BY DANIEL SCHMIDT
THE OBSERVER
SMITHS STATION — Central High School’s passing attack and opportunistic defense proved too much for Smiths Station High School on Oct. 7, as the Lady Red Devils (11-2, 5-0) scored on their first possession and never looked back in a 33-12 flag football win over the host Lady Panthers (8-4, 4-1).
Deeana Amos completed 21 of 29 passes for 253 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another score, while Kinley Rasmus went 8-for-11 for 53 yards and two TDs. Savannah Sevier was the top target, catching 10 passes for 117 yards and two TDs. The Lady Red Devils’ defense added three interceptions, all in the first half, as Central built a 27-6 halftime lead.
Central struck first when Amos found Sevier for a 21-yard TD with 9:04 left in the first quarter. The extra-point pass fell incomplete, leaving it 6-0.
Two minutes later, Kennedi Ellis intercepted a pass near the Smiths Station 26-yard line. The Lady Red Devils capitalized when Amos kept it herself on fourth down, punching in a 1-yard TD run at the 3:53 mark. Amos then hit Amya Brooks for the extra point to make it 13-0.
The Lady Panthers answered immediately. On the very next play, Brooke Norred connected with Kennedi Treadwell for a 65-yard TD, cutting the deficit to 13-6 after the extra-point attempt failed.
That was as close as Smiths Station would get. Central opened the second quarter with a 2-yard TD pass from Rasmus to Khloe Broadwater at 11:05, and Amos found Madison Fuller for the extra point and a 20-6 lead.
The Lady Red Devils’ defense then took over. Rasmus picked off a pass near midfield at 10:06, then did the damage on offense, too, hitting Sevier for an 8-yard TD at 4:04 and throwing the extra-point pass to Broadwater to stretch the lead to 27-6. Brooks added another interception near Central’s 20-yard line with 1:58 left in the half to keep the Lady Panthers off the board.
After a scoreless third quarter, Smiths Station found the end zone again when Norred hit Reagan Thomas for a 4-yard TD with 9:46 remaining. The extra point was no good, leaving the score at 27-12.
The Lady Panthers’ defense gave the home crowd a spark at 7:30, when Treadwell intercepted a pass near the Smiths Station 20 yard line and returned it to the Central 27 yard line. However, Smiths Station drove inside the Central 20 but turned the ball over on downs.
The Lady Red Devils put the finishing touch on the win when Amos found Fuller for a 3-yard TD with 29 seconds left. The score gave Central a 21-point lead, ending the game under the Alabama High School Athletic Association’s mercy rule, which stops a game when a team leads by 17 or more points at or after the two-minute warning.
Norred completed 13 of 20 passes for 193 yards, two TDs and three interceptions for Smiths Station. Treadwell caught three passes for 88 yards and a TD and added an interception on defense. Ellis finished with an interception and a sack for Central.
Smiths Station hosts Opelika High School at 5:30 p.m. Oct. 15. Central returns home to face Enterprise High School at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 20 at Garrett-Harrison Stadium.
