Hialeah & Coconut Creek Fall In Flag Football State Semis

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For veteran team Coconut Creek and rookie Hialeah, the hopes of winning the first state title in South Florida history ended in the semifinals of the Florida High School Flag Football State Championship Final Four.

No. 2 state-ranked Coconut Creek (16-1) lost its first game of the season with a heart-wrenching 13-6 upset loss to No. 13 state-ranked St. Cloud Harmony (14-3) in the Class 1A semifinal.

The Cougars ended their best season in the program's history with district and first-ever region titles and fourth consecutive undefeated regular season. Coconut Creek was one of only two undefeated teams in the state tournament.

"I am extremely proud of them," said Cougars tenth-year coach Robert Carradine. "They have been very consistent the last few years. They have always been right there."

"This season they made their goal, they wanted to get to states," Carradine said. "We thought we would be in the finals. I am proud of what we have done."

The Cougars graduate nine seniors including versatile left-hander Ambresha Long, a four-year starter at quarterback and safety. Long, hobbled by an ankle injury since last month's District 13-1A tournament game 14-12 win over Stranahan, rushed for 710 yards and scored 20 of her team's 53 touchdowns during the regular season.

"They have worked so hard," Carradine said. "If it wasn't for injuries to two key players we would have been up there at state quite a few times. They have played really well these four seasons."

The Cougars dominated the first half against Harmony. On their opening possession, they drove downfield with Long connecting with Shedly Apollon for a two-yard touchdown and 6-0 lead.

The remainder of the first half turned into a defensive battle. Coconut Creek got inside Harmony's 30-yard line twice but was unable to score.

Long, still struggling with her ankle injury, had limited mobility in the pocket and had a tough time passing. Eventually, it caught up with her in the third quarter with 8:05 left. Bree Pope picked off Long's option pitch and ran 21 yards for the game-tying touchdown. With 3:07 left in the game, Harmony scored the go-ahead touchdown when Kaley Hyatt hit Abby Fitzpatrick for a 1-yard score. The Cougars had one final chance to tie the game but turned the ball over on downs.

"Ambresha was limping around doing the best she could," Carradine said. "We felt pretty good. The first half we were winning, moving the ball up and down the field. Ambresha couldn't play quarterback any longer in the second half so we had our backup tenth grader go in. She did the best she could, it was just too much. There was a lot of pressure. I think once Ambresha left the game the momentum changed. Everyone knows our team goes as far as she goes."

Carradine said the seniors were more determined than ever this season after finishing district runner-up to Ely last season.

"We felt that last year was our year," Carradine said. "We had a really good team. But we lost a key running back right before district championships. We had no backups. This year we were more focused on doing everything the right way. We had several backups at every position. Everything came together."

Coconut Creek, one of the state's oldest flag football programs, is now faced with a rebuilding season with two freshmen running backs and a sophomore quarterback returning.

"I am happy what we have done with our program," Carradine said. "I am really happy with the progress the sport is making around the state. The fact we now have two divisions makes a statement how much this sport is growing."

Tampa Robinson went on to win the 1A state title with a 20-0 shutout of Harmony.

Hialeah Falls To Seminole Ridge

Hialeah head coach Denoff Johnson knew what his team was up against playing No. 1 state-ranked and undefeated Seminole Ridge in the semifinals.

The first-year team ended its historic season at 13-4 with the lopsided loss but the Thoroughbreds walked away motivated about the future.

Hialeah, the first Miami-Dade public school to qualify for the state championship after winning first-ever district and region titles, was the only first-year program in the Final Four.

The Thoroughbreds were led by junior quarterback and safety Ja'Keira Betties, who scored 45 touchdowns (23 passing and 22 rushing) and accounted for 2,690 of the team's 3,105 offensive yards through the region finals. Betties also had 16 interceptions and 71 flags pulled.

Her favorite receivers were Brianna Sweeting (77 catches, 848 yards, 12 TDs), Diamond Celestine (51 catches, 597 yards, 8 TDs) and Jakaria Davis (365 yards, 2 TDs).

It was evident the moment the teams took the field, who was the more experienced and talented.

"It ended up being a great experience, a really, really great experience," Johnson said. "We were tight in the first half. The second half we loosened up a little bit. On that stage, it's going to be a little tense for a first-year team. We were playing as good as we could. I knew they were a great team. I knew they were on a different level. Just to see them on the field and watch them was an experience. Their alignment on defense and the way they attacked us on offense. They destroyed us. They had a contingency plan for everything we thought about doing."

"Far and away they are a great team. We were the beginners. That is the difference between a football program and football team. They are the standard bearer for girls flag football in the state. It was an honor to have the opportunity to compete against them in our inaugural season," Johnson said.

The Thoroughbreds lose only two starters. Johnson was impressed that his players wanted to stay and watch the second semifinal instead of going back to the hotel pool.

"We are physically talented and now we see all the possibilities out there," Johnson said. "We will be looking at game films and implementing into our program what Seminole Ridge uses. We want to get more girls interested in the sport and start training early as the season gets closer. The excitement is building for this sport in Dade because it's so new and pure. It's still all about the game, no recruiting or politics. You have football coaches who just want to coach the purest form of sport and that's flag football."

Seminole Ridge went on to defend its 2A title with a 25-7 victory over Martin County. It was the second consecutive state title and fifth in seven years. The No. 1 state-ranked Hawks finished 17-0 and have not lost a game since 2014.