Last night, the National Football League announced Los Angeles Rams NFL Latino Youth Honors nominee Sophie Guitron as the female national winner of the second annual NFL Latino Youth Honors.
The NFL Latino Youth Honors, in partnership with the Hispanic Heritage Foundation (HHF) and presenting sponsor Procter & Gamble, recognizes exceptional Latino high school tackle and flag football athletes from around the country for their academic and athletic excellence. Guitron's win was announced at NFL Honors presented by Invisalign, the league's primetime awards special recognizing the NFL's best players, performances and plays from the 2024 season.
Guitron was selected from eight finalists representing the NFL's eight divisions and, thanks to Procter & Gamble, will be awarded a $25,000 grant that can be used toward college. In addition, all finalists for the award attended a special Super Bowl week experience in New Orleans and will attend Super Bowl LIX on Sunday.
Hailing from Compton, CA, Guitron currently resides in Redondo Beach, CA where she attends and plays flag football at Mira Costa High School as well as on the U.S. Junior National 17U Team and for Conquer SoCal 17U. She is a 17U Gold Medalist and member of the Beach Cities Sports (BCS) Flag Football Hall of Fame playing quarterback, wide receiver, linebacker and defensive back. The exceptional student-athlete holds a 4.22 GPA in addition to her football accolades and credits her Mexican resilience and heritage for her drive, dreams, hard work and perseverance.
Guitron has been involved with the Rams organization for several years. Her parents, Lilian and Jose Guitron are die-hard Rams fans and Season Ticket Members who regularly attend home games. Guitron attended the Rams inaugural U.S. National Talent ID Camp with USA Football in 2023 at Long Beach Polytechnic High School and won gold representing Los Angeles at the 2024 Junior International Cup as a member of the U17 Girls Junior National Team.
In addition, she spent a day at the Rams 2024 Training Camp alongside other girls flag athletes from Los Angeles who won gold as members of the Girls Junior National Team. She participated in the Rams 'passing of the torch' from Paris to Los Angeles for the LA 2028 Summer Olympics during the Rams preseason game against the Dallas Cowboys. Guitron also was a member of the Conquer SoCal girls flag football club team who represented the Rams at NFL Flag Regionals in 2023 in Las Vegas.
At 11 years old, Guitron was diagnosed with a congenital heart condition that required open-heart surgery. Guitron spent one month in the hospital before being properly diagnosed with Systemic Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis, triggering a secondary diagnosis of a very rare condition, Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis (HLH). Further testing revealed that she was born with a congenital heart condition. Guitron went on to have successful open-heart surgery but between the diagnosis, the surgery, and the recovery, it would be two years before she was physically active again. Guitron continues to see a cardiologist and rheumatologist and must be cleared for sports yearly to stay active.
Throughout the two years Guitron spent away from activities, she began watching boys play flag football at recess and fell in love with the game. When she was cleared for activity, Guitron joined the BCS flag league in South Bay and was the only girl on the co-ed team. She went on to win MVP of that league, where she is now in the Hall of Fame and currently volunteers as a head coach.
Guitron also shines her light through community service. She regularly volunteers at her church and spearheads initiatives that promote health, education, and empowerment. She initiated the flag football program at her high school and is passionate about growing the sport. Guitron's story and accomplishments reflect her culture and determination to never give up.
In 2024, Guitron also was recognized by the city of Los Angeles for being the first Angeleno to make the U.S. Girls National Team. They also recognized her for giving back to the community. Guitron's achievements and community service accolades include: 2019 BCS Flag Football MVP, 2021 BCS Flag Football Hall of Fame, 2022-24 California Scholarship Federation Member, 2023 Oakley MVP flag football, 2023 National Hispanic Recognition Award, 2023 "Undrdog Athletix" flag football sponsorship, 2023 Daily Breeze Outstanding Athletic Achievement, 2023-2024 Bay League Co-Defensive Player of the Year, 2023-24 National Honor Society, 2024 USA Jr. National Flag Football 17U Gold Medalist, Telemundo News Athlete of the Week 2024, 2024 Seal of Biliteracy and first female to score at Sofi Stadium with fans.
Today, Guitron's perseverance and resilience have led her to stay committed to success on and off the field. She will attend Keiser University in West Palm Beach, FL this fall where she received a scholarship to play flag football.
The finalists and winners were selected by a panel based on their leadership, impact, and dedication to excellence. For more information on this program, visit http://nfl.com/LatinoYouthHonors.
