.S.
Some teams took a slower approach to the game. It opened their eyes to how the game is interpreted in different parts of the world.
“Mexico was very quick, very shifty,” Ryder said. “Japan was very smart. They just had a high IQ and knew how to get in your head. They were strong, mentally. That’s how I saw it.”
The two boys will now prepare for their tackle football seasons this fall.Ryder headed to camp with the Brophy freshman, which is held on its downtown Phoenix campus while Amos prepared for his final season in youth ball.
Next year, he’ll decide where he attends high school.
Both boys had good showings in Charlotte as a tune-up of sorts for the fall.
Ryder said he caught one to two touchdown passes per game and played a key role on defense. Augustine, being one of the younger players there, caught two touchdown passes and made the most of every opportunity he was on the field.
The two often look at their gold medals. Both have positioned them in a spot they can’t miss.
Amos’ medal is hanging on the wall
in front of his bed along with his jersey so it’s the first thing he sees when he wakes up and last thing when he goes to b
ed.
Ryder still hangs his on his door but said he would find a permanent spot soon.
It still hasn’t quite set in for either boy that they are gold medal winners at a young age. It was always a dream when they learned about the opportunity, and they made it happen.
“I never thought this opportunity would come but it did, and I made the most of it,” Amos said. “It felt really good. It’s a very good memory in my life.”
