Story by Near Post Sports
Choctaw’s second-half sneak attack nearly upended the Navarre flag football team’s undefeated record, but the Raiders prevailed 14-12 Tuesday.
OK, so it was the Lady Raiders’ third game of the flag football season, but trick plays and two near-touchdowns in the closing minutes of the game made things interesting.
This game was a launching point for Navarre, as they head into the heart of their 2021 schedule. They travel to Tallahassee Friday to face Leon in a district matchup. Then they bounce back next week to face Crestview Tuesday on home turf, then travel to Niceville Thursday.
“The kind of competition we played tonight is the same type of teams – athletic, experienced – that we’re going to be playing for the rest of the year,” said head coach Sean Tomey. “They (Choctaw) executed. They made some catches and plays, and that allowed them to work themselves back into it.”
The Raiders played shut-down defense and scored all their points in the first half. Quarterback Tailor Ernst scampered around the left end for a short touchdown run. Mackenzie England grabbed a flip from Ernst and scored the point-after and gave Navarre a 7-0 lead with four minutes remaining in the first quarter.
The offense’s passing attack complemented the running game.
“The rusher was coming really fast, so it was kind of overwhelming. But we still made plays. We practice it so much, so when I get the ball I just look and throw.”
With four minutes left in the second quarter, Maddie Simmons took a handoff around the left side for a 19-yard scoring run. Skylar Burleson ran in the PAT for a 14-0 advantage.
But the Indians stole the momentum with a long, scoring drive before the halftime whistle. A double-pass play ended with Choctaw receiver Alexis Becker celebrating in the end zone with less than 10 seconds on the clock. “We kinda came out flat. It took to about the end of the second quarter for us to finally realize they came to play,” said Choctaw head coach Matt Pacheco.
Because Navarre’s defense thwarted most of his regular offense, Pacheco relied on his athletes’ big-game experience and creativity to switch things up.
“We’ve got very athletic girls that can do a lot of magic when the ball is in their hands. The trick plays … started working. Unfortunately, we were finally clicking just a little too late.”
Part of that creativity was putting K.K. Brown – normally a receiver – in the offensive backfield to throw passes as a wrinkle for Navarre to defend.“I just found my way to do whatever I could to help us succeed,” she said.
The Indians are now 3-1 on the season, and they’ll go to Fort Walton Beach for their next game slated for March 17.
All photos by Stu Camp
