Daisy Throckmorton Is the Dual-Sport Standout You Should Know

Daisy Throckmorton celebrates the 2024–25 San Joaquin Section Division I Championship with a teammate after McClatchy’s title win.

Basketball. Flag Football. Leadership. Daisy is proving you don’t have to pick just one to dominate.

At 5'11", Daisy Throckmorton stands out on any field or court she steps onto. The McClatchy High School senior is leading a quiet revolution in Northern California as a two-sport standout, balancing dominance on the basketball hardwood with stardom in the rising world of girls flag football. She’s doing it all — and still maintaining a 4.0 GPA.

On the basketball side, Daisy earned All-Sacramento Third Team honors after helping lead the Lions to an undefeated conference record and a 25-7 overall season. She averaged 10.9 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game, showing her versatility as both a scorer and facilitator in the frontcourt.

But the story doesn’t end there. Daisy established herself as one of the most dynamic two-way players in the country during her first season playing flag football — a sport newly added at McClatchy — finishing the year ranked #1 nationally in total yards and #2 in passing yards.

She put up eye-popping numbers that would turn heads at any level: 8,625 passing yards with a 71.6 percent completion rate, 118 touchdowns, and just 19 interceptions. She also added 819 rushing yards and 7 more touchdowns on the ground, while making her presence felt on defense with 13 interceptions as a safety.

Her love for football started early. While most girls were playing soccer or softball, Daisy was learning route trees and perfecting her spiral. As a freshman at her previous high school, she played tackle football. When McClatchy introduced flag football last year, it was an easy transition and she made an instant impact. “As soon as I could walk, my dad got me into sports,” she said. “He taught me how to throw a football when I was probably like five years old.”

But despite her personal success, Daisy isn’t focused on stats. She’s focused on winning.

“I want to make my team better. In flag, I want to win the section for sure,” she said. “In basketball, we lost three seniors, so now people are sleeping on us. I want to prove them wrong and keep winning games.”

That competitive drive is matched by her humility. Daisy credits much of her success in both sports to the people around her.

“Building relationships with the people around me — that’s been the biggest factor. I’ve gotten so much support from coaches and teammates. They’ve all become friends, and that positive environment makes everything more fun.”

As for her next moves, Daisy has big goals but recognizes a major challenge that’s unique to her sport.

“I feel like flag football needs more media coverage,” she said. “There’s crazy stuff that happens during games that isn’t being caught. Highlights and film would really help.”

That insight speaks to her leadership off the field, too. Daisy isn’t just playing the sport. She’s advocating for it. She sees a future where flag football is offered at the D1 level and where players like her get the same spotlight as their male counterparts.

“Someone needs to step up and do it,” she said about creating highlight content. “It’s the same as football. People make highlights for football all the time, so why not flag?”

McClatchy’s upcoming schedule is packed with tough matchups, including a trip to Southern California to face off against Orange Lutheran and other top-tier programs. Daisy’s looking forward to those games not just to compete, but to be seen.

With a growing résumé in two sports, national recognition, a perfect academic record, and a voice that’s pushing for change, Daisy Throckmorton isn’t just a standout athlete. She’s a leader helping shape the future of girls' sports.