Women’s flag football reaches season mid point

(GCFFA): The Dart Women’s League within the Grand Cayman Flag Football Association is nearing the mid-way point of the season with the Burger King Wolverines gaining the top team standing after week six of intense flag football action. The Lone Star JagerMonsters squeezed in their second win of the season in a hard-fought overtime battle against the Hot 104.1 Cheetahs last Friday evening at the Camana Bay Field. Quarterback for Lone Star, Tricia Miller, had a rough passing game, completing just 10 of 27 passes with two interceptions thrown. Backup quarterback, Erica Bosch, stepped in as a second option, completing two of four passes.

Monique Roberts got aggressive on offense for the JagerMonsters, catching five balls,followed by Kristin Kipp with three receptions. It was Renee Thompson who caught the winning touchdown pass in overtime that sealed the win for Lone Star. Tricia Bell was a monster on defense with two tackles and two interceptions. Marline Williams sacked the Cheetahs’ quarterback one time, and the rest of the Monsters’ defense was split amongst the team, with Thompson and Nickey Martinich coming up with two tackles each.

Although they played great defense, the Hot 104.1 Cheetahs couldn’t keep their flame burning till the end. Quarterback for Cheetahs, Kimberley Rivers, completed just seven of 21 passes with two interceptions thrown.

Jessica Richards was Rivers’ favorite look, catching five balls on offense. Sophia Dilbert and Jamesette Anglin caught one ball each. Missed balls on offense led to a breakdown in the Cheetahs’ momentum, as Rivers was on target with most of her passes but her receiving team just couldn’t hold onto the ball.

Leading the defense for Cheetahs was Jennifer Cotarelo who had six tackles. Anglin managed four tackles and one interception, while Tracey Seymour came up with the second interception plus two tackles, and Leyla Jackson added three more tackles.

Saturday’s games started with the top two seeded teams, the Burger King Wolverines versus Androgroup Killa-Panthers. No team managed to score until the end of the first half and Wolverine’s barely walked away victorious with a score of 14-0.

Offense was sluggish for the Wolverines, as quarterback Antoinette Lewis was at just 45% throwing, completing just 10 of 22 passes.  Joni Wood’s steady hands caught four of Lewis’ passes, followed by Benecia Thompson, Christsania McLean, and Alex Terry with two receptions each. McLean added the second score as she leaped to catch the touchdown pass in the end-zone, and Thompson contributed with conversion points.

Saneata Smith was the saving grace for the Wolverines, as her six tackles and three interceptions- one which led to a defensive touchdown- brought the Wolverines on the score board. Smith stopped Androgroup from scoring with one interception at the 15 yard line. Her second pick was at the 35 yard line, where Smith eluded most of Killa-Panthers’ offense as she ran the ball in for a defensive touchdown.

Carrie Barnett was also a force on defense, contributing with five tackles. The speed Jahzenia Thomas brings resulted in one sack to the quarterback, three tackles and an interception. Shinette Rhoden added two sacks, and Alexandria Saintvil also barreled through Killa-Panthers’ offense with a sack to their quarterback.

For Androgroup Killa-Panthers, the first few weeks of the season looked promising for the team as they held onto first-place, but their second loss in a row has knocked the team from being one of the top two contenders.

Quarterback for Androgroup, Christina Hefner, completed 17 of 33 passes with four interceptions thrown. Hefner’s stationary style of playing hurt the Killa-Panthers the most, as Wolverines were easily able to rush her which resulted in miscalculated throws. Both Caron Murphy and Alicia Dixon were Hefner’s favorite looks, receiving four balls each. Cassandra Bodden also helped her team advance up the field with three receptions.

Leading the defense for Androgroup was Suyen Coe with four tackles.  Janique Sampson and Bodden had two tackles each. Denise Delpesh came up with two sacks to the Wolverines’ quarterback, and Glenita Logan fought through to add a sack to her defense.
Hammerheads Lady Sharks continue their winning streak after defeating Zulu Warriors 22-0. Quarterback for Lady Sharks, Hong Nguyen completed 12 of 26 pass attempts and used her lithe frame and swift hips to rush in one touchdown.

On offense, Sophia Foster excelled with three receptions including two touchdown catches and one for extra points. Lilia Conolly helped keep offense strong with her seven catches. Hammerheads didn’t have to do much on defense as the Zulu Warriors weren’t finding their receivers. Leading in tackles was Conolly with three, followed by Judy Rivers and Jennifer Leggett with two tackles each. Leggett also came through with a pick and Simalee Ebanks added a sack to the defense.

Quarterback for Zulu Warriors, Jessica Pawlik completed eight of 18 pass attempts with one pick thrown. Emily Vakauta was open in the middle with four receptions and Dionne Whittaker followed with three catches.

The Warriors saw much more action on defense as they tried to stop Hammerheads from advancing their score further. Agueda Broderick led the defense with five tackles and one sack. Wendy Torres and Shamar Ennis had three tackles each, and Adriana Christian and Tanjana Campbell both sacked the quarterback one time each.

Maples Bliss celebrated their first win of the season against Subway Stingers with a final score of 14-0. Quarterback for Bliss, Ellenor Berry had her best game yet, completing 12 of 18 pass attempts. Berry had an incredible 40 yard run in the second half, up the middle of the field, dodging at least four defenders to secure a touchdown for her team.

Rookie player Marleena Smith had four receptions, including one catch in the end-zone for a touchdown. Amber Watson was also a dominant force in the middle, utilizing her height to secure four catches for Maples.

Defense was on point for Maples Bliss, as the team was able to halt any progress made by Subway. Diannera Whittaker led the defense with four tackles and one sack in Subway’s end-zone which resulted in a safety for the team. Isatou Sey and Somali Small each are proving to be key defenders for Maples as both players came up with four tackles each. Smith also contributed to the defense with three tackles.

Although high off their momentum from their first win the previous week, Subway Stingers played a shaky offensive and defensive game.  Once again it was bad snaps and false starts that first hurt Subway in the beginning of the game, and then not utilizing the blockers on offense also led to a poor performance from the team.

Quarterback, Christina Pineda connected with her receivers in the latter part of the game, completing 12 of 19 pass attempts. She found Dionne Anglin and Keisha Anglin open down the middle most of the time, as both players had five receptions each. Latoya Cover stepped in as quarterback for one throw, butit was the only pass that allowed Subway Stingers to advance past the 40 yard line.

Leading the defense was Timisha Edwards who locked down the corner with six tackles. Keisha Anglin played just as well on defense with five tackles, and Melanie Bastos followed with two.

Week seven, the final week before the second half of the season for the Dart Women’s League in the Grand Cayman Flag Football Association, sees Subway Stingers versus Zulu Warriors this Friday evening at 8pm at the Camana Bay Field. Games resume on Saturday morning at 10am with the Hot 104.1 Cheetahs against Hammerheads Lady Sharks. At 11am on field one is Androgroup Killa-Panthers versus Maples Bliss, and field two sees the Burger King Wolverines go up the against Lone Star JagerMonsters.