FLAG FOOTBALL: Class 2A FHSAA Flag Football State Finals preview

Mandarin High School in Jacksonville will be hosting the 2022 FHSAA Flag Football State Championships at The Corral with four games taking place on Friday with the two-state championship games slated for Saturday afternoon.

Here is an in-depth preview of each of the four teams coming to Jacksonville this weekend in Class 2A:

CLASS 2A SEEDING ORDER

No. 1 Lithia Newsome
No. 2 Davie Western
No. 3 Fleming Island
No. 4 Boca Raton Spanish River

CLASS 2A STATE SEMIFINALS MATCHUPS

FRIDAY

No. 1 Newsome vs. No. 4 Spanish River – 5:30 p.m. ET

No. 2 Western vs. No. 3 Fleming Island – 7:15 p.m. ET

CLASS 2A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

SATURDAY

TBD – 4 p.m. ET

FLEMING ISLAND GOLDEN EAGLES

HEAD COACH: Clint Lyons, 5th year

RECORD: 16-1

PLAYERS TO WATCH: QB/DB Mykayla Maddox, Sr. (157/220 passing, 2,400 yds, 40 TDs, 5 INTs; 34 car, 465 yds, 6 TDs; 22 flag pulls, 9 INTs, 22 pass defensed); WR/S Sarah Yirka, Sr. (45 rec, 504 yds, 7 TDs; 24 flag pulls, 4 INTs); WR Brilel Cooper, Sr. (42 rec, 411 yds, 9 TDs); C/LB Makenzie Kirk, So. (32 rec, 342 yds, 7 TDs; 38 flag pulls, 10 pass defensed); LB/RB Gabi Musa, So. (55 flag pulls, 4 sacks, 5 INTs, 12 passes defensed); R Khalia Jadan, Sr. (9 tackles, 8 sacks); LB/RB Rose Martin, Sr. (34 flag pulls, 3 sacks, 4 INTs, 12 pass defensed; 38 car, 341 yds)

HOW THEY GOT HERE

Regular Season
3/25 – d. Live Oak Suwannee, 42-0
3/28 – d. Jacksonville Mandarin, 33-0
3/29 – d. Baldwin, 47-0
4/4 – LOST TO Middleburg, 21-13
4/5 – d. Orange Park Oakleaf, 45-0
4/8 – d. Tallahassee Florida High, 45-20
4/11 – d. Orange Park Ridgeview, 13-0
4/11 – d. Jacksonville Ed White, 28-6
4/12 – d. Jacksonville Atlantic Coast, 44-0
4/14 – d. Orange Park Oakleaf, 33-0
4/18 – d. Clay, 35-7

District 2A-3 Tournament
4/27 – d. DeLand, 7-0
4/28 – d. Jacksonville Mandarin, 20-0
4/28 – d. Port Orange Spruce Creek, 25-0

Regional Playoffs
5/3 – d. Crestview, 26-12
5/5 – d. Port Orange Spruce Creek, 6-0
5/9 – d. Pace, 19-7

WHAT TO KNOW: Fleming Island has been a consistent winner under the leadership of Clint Lyons since taking over the program just over five years ago. This will be the first trip to state for Fleming Island in program history and is very reliant on senior quarterback/defensive back Mykayla Maddox who is was recently selected as one of 14 players to the first ever Jacksonville Jaguars PREP Girls Flag Football ALL-PREP team that was helped put together by FloridaHSFootball.com. For Fleming Island to be successful here they will need to be able to create trouble for Western who has a highly successful quarterback and has been here already before as a program. It could be troublesome if teams figure out a way to beat Maddox, but as long as Sarah Yirka and Brilel Cooper can make the plays needed they will be alright. This will be the toughest yet for the Fleming Island program this season.

NEWSOME WOLVES

HEAD COACH: Justin Shive, 4th year

RECORD: 19-1

PLAYERS TO WATCH: QB/S/WR Devyn Silvestri, Sr. (333/521 passing, 3,417 yds, 47 TDs, 9 INTs; 93 car, 606 yds, 13 TDs; 12 rec, 166 yds, 1 TD; 33 flag pulls, 6 INTs, 24 pass defensed); WR/DB/QB Kayla Ludwig, Jr. (66 rec, 850 yds, 15 TDs; 6/2/108 passing, 791 yds, 16 TDs, 1 INT; 20 car, 79 yds, 4 TDs; 8 flag pulls, 6 INTs, 10 passes defensed); LB/WR Madison Ludwig, Sr. (109 flag pulls, 1 sack, 12 INTs, 35 passes defensed; 76 rec, 794 yds, 6 TDs); WR/S Emma Clough, So. (83 rec, 729 yds, 18 TDs); LB/WR Delaney Green, Sr. (63 flag pulls, 1 sack; 7 rec, 69 yds); R/WR Hallie Wolpert, So. (11 flag pulls, 10 sacks); DB/WR Theresa Hospodarek, Jr. (48 tackles, 11 INTs, 42 passes defensed; 26 rec, 273 yds, 7 TDs)

HOW THEY GOT HERE

Regular Season
3/8 – d. Tampa Wharton, 41-0
3/10 – d. Plant City, 32-12
3/22 – d. Valrico Bloomingdale, 21-20
3/24 – d. Riverview Sumner, 33-6
3/26 – d. St. Petersburg, 27-0
3/28 – d. Riverview Spoto, 41-0
3/31 – d. Tampa Plant, 13-7
4/1 – d. Crestview, 47-0
4/2 – d. Tampa Robinson, 13-6
4/2 – d. Tampa Alonso, 14-0
4/11 – d. Plant City Durant, 35-13
4/16 – d. Lutz Steinbrenner, 34-0
4/16 – LOST TO Riverview, 27-26 (OT)
4/18 – d. Gibsonton East Bay, 26-7

District 2A-8 Tournament
4/25 – d. Palmetto, 41-13
4/26 – d. Bradenton Braden River, 20-0
4/28 – d. Ruskin Lennard, 19-7

Regional Playoffs
5/4 – d. Valrico Bloomingdale, 34-12
5/5 – d. Orlando Dr. Phillips, 35-14
5/9 – d. Tampa Alonso, 14-13 (OT)

WHAT TO KNOW: Newsome is the defending Class 2A state champions and are making a return trip to the state for the second straight year. Newsome got the return trip after fighting off a very tough Alonso program that saw Devyn Silvestri get the flag pull that stopped an extra point conversion in overtime for the win against Alonso on Monday. Silvestri will be one of a handful of players to watch and is a force on the field not only at quarterback but also at wide receiver and safety. Kayla Ludwig and Madison Ludwig are sisters, and each has also had a dominating impact on the field along with Silvestri. Overall, the Wolves making it back to the final four is no surprise despite some close calls on the schedule this season and they are the likely favorite here to win Class 2A once again this coming weekend.

SPANISH RIVER SHARKS

HEAD COACH: Drew Immler, 8th year

RECORD: 18-2

PLAYERS TO WATCH: QB Gianna Pacitti, Jr. (428/520 passing, 4,809 yds, 71 TDs, 10 INTs); Mya Quinn, Sr. (85 rec, 1,245 yds, 25 TDs; 23/40 passing, 316 yds, 5 TDs, 4 INTs; 19 flag pulls, 32 INTs, 12 passes defensed); WR/B/LB Maya Salas, Sr. (71 rec, 897 yds, 12 TDs; 98 flag pulls, 9 INTs; 12 passes defensed); C/DB Alessaandra Pacitti, Jr. (94 rec, 884 yds, 5 TDs; 16 flag pulls, 8 INTs, 16 passes defensed); B/R/LB Kaitlyn Ruiz, Jr. (83 rec, 714 yds, 8 TDs; 61 flag pulls, 29 sacks)

HOW THEY GOT HERE

Regular Season
3/7 – d. Boca Raton Olympic Heights, 52-0
3/8 – LOST TO Davie Western, 14-7
3/10 – d. Lantana Santaluces, 36-0
3/22 – d. West Boca Raton, 31-6
3/24 – d. Port St. Lucie Centennial, 26-13
3/29 – d. Westlake Seminole Ridge, 24-18
4/2 – d. Pembroke Pines Charter, 33-0
4/4 – d. Davie Posnack, 39-6
4/5 – LOST TO Wellington, 13-6
4/7 – d. Boynton Beach Somerset Canyons, 33-6
4/12 – d. Wellington Palm Beach Central, 39-0
4/14 – d. Royal Palm Beach, 45-0
4/19 – d. Jupiter, 14-6
4/21 – d. Hollywood Chaminade-Madonna, 41-0

District 2A-12 Tournament
4/25 – d. Boca Raton Olympic Heights, 35-0
4/26 – d. Delray Beach Atlantic, 27-0
4/27 – d. Lake Worth Park Vista, 21-14

Regional Playoffs
5/3 – d. Wellington, 20-12
5/5 – d. Westlake Seminole Ridge, 27-12
5/9 – d. Lake Worth Park Vista, 13-0

WHAT TO KNOW: Spanish River is one of the original flag football programs in the state, established before the FHSAA officially recognized the sport in 2002-2003. This year marks 25 years for the program, being established back in 1998. However, ever since the FHSAA officially started recognizing the sport, the is the first time that Spanish River has ever made it to the state final four in program history. It should be noted as now all stats are through the regular season with all the district tournament and regional playoff statistics currently not recorded as of press time. Gianna Pacitti and Alessandra Pacitti are sisters, and both have made significant contributions for the Sharks on both sides of the ball, but the standout is Mya Quinn who has been a ball hawk on defense with the number of interceptions she has recorded this season. While the Sharks get a tough draw here with the defending state champions in the final four, they have just as much of a shot as of the four teams to potentially hoist up the Class 2A state championship at the end of the weekend.

WESTERN WILDCATS

HEAD COACH: James O’Brien, 12th year

RECORD: 17-0

PLAYERS TO WATCH: QB/LB Sydney Ford, Sr. (271/378, 3,374 yds, 42 TDs, 6 INTs; 36 car, 240 yds, 5 TDs; 12 rec, 114, yds, 4 TDs; 60 flag pulls, 1 sack, 3 INTs); WR/DB Veronica McBride, Sr. (57 rec, 902 yds, 17 TDs; 13 flag pulls, 9 INTs); WR/C Nandi Ramessar, So. (53 rec, 843 yds, 12 TDs; 18 flag pulls, 4 INTs); WR Lauren Holschauer, So. (44 rec, 535 yds, 14 TDs); C/LB Sydney Brennan, Sr. (67 rec, 481 yds, 10 TDs; 41 flag pulls, 3 INTs); LB Lian Scott, Sr. (54 flag pulls, 3 sacks); WR/C Ayisha Scott, Sr. (17 tackles, 8 sacks, 1 INT; 21 rec, 376 yds, 6 TDs)

HOW THEY GOT HERE

Regular Season
3/8 – d. Boca Raton Spanish River, 14-7
3/10 – d. Hollywood McArthur, 52-6
3/14 – d. Fort Lauderdale Dillard, 46-0
3/29 – d. Coconut Creek Monarch, 33-0
4/2 – d. Pembroke Pines Charter, 26-0
4/4 – d. Cooper City, 26-6
4/5 – d. Sunrise Piper, 31-6
4/7 – d. Miami Dr. Krop, 26-0
4/12 – d. Wellington, 33-0
4/14 – d. Hollywood Hills, 46-0
4/21 – d. Miramar Everglades, 27-0

District 2A-13 Tournament
4/26 – d. Coral Springs Taravella, 63-0
4/27 – d. Sunrise Piper, 26-0
4/29 – d. Fort Lauderdale Dillard, 41-8

Regional Playoffs
5/3 – d. Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas, 45-0
5/5 – d. Cooper City, 6-0
5/9 – d. Miami High, 26-13

WHAT TO KNOW: Western is back in the final four the second straight year and is also last year’s Class 2A State Runner-up which fell to defending State Champion, Newsome, 20-19 in that game last season. A lot of the core nucleus from that team last year returned this season and they have made it their goal that there is unfinished business as the team knew just how close they were last year to winning the program’s first-ever state championship. Sydney Ford is the key leader of the team, and not only does she throw the ball exceedingly well, but she is also a major contributor on defense as well for the Wildcats. Veronica McBride and Nandi Ramessar will be two key players surrounding Ford that will also contribute in major ways to making Western a contender in the final four. With a lot of the pieces that were there last year, here again, this Is a program that has every chance to potentially capture the Class 2A State Championship in Jacksonville this weekend.

PREDICTIONS FOR CLASS 2A STATE SEMIFINALS

Newsome over Spanish River

Western over Fleming Island