When Aryanah Clark put pen to paper in Newton’s media center this past Thursday, history was made.

As she signed the dotted line, Clark became the first flag football player in Newton County history to sign to play flag football at the collegiate level. In front of friends, family, teammates and coaches, Clark signed to Thomas University.

The 2025-26 season was a historic one already for flag football in the county, but the year was capped by Clark, who ended a long Lady Rams career with an opportunity to continue playing the sport.

“I am super excited, but it's bittersweet,” Clark said. “I am going to miss my school, this is what started it all for me, including my teammates and coach Gunn. I am excited to go to the next level because I know I can do so much more than what I did here at Newton High School.”

The ceremony was kicked off by head coach Steven Gunn, who became emotional when talking about one his longest-tenured players.

“From day one, she stepped in and she was a three-year starter for us,” Gunn said. “She is a leader. She found love for it and went out and looked to get better.”

“She’s a workaholic and she is going to excel at the next level because of that. She is going to be hard to replace… She has our school record for interceptions in a season [and] total interceptions for a career. She got other girls open because she  was the target for two years and she still excelled.”

Clark’s talents on the gridiron were recognized across the nation in 2024, when a of her beating NFL wide receiver Tyreek Hill went viral.

She was later named the MVP of the Hill’s camp, and was celebrated during a ceremony held at Newton.

Two years later, Clark is content to know the work has resulted in the opportunity to play college ball.

“I feel like this is what I did it all for,” Clark said. “Coming in freshman year after the Tyreek Hill camp, I knew come senior year I wanted to be the first to do something. I was the first to do this here, so it felt great.”

When Clark began the process of evaluating colleges, she had many options. Gunn noted during his speech that Clark had garnered over 10 offers to play college flag football.

Why did she choose Thomas University?

For Clark, it all came down to the coach and the feel of the program.

“I went on a visit and the team was very welcoming,” Clark said. “Everyone would help me out with the things I didn't know. I met the coach and she was very welcoming and headstrong about telling me,’I want you to come out, come to the visit.’ I went to visit and I was set.”

While Clark hopes to pave the way for the next generation of Newton County flag football players, she shed light on what the next chapter of her career can unfold.

“What excites me the most is knowing that flag is going to be an Olympic sport,” Clark said. “It is a very good thing to look forward to because after college I know my game won’t stop. I can keep going and grinding and that'll be my next end game — my next accomplishment that I'll be ready to get.”