Wakefield capped off an undefeated season with its first-ever North Carolina Flag Football State Championship on Saturday afternoon at Durham County Memorial Stadium.
One season after a third-place finish, the Wolverines beat reigning state champion Ashley 20-6 in the championship game.
Wakefield scored 20 unanswered points to claim the win. After falling behind 6-0 in the first quarter, Quinn Pope connected with Nikki Amend in the end zone as time expired in the second quarter, tying the game at 6-6 at halftime.
In the third quarter, Pope completed a long pass along the sideline to Amend to give Wakefield a 1st-and-goal situation at the 1-yard line. Two plays later, Pope scored on a keeper, then completed the extra-point attempt to Amend to give Wakefield its first lead of the day at 13-6.
The Wolverines got insurance points in the fourth quarter when Brenna Colleran scored on a three-yard run. Maddy Tegen converted the extra-point attempt to push Wakefield’s lead to 20-6 with less than four minutes left in the game.
Ultimately, there was not enough time for the Screaming Eagles to mount a comeback as the Wakefield defense finished the job.
Amend was named the Offensive Player of the Year after scoring one touchdown and converting one extra-point attempt. Colleran was named the Defensive Player of the Year.
Wakefield finishes the season with a perfect 27-0 record.
Earlier in the day, the Wolverines defeated Cardinal Gibbons 8-7 in a five-overtime thriller in the semifinal round. Ashley beat Cuthbertson 14-6 in the semifinals.
Cardinal Gibbons takes third place in flag football
In its first-ever appearance in the flag football state championships, Cardinal Gibbons came away with third place.
After losing to Wakefield 8-7 in five overtimes in the semifinals, the Crusaders defeated Cuthbertson 38-6 in the third-place game.
It did not take long for Cardinal Gibbons to put points on the board. On its first possession, Maddie Plonk completed a deep pass to a wide-open Josey Willis, who ran the rest of the way to score the touchdown. Cardinal Gibbons led 6-0.
Sophia Juhasz scored two minutes later for the Crusaders after picking off a Cuthbertson pass and taking it back the other way. It was the first of two pick-sixes for Juhasz in the game. She finished the day with three total.
Kate Sheehan added a pick six of her own for Cardinal Gibbons, and Juhasz second pick six came as time expired in the first quarter.
Cardinal Gibbons led 24-0 after one quarter, and that score stood through halftime.
Kelsey Knoblauch added a touchdown in the third quarter for Cardinal Gibbons, then Plonk scored in the fourth quarter to push the Crusaders’ lead to 38-0.
Cuthbertson avoided the shutout with a fourth-quarter touchdown by Janelle Duval, but Cardinal Gibbons rolled to the win.
Semifinals: Wakefield wins thriller over Cardinal Gibbons
It took a long time for either team to score points, but the ending could not have been more exciting as Wakefield beat Cardinal Gibbons 8-7 in five overtimes.
After a scoreless first half, Cardinal Gibbons struck first when Sophia Juhasz intercepted a Wakefield pass and returned it for a touchdown. The Crusaders led 6-0 with 5:25 left in the third quarter after a failed extra-point attempt.
Wakefield tied the game with four minutes left in regulation. Maddy Tegen scored the game-tying touchdown, but the Wolverines couldn’t convert on the extra-point attempt to take a lead.
Regulation ended with both teams tied at 6-6.
In the first overtime period, Maddie Plonk completed a pass to Josey Willis to give Cardinal Gibbons a 7-6 advantage. Wakefield answered on a Quinn Pope pass completion to Maddy Tegen.
Neither team scored in the second, third, or fourth overtime.
In the fifth overtime, Payton Smith pulled the flag of Cardinal Gibbons’ Plonk deep in the backfield. Then Pope completed a pass to Nikki Amend to lift Wakefield to the 8-7 win.
Semifinals: Ashley beats Cuthbertson
In the second semifinal game of the day, Ashley beat Cuthbertson 14-6 to return to the state championship game.
Caroline Smist completed a four-yard pass to Elin Bentley as time expired in the first quarter, breaking the scoreless tie. Sarah Brannin caught the two-point conversion attempt and Ashley led 8-0.
Smist completed another touchdown pass in the second quarter, this time ot Brannin on a long catch and run. The extra-point attempt failed and Ashley led 14-0 at halftime.
The Screaming Eagles didn’t score again in the game, but the defense held firm.
It wasn’t until the 8-minute mark of the fourth quarter when Cuthbertson found the end zone. Janelle Duval intercepted an Ashley pass, then caught a long pass for a touchdown to bring the Cavaliers within 14-6.
Lily Cook recorded another interception for Cuthbertson with 4:14 left in the game, but the Ashley defense turned the Cavs over on downs to secure the win.
About the flag football state championships
The N.C. High School Athletic Association has not yet sanctioned flag football as a sport; however, Wake County Schools, Durham Public Schools, the Durham Sports Commission, and National Amateur Sports have worked together to create a state playoff and championship the last two seasons.
This year, 61 teams participated in the state playoffs, which consisted of six rounds.
The NCHSAA has formed a committee to look at the possibility of sanctioning flag football in the future. That committee is scheduled to give a report to the NCHSAA Board of Directors at its December board meeting.
Flag football is the fastest-growing sport in the country, according to the National Federation of State High School Associations.
