St. Thomas Aquinas’ Emmi Merhi is the Broward Flag Football Player of the Year
Emmi Merhi has experienced the highs of being a state champion and the heartbreak of coming up painfully short of that accomplishment during her high school career.
It was something she experienced as a member of the St. Thomas Aquinas girls’ volleyball team.
So when it came to the Raiders’ flag football team this season, Merhi became a leader and helped Aquinas handle both feelings during a historic year for its program.
Merhi, a senior wide receiver/linebacker, is the Miami Herald’s Broward County Flag Football Player of the Year.
Merhi led the Raiders to their first appearance ever in a state championship game with numerous triumphs along the way.
She caught 73 passes for 795 yards and 14 touchdowns, and also had two interceptions on defense.
Unfortunately for Merhi and Aquinas, the journey ended with a 27-19 loss in the Class 3A state final.
“It’s hard to make it to the state finals and not win, especially at St. Thomas,” Merhi said. “It’s always a standard to win, but I was grateful to play with such amazing players and be coached by amazing coaches.”
Merhi had been both a state champion and state runner-up while playing for Aquinas’ volleyball team.
She carried over that experience to flag football and it proved vital, on and off the field, for Aquinas, which went 16-4 during the season and put together an impressive eight-game winning streak leading to the state final. It was a breakthrough for a roster, which had to reshape itself after graduating several key players from the prior season.
“We had a lot of seniors last year and I think stepping up and bringing the energy and handling the pressure was big,” Merhi said. “Some of the girls hadn’t been in those situations before. I’ve won and I’ve lost so I know how it feels. I brought the same mentality.”
Merhi will next try to bring success to the new flag football program at the University of Nebraska, which is set to debut in the spring of 2028.
“I’m excited to help the girls there and try to be a role model,” Merhi said. “Excited for the culture and for the fans. It’s a great community up there and I’m excited to be a part of it.”
