For the past 13 years, the Heart of a Giant award, created by the New York Giants and the Hospital for Special Surgery, has been awarded to those in the Tri-State Area who have exhibited a passion for football and embodied the five key characteristics. WHS senior Mia O’Reilly was recognized for the Week Five nomination by her coaches for her “Commitment, teamwork, will, character and dedication on and off the field,” according to patch.com.
The process for selecting the award winners happens in two phases. The first is public voting, where voters select one of the 60 total nominees over the course of 6 weeks. Of that nominee pool, only six finalists are chosen. An additional five “Wild Card” finalists were selected by sponsors and added to the finalist group. For phase two, each of the 11 students must submit a video where they say why they are a qualified candidate for the Heart of a Giant award.
In the end, the grand prize winner is granted $10,000 for their high school football program, and is presented the award during a New York Giants home game in December, according to usafootball.com.
O’Reilly is Westfield’s first four-year varsity girls flag football player, totaling 533 career rushing yards along with 10 touchdowns so far. For this year’s award nominations, O’Reilly was nominated for the Week Five round by head coach Matthew Andzel.
“During my first scrimmage, it felt like nothing else mattered. I just felt so alive on the field, and I’ve never felt that type of adrenaline while playing any other sport. It was such a different environment from my past athletic experiences, and I was addicted to that feeling of being alive on the field,” O’Reilly said.
Being nominated for the Heart of a Giant award was a meaningful experience for O’Reilly, especially because of the time and effort she has put into the sport. As someone who has been part of Westfield flag football since the beginning, the nomination gave her an opportunity to reflect on her experiences as a player and the relationships she has built throughout the program.
“I felt honored when Andzel nominated me for this award because I can see how much I have grown from being a freshman not knowing what I was getting myself into. This award really encompasses my growth that has happened and I can’t imagine my life not playing [flag football] in high school,” said O’Reilly.
As a student, O’Reilly is the vice president of the SGA and the Red Cross Club. She is also part of the WHS orchestra program and a member of both the National Honor Society and Spanish Honor Society.
“I have this memory where she was a community service leader, and we had a leaders meeting after school, and I didn’t go to it because we had practice, but Mia was able to balance both activities,” said senior Harper Tarry. “I’ve seen her balance a lot of extracurriculars, while also showing up for flag. That just shows how she can really do everything. She’s a team player and a leader, always encourages everyone, and is just a great person and skillful player.”
Additionally, O’Reilly gives back to the community by volunteering locally with younger girls learning to play flag football. Through her involvement with the Westfield Champions program, a program that has one on one practices with children with special needs, she helps introduce players to the sport, offering guidance and support as they develop their skills.
“With the promotion of girls flag football, just playing the sport has influenced so many people on how amazing it is. Especially football being a male-dominated sport, having more females join the program and play is truly incredible to see,” said O’Reilly.
As O’Reilly looks ahead to her final season of Westfield flag football, she hopes to continue making an impact on and off the field. Whether she is leading her teammates, volunteering with younger flag players or balancing extracurricular activities, O’Reilly continues to demonstrate the reason for her Heart of a Giant nomination.
