It was a simple drag route behind the linebackers. Ki’Lolo Westerlund flew into the end zone, elevated high into the air and grabbed the football for a touchdown.

It’s just what she does.

It would afford Liberty High an insurmountable lead over Bishop Gorman on Tuesday in a Class 5A flag football state quarterfinal game that the Patriots won 41-21.

One where a leading face of high school flag football across the country again showed off her terrific skill set. She’s dynamic.

Yeah. You probably saw the commercial.

It was more like a two-minute short film and played after the Super Bowl halftime show Sunday.

It’s the “NFL Flag 50,” which honors girls high school sports and specifically the rise in popularity of flag football nationally.

Westerlund, a 17-year-old senior wide receiver, just happened to be one of the stars. Several reasons led to her being cast. She was a finalist for the Maxwell Award, given to the nation’s best player. She has a large social media presence and has also won three gold medals with the U.S. Junior National team.

She’s as well known as any flag football competitor right now.

It’s a commercial that begins at a high school in 1985 with a principal (portrayed by former NFL player and now ESPN host Pat McAfee) who is all jazzed over flag football becoming a varsity sport.

But once the scenes switch to the field, Westerlund as the new girl in school shows the guys how things are done.

She jukes her way past several of them, including the boys’ best player, aptly named The Brad.

Westerlund even pulls off a backward jump over a defender, ala Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley.

The piece included cameos from NFL players Justin Jefferson, Myles Garrett and former star Marshawn Lynch.

“It was an amazing experience,” Westerlund said Tuesday. “I was kind of speechless during the process and when it came out. When we recorded it, I didn’t really know what to expect. But the (football part) felt natural to me because I was playing the sport I love.”

And that backward jump?

“That was pretty fun,” she said. “It took some practice. I was on a harness and had two humongous cranes there. It took like maybe 15 takes. I had to find my balance.”

And to think she wasn’t very good upon taking up the sport. Like, not at all.

‘I was terrible’

Westerlund was a volleyball player when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and once sports were sent outside, she and her parents heard about a tryout for a flag football club team.

She was just entering eighth grade.

So she went.

“I was terrible,” she said. “But all seven of us who tried out ended up making the team.”

That’s when she fell in love with the sport.

She would watch film with her parents. Throw the ball around outside. Study the game. Take notes. Anything she could do to improve.

She’s an athlete. Always wants to be playing something. Even had a go at rugby.

“She just sort of took off with flag football,” said Crystal Westerlund, Ki’Lolo’s mother. “I’m still trying to wrap my head around all of this. (Sunday) was the first time I saw the commercial. It was more than I could have imagined.”

Ki’Lolo’s club team in eighth grade wasn’t very good. But even while losing, while playing against boys teams, the mindset of teammates never wavered.

“I’ve met a lot of people in the flag football community, and we always uplift each other,” she said. “Stay strong. It’s a very competitive sport. I’m very competitive. Constantly be working.”

The kid who was so bad at that tryout said on Tuesday she plans to play at Alabama State. Who wants to be a firefighter. Who has dreams of making the 2028 Olympic team, which will compete in the Los Angeles Games.

Who says she will play as long as her knees hold up.

Who hasn’t let any of it go to her head.

A team player

Liberty coach Al Tucay has known Westerlund since her freshman year, the season in which the Patriots won the state championship.

He speaks more about the person than the player, about her character, her competitive nature, her ability to deflect praise toward others.

“She might be the highlight, but she includes everyone around her,” Tucay said. “She makes all that is happening about the entire team. It has been quite a ride.

“All of this attention is good for the sport. It’s important all of these girls are given a platform, the kind we have seen in softball and soccer and volleyball and swimming. And now we see flag football growing in a similar way. And that’s a good thing.”

The NFL wants it to grow even faster.

That was the main theme of “NFL Flag 50,” hoping more and more states begin offering the sport at the varsity level. Fifteen associations sanction flag football, and nearly 20 have pilot programs.

That was one of the points it wanted to bring across when Ki’Lolo left The Brad in her dust.

“Marshawn Lynch was the funniest — he gave out uncle vibes,” Westerlund said. “And I got to do a lot of TikToks and dancing with Justin Jefferson. The whole experience was great.

“I just want my teammates to get as much recognition because our team is so talented. All the things I’m doing is trying to set everyone up for success. For anyone who loves the game to have the opportunity to play.”

Down go Gaels

Westerlund entered the Bishop Gorman game with a state-leading 2,188 yards receiving and 36 touchdowns. She caught eight balls for 110 yards and that leaping score against the Gaels.

But this isn’t where Westerlund wants things to end. She wants to close out her high school career with another state title for the school.

“It would be an amazing end to a senior year if all the girls we’ve been with go out with a state title,” she said. “We’d love to finish things that way.

“We started out a little rocky today, but the captains said what we needed to say at halftime and the girls came through.”

And there is this: She might not be the only one in her family starring in commercials.

Westerlund has a younger sister, 12-year-old Tiyade, a quarterback on the rise.

“She’s amazing,” Ki’Lolo said. “She’s definitely better than I was (at that age). She has someone to look up to. I always want her to be better than me.

“I just tell her to be consistent with who you are on and off the field. Know how to hold conversations with adults and coaches. Represent yourself at all times.”

Let’s be honest: The Brad never stood a chance.

Contact Ed Graney at [email protected]. Follow @edgraney on X.