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When commenting on a particularly impressive play for ESPN’s SportsCenter, Dan Patrick often lauded its doer by opining “You can’t stop him; you can only hope to contain him.” If he could see Jlon Flippens in action, the sportscaster would not only have to make a pronoun correction but also likely ditch the second sentiment. Thanks to a blend of great anticipation, size and speed, the 15-year-old has become a soccer dynamo, with her 52-goal season helping Penn Charter School to capture two elite titles.
“I knew this was our year to step up, but I’m still kind of stunned over how well we did,” the sophomore star said last week from her home on the 2200 block of South 24th Street. “I’m really surprised about how many times I scored, too.”
Having handled a more defensive assignment last year, her second season on the varsity unit, Jlon immediately adapted to playing forward this campaign, assisting the Quakers’ march to a 21-2-1 mark. While she certainly enjoyed booting balls during every contest, she proved especially enthused in her squad’s final four affairs, producing seven goals to bring the team its first Inter-Ac League championship Nov. 9 and the Pennsylvania Independent Schools Tournament crown Nov. 16.
“There were so many great moments along the way,” Jlon said of gaining top dog status among intense rivals. “All the preparation leading up to our games was stressful at times, but our success makes it all worth it.”
Her musings on collective accomplishments signify continued growth in how the youth has come to appreciate soccer. Initially trying out the sport to expend excess energy, she came to fall in love with competing for the Anderson Monarchs, now Soccer Sisters United, Inc., under the tutelage of coach Walt Stewart. A self-confessed ball hog in her early days at Smith Playground, 24th and Jackson streets, Jlon engrossed herself in studying strategies and learning the dynamics of unified pursuits of renown. Over a nearly five-year tenure with the club, which Stewart has since situated in Germantown, she reveled in numerous championships celebrations, with her talent and maturity prompting the coach to suggest attending Penn Charter.
“I’ve definitely become unselfish and have been able to build my character,” she said of the influence of the East Falls institution she has ventured to since sixth grade. “I’m all about looking to be more consistent and improve all areas of my game.”
Deeming once again being a victor “very refreshing,” Jlon knows that going from the role of the hunter to that of the hunted will present another set of challenges but also realizes she must never diminish her esteem for soccer’s recreational qualities.
“Of course it’s been great to win,” she said. “However, I also love making friends and learning from my coaches.”
Accustomed to coming out on top courtesy of her Monarchs stint, which included a four-year unbeaten streak, Jlon last year began to sense similar results would come to her as a secondary school pupil when the Quakers finished third in the Inter-Ac and advanced to the state final, where she collected both scores in a 3-2 defeat to The Hill School. Already a heavily analyzed and respected athlete for having joined the varsity team as an elementary learner, she welcomed the opportunity to flummox goalies, kicking off this season with a hat trick in Aug. 30’s 6-0 home victory over Pennington.
“Certain parts of my game stand out, and I train hard, but I could never have expected to get as many goals as I did,” Jlon said. “I think I’m most proud of the ones against Agnes Irwin.”
Facing their fellow Inter-Ac members for the third time Nov. 16, the Quakers, having avenged their 3-2 Oct. 8 loss to the Owls with a 6-0 throttling Oct. 29, during which Jlon registered another three-goal game, blanked their foes 4-0 at Philadelphia University, with their standout scoring twice. Along with tallying lofty statistics, she has amassed ample accolades from opponents and pundits, the latter including Top Drawer Soccer, which ranks her as Pennsylvania’s top sophomore and the nation’s 11th best, and U.S. Soccer, for which she is a U-15 development program participant.
“To make it in this game, especially if I want to play professionally, which I would love to do if I have the chance, I have to train right and balance games and recovery periods right,” Jlon said. “It’s about knowing how to pace myself.”
Her awareness of gradual gratification has helped her to manage college suitors, too. A sought-after presence since she first donned a varsity uniform, she considers amazing that at such a young age she has drawn so much interest and has vowed not to rush her selection, which will come from a pool featuring the universities of Maryland, Michigan and Southern California and Stanford University. Until the Quakers resume their slate next year, Jlon will enhance her scoring touch and defensive diligence for the Continental Football Club, which has helped to oversee her maturation since she moved on from the Monarchs three years ago.
“It’s important for me, in addition to being taught, to be an inspiration for others,” the teenager, whose outreach includes having given pointers to Stewart’s charges, said. “Many people have believed in me, and I like paying them back.”
Eight years removed from her first soccer experience, which she and mother Tisha Williams saw, at best, as a supplement to her basketball infatuation, the ex-Monarch has achieved regal status among her contemporaries but shuns the hype.
“I’m still humble,” she said. “There’s too much for me to learn to be any other way.” ■
Contact Staff Writer Joseph Myers at jmyers@southphillyreview.com or ext. 124. Comment at southphillyreview.com/sports/features.
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