FLAG FOOTBALL: Catholic wins first-ever game in River Region

Catholic and Northside played the first-ever AHSAA sanctioned flag football game in the River Region on Tuesday. The Knights won, 56-0. (Tim Gayle)

By TIM GAYLE

Ann Cobb scored on the Knights’ first play from scrimmage and the Catholic defense turned two turnovers into touchdowns on the way to a 56-0 rout of Northside Methodist Academy in a flag football game at Catholic on Tuesday afternoon.

The game was the first-ever high school flag football game played in the River Region. The sport is now in its second year as an Alabama High School Athletic Association sanctioned sport and in its first season at Catholic and Northside Methodist.

 Catholic took the field for the first time in late August for a jamboree at Central-Phenix City, then played a pair of games two weeks later in Dothan. After returning home to practice for two weeks, the Knights took the field for their home opener on Tuesday.

“I think we were more comfortable and settled into how the game is supposed to be played,” Catholic coach Whitney Toole said. “And I think the crowd played a lot into it. We’ve been away so we haven’t had many fans at the games and they (the players) were excited. It’s different having students and fans there, not just parents. 

It didn’t take long for the crowd to find a reason to cheer. After three plays and a Northside Methodist punt, Catholic took over on the NMA 37-yard line. Cobb took off at left end on the first play and outran everyone to the end zone for the game’s first points.

In flag football, the scoring team can elect to run or pass for a one-point, two-point or three-point conversion based on the placement of the ball. The Knights put the ball on the 5-yard line and Andy Aiken ran in the conversion for a 7-0 lead.

The Knights would add touchdown runs by quarterback Jehle Dickson and Cobb, pick up a touchdown pass from Dickson to Kate Robertson and a 19-yard interception return for a touchdown by Cobb for a 32-0 lead with 1:35 left in the first half.

Heaven Bailey intercepted the next NMA pass moments later and Aiken scored on a 1-yard run with 3.1 seconds left to give the Knights a 38-0 halftime lead.

The Knights would get second-half touchdowns from Aiken on a 2-yard run, Leona Sanford on a 9-yard reception from Aiken and Carsyn Hawkins on a 3-yard run to round out the scoring.

 “I thought our offense did a lot better and I was glad we got the chance to get some other people the ball to see what they could do,” Toole said. “Kate stepped up and got some touchdowns, Carsyn got the ball a little bit. It was good other people run the ball. And our defense played well, too.”

Catholic quarterbacks Aiken and Dickson completed 6 of 10 passes for 75 yards and a pair of touchdowns, while six runners rushed for 168 yards on 24 carries. Northside Methodist managed just 37 yards on 24 carries.

 Cobb led the rushers with 73 yards and a pair of touchdowns on five carries, scoring another on defense to account for eight of the Knights’ touchdowns this season. Dickson had 19 yards and two touchdowns on six carries, Sanford had 17 yards on three carries, Aiken had 12 yards and two touchdowns on three carries, Robertson had 30 yards on three carries and Hawkins had 16 yards and a touchdown on four carries.

 The top two teams in Area 1 play advance to a postseason tournament against the top two teams in Area 2 and the win over Northside helped the Knights to a 3-0 record in Area 1 play.

 Toole noted that “3-0 in area play is great but they’re new at it as well so we understand where they’re coming from. We were the same way when we played at Central. Everything’s new, you’re still learning how to line up.”

Catholic (3-0) will travel to Tuskegee to face Booker T. Washington next Tuesday, while Northside Methodist will travel to Emmanuel Christian for an Area 1 game.