For the sixth time in school history, the Seminole Ridge High School girls varsity flag football team has won the state championship. This year’s team joins the school’s flag football state championship teams from 2010, 2012, 2013, 2015 and 2016.
On Saturday, May 10, the Hawks defeated Lawton Chiles High School from Tallahassee in the Florida High School Athletic Association’s (FHSAA) Class 3A state final, 26-2. The game was played inside the cavernous AdventHealth Training Center in Tampa, the official indoor practice facility of the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
With the state championship victory, Seminole Ridge completed an impressive run of seven consecutive postseason victories, where they outscored the opposition, 231-29. The team’s defense was especially strong during its last two games, starting with the state semifinal against East Bay High School from Gibsonton on Thursday, May 8. In the two-game stretch, the Hawks scored a total of 44 points while allowing just one two-point safety.
Seminole Ridge head coach Scott O’Hara was proud of his defense’s strong play and his offense’s timely execution during both games.
“Our defense did its job, and our offense played very well in both games,” said O’Hara, who was also the head coach for the 2016 state championship team. “Our four seniors — Dakota Parks, Lola Agosto, Sydney Pena and Lily Von-Purkyne — provided great leadership during our two games in Tampa.”
In both games in Tampa, sophomore quarterback Aubrey Fogel shredded the opposing defenses with quick decision making and precision passing. Her receivers made many key catches during both games. Defensively, in the two games, Von-Purkyne had a total of four quarterback sacks.
In the semifinal game against East Bay, Fogel completed 18 of 36 passes for 222 yards. She threw two touchdown passes to Agosto and one touchdown strike to sophomore Chachi Saunders. Seminole Ridge’s top receivers were Parks, who caught five passes for 66 yards, and Agosto, who grabbed three passes for 70 yards.
In the state championship game against Chiles, Fogel completed 28 of 36 passes for 291 yards and four touchdown passes. Her main receivers were junior Jazlyn Ruiz, who had 10 receptions for 81 yards and a touchdown; Agosto, who caught seven passes for 87 yards and two touchdowns; and Parks, who had five receptions for 73 yards and a touchdown. Pena and sophomore Olivia Agosto, Lola’s younger sister, had five tackles/flag pulls in the state championship game.
“Against Chiles, we knew they were going to double rush our quarterback,” O’Hara said. “We focused on quick releases by Aubrey, which were successful.”
While O’Hara is the head coach, he is quick to point out the help he has received this season from his four assistant coaches, Ron Taylor, Chelsea Nedoroscik, Kyarra Howard and Vivianna Parson.
Seminole Ridge finished with a record of 16-2. The Hawks won their last 10 straight games. In addition, Seminole Ridge finished the season as the top-ranked high school girls varsity flag football team in the United States, according to MaxPreps.
The western communities almost had a second state championship flag football team to celebrate.
In the FHSAA’s Class 4A championship game on Saturday, May 10, Wellington High School played Alonso High School from Tampa. Wellington earned its way to the state championship game with a 19-0 shutout against Spruce Creek High School from Port Orange on Friday, May 9.
In the championship game, Alonso jumped out to a quick 14-0 lead in the first quarter. Midway through the second quarter, Wellington senior quarterback Ava Hanson found junior receiver Avery Schroeder on a 40-yard touchdown strike, which cut the lead in half. At halftime, Alonso led 14-7.
Late in the third quarter, Hanson connected with sophomore receiver Madison Rice to tie the game, 14-14. The fourth quarter was scoreless, which sent the game to overtime.
In the overtime session, Wellington had the ball first and scored a touchdown, but didn’t convert the point after. That gave Wellington a tenuous lead, 20-14. Alonso then scored a touchdown on a 20-yard pass to tie the game, 20-20. Alonso converted the point after, which gave Alonso the state title.
WHS head coach Robert Callovi was proud of his team’s performance in Tampa.
“In both games, my players played their hearts out. In the championship game, we fell behind early and battled back to tie the game and almost win it,” said Callovi, who doubles as the school’s athletic director. “At the beginning of the season, we had high expectations of our team. Throughout the year, we kept overcoming obstacles to win. I am very proud of the effort by my team in Tampa.”
Going into the championship game against Alonso, Wellington had won seven straight games. The Wolverines concluded their season with a record of 17-2. This was Wellington’s second straight trip to the state finals in Tampa. Last year’s team lost 7-0 to Ruskin’s Lennard High School in the state semifinals.
Palm Beach County was also represented by high school flag football teams in the Class 1A and Class 2A divisions. In Class 1A, Somerset Academy Canyons from Boynton Beach lost to Wildwood High School, 32-13, in the state semifinal on Thursday, May 8. Somerset Academy Canyons concluded its season with a 16-4 record.
In Class 2A, Dr. Joaquín García High School from suburban Lake Worth lost to Choctawhatchee High School, 20-19, in overtime, on Friday, May 9. García, which had entered the state finals with an undefeated 17-0 record, finished with a 17-1 record.
