Jhenelle Francis is a recent graduate of Apopka High School who was a keystone in the success of both the girls’ basketball and flag football teams. But Francis was more than just an exemplary athlete—she was a top student and standout member of the Apopka community.
Flag Football
Francis is ranked nationally in multiple flag football stats and was awarded the Orlando Sentinel’s Flag Football Player of the Year. She was ranked 113th in passing yards (1,527 yards), third in rushing yards (1,733 yards), 29th in total points (137), 31st in total touchdowns (20), and 32nd in total yards (3,300 yards).
Francis was the No. 1 option on offense, both on the ground and through the air, in her first year as Apopka’s starting quarterback. She compiled 1,527 of the team’s 1,582 passing yards and all 14 passing touchdowns. She also tallied 1,733 yards of the team’s total 1,780 rushing yards and all 20 rushing touchdowns.
Every point scored by the Apopka flag football offense this season came from either Francis’ arm or feet.
“I enjoyed playing quarterback because it was so much more difficult,” Francis said. “I’ve never been put in a situation like that where I had to throw the ball and make decisions on that side of the ball. I’m just usually the one catching it.”
Francis led her team to a monumental season, during which they competed for the 4A FHSAA Girls Flag Football Regional 1 championship. The team piled up 11 wins and only one loss before entering the postseason, leading Apopka to a No. 1 seed in the district tournament.
Thanks to Francis, who also led the defense as a linebacker, Apopka dominated and took home the Class 4A District 3 title.
After winning district, Francis and the team were ready for the state championship tournament. With their fantastic regular season finish and a district championship, Apopka was awarded the one-seed in Region 1, giving them the best route to the state championship.
Thanks to Francis, Apopka easily defeated its first two opponents, West Port and Mandarin, 41-0 and 27-0, respectively. But in the regional championship, the Blue Darters faced an undefeated Spruce Creek squad that would go on to beat Apopka, 19-6.
Still, the season became the most accomplished by any Apopka flag football team and the first in which Apopka has made it to the regional final. Francis was a huge part of that success.
Francis said flag football has been a big part of her life since she was a young athlete, but she never saw it becoming such a popular sport. She hopes her performance on the field inspires other young girls to play it.
“It means more than anything to me because I remember in middle school when I first started playing, I honestly didn’t even know it was a thing,” Francis said. “I just tried out to try out, and now, seeing that there are younger girls than me playing, it just means so much to me.”
Basketball
Francis is not just a star on the football field, though. She has been on the varsity girls basketball team since the 2022-2023 season. This year, she took on a leadership role and also upped her game significantly.
Francis said basketball was never really her first love—it was more of a chip on her shoulder.
“Most people looked at me as more like a track athlete,” she said. “Once I heard that people were doubting me and doubting my basketball skills, I made sure that I focused on that and proved them wrong. Because I feel like that’s a big philosophy in my life – I like to prove people wrong.”
In the 2023-2024 season, she averaged 4.5 points, three rebounds, two assists and 2.7 steals per game. In the 2024-2025 season, Francis became the first option. This season, Francis averaged 11.5 points, 2.2 rebounds and 4.9 steals per game.
The had a less-than-spectacular run, finishing with a 9-13 record. Despite that, Francis had a great season. She had a season-high of 23 points against Osceola in mid-January and three games with 20 or more points.
Francis said her game against West Orange in mid-January was a turning point for her confidence and performance.
“Our game against West Orange was when I realized that this season, both in basketball and football, was going to be different for me,” Francis said. “That was the game where I demonstrated the most confidence, and I think I scored like 20 points or something like that. I hit a couple of step-back 3s, and I’d never done that before.”
An exemplary student and community member
Francis is an elite athlete who was instrumental in the leadership and success on the court and the field. That’s impressive in itself. But when paired with a 4.0 unweighted GPA, a 5.6 weighted GPA, an AP Scholar Distinction, being the vice president of Beta Club, historian of Mu-Alpha-Theta, Senior Class Council vice president, as well as being a member of a plethora of other clubs focused on creating a better community, including the Apopka Youth Council, it becomes almost unbelievable.
Balancing responsibilities as an elite-level athlete and an AP and dual-enrolled student was hard for Francis, but she attacked it head-on. Francis said she is always looking for a challenge, whether on the field, on the court, or in the classroom.
“I’m someone that really likes to be challenged,” Francis said. “So I make sure I demonstrate that throughout my coursework and my workload. I really enjoy taking AP and dual enrollment classes, so I make sure that I have a schedule that’s jam-packed with those because they really interest me.”
Francis told me that she has not made her final decisions about the next steps in her academic and athletic journey as of late June. Her love for flag football makes her want to keep playing, and her dedication to her academics makes her want to attend a top university. The problem for her is that those two goals aren’t finding common ground.
There are no Division I flag football programs, so if she wants to continue to play, she might have to sacrifice where she wants to attend school and the prestigiousness of their programs.
“I want to continue my athletic career, but it’s hard because it’s such a unique choice that you have to make, especially with flag football,” Francis said. “I am stuck between two career paths after graduation, and I still have no idea what college I want to attend.”
No matter what the next step in Francis’ journey is, she has cemented her legacy at Apopka High School. Her impact on the field, the court, the classroom, and the community has set a standard for what it means to be a student-athlete. As Francis prepares to take her next step, her resume speaks for itself — and her story is far from over.
