Kennley Elwess and Her Strong Arm Lead Olympus Flag Football

This article recaps an interview from The Rush on Friday, Oct. 2, 2026. Watch the full interview.

Olympus quarterback Kennley Elwess has been playing flag football since fifth grade, and three games into the Titans' season, she likes what she sees.

"The season's been really good so far," Elwess said on The Rush. Olympus has opened against Cottonwood, Farmington's varsity and Riverton.

Her favorite throw so far was a corner route to a teammate from about 20 yards out, caught right by the pylon. She described her teammates as fast, quick route runners who have all improved a lot since last season. That speed shows up in the run game, too. Olympus throws the ball about 70% of the time, but Elwess said almost every handoff seems to go for a touchdown.

Her strength as a quarterback is her arm. "I do think I have a pretty strong arm," she said. "I've always had one, and I've been practicing to make it even stronger, and accuracy and stuff like that." The biggest improvement in her game has been reading defenses, which she credits to her coaches, along with working on the basics and little details through the summer and the season.

Elwess grew up watching football and played rec leagues from fifth through seventh grade before joining a girls league as an eighth grader. She also plays for the Lady Islanders, a club team of top players from around Utah, which recently won a playoff game at an international tournament in Las Vegas.

She gave a shout-out to her stepdad, who coaches her travel team and helps coach at Olympus. "He always helps me out and is a great coach," she said.

Olympus plays Park City's varsity next.