We Speak Flag Football
Four Seconds Left: Kansas Wesleyan Stuns Ottawa 19-13, Ends the Braves’ Reign at the NAIA Invitational
It took three games in one day, a 43-second nightmare and a four-second miracle. Kansas Wesleyan beat Ottawa 19-13 at the NAIA Flag Football Invitational in Bradenton, Florida, eliminating the five-time NAIA Finals winners in the greatest win in program history.
The Coyotes trailed 13-12 after Ottawa scored with just 43 seconds left. Quarterback Chihiro Iwata stayed calm, moving KWU downfield with completions to Jenise Washington (9 yards), Aliyah Wood (12) and Laura Hernandez Sanchez (13) to reach the Ottawa 32. Then, with four seconds left, Iwata found Washington streaking down the sideline, and her catch and dive into the end zone put the Coyotes in front. Washington wasn’t done: she intercepted Ottawa’s desperation lateral play as time expired to seal it.
Iwata finished 29-of-39 for 241 yards and three touchdowns; Washington caught seven passes for 67 yards and two scores to go with the game-saving pick. Earlier that Friday, KWU had routed Baker 53-35 behind Iwata’s 317 yards and seven touchdown passes — Hernandez Sanchez scored on two separate 66-yard catch-and-runs in that one.
The Coyotes’ run ended in the losers bracket final, a 47-28 loss to Keiser in their third game of the day, but the third-place finish stands as one of the best results by any team in school history at an NAIA postseason event.
We Speak Flag Football
Alabama Runs Deep: Undefeated Moody, Central and Montgomery Catholic All Sit in the National Top 15
If you want to find the center of the high school flag football universe, check Alabama. Three Alabama programs sit in the USA TODAY Super 25 national rankings — and the state’s No. 2 team hasn’t lost in 30 games.
Moody (17-0) is the streak story of the fall. The defending AHSAA Class 1A-5A champions picked up their 30th consecutive win this week, are ranked No. 7 in the Super 25 and No. 8 in the MaxPreps national rankings, and recently outscored three opponents 146-0 in a single week. Sophomore Sophie White put up 472 all-purpose yards and seven touchdowns in one doubleheader. The Blue Devils’ title DNA is real: last December at Protective Stadium, quarterback Serenity Rutledge threw three touchdown passes — to Zoey Terry, White and Kennedy Hockman — and Cheyenne Moore returned an interception 48 yards for a score in a 27-18 final win over Montgomery Catholic.
Central of Phenix City (11-2) is Alabama’s No. 1 and the nation’s No. 5, powered by Savannah Sevier, who recently stacked 301 yards, four touchdowns, six flag pulls and four pass breakups in a single week. Montgomery Catholic (12-1), ranked No. 15 nationally, is right back in the hunt behind senior Hayden Fitts, who ran for three touchdowns and threw for another against Spain Park.
With Spain Park, Vestavia Hills, Boaz and Brewbaker Tech also ranked in the state Super 10, Alabama’s playoffs this winter might be the toughest tournament in the country.
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