BY DANIEL SCHMIDT
THE OBSERVER
AUBURN — Lynzie Mounce intercepted three passes, and Smiths Station High School’s defense held Auburn High School to a single touchdown in a 19-6 flag football win Oct. 22 at Duck Samford Stadium.
Brooke Norred threw for 211 yards and two TDs, and Janiya Jones added a rushing score for the Lady Panthers (10-4, 6-1).
The rivals usually met in their first region game of the season. This year, the matchup closed Class 6A Region 2 play.
“To have this game to end the region season and to be able to come out with a win, I’m just so proud of our girls,” Smiths Station coach Michael King said. “There is no doubt that there’s some things that we can improve on and get better at. This is a really good team, and this is a big win for us.”
Mounce led a defense that forced four turnovers. She returned her three interceptions for 10 yards and also had a team-high six flag pulls.
Jones, who played both ways, picked off another pass and returned it 30 yards.
The Lady Panthers finished with 26 flag pulls, three of them for a loss. Svetlana Cervantes had four flag pulls and a sack, while Natalie Dozier and Olivia Phillips each added a sack. Maylin Bailey, Kynlea Morris, Malayah Williams and Phillips had three flag pulls apiece.
Norred completed 19 of 44 passes with one interception. Her longest was a 61-yard TD to Reagan Thomas, Thomas’ only catch of the game.
Courtney Allen caught Norred’s other TD pass and finished with six receptions for 43 yards. Sydney Morris led Smiths Station with 63 receiving yards on six catches, and Kennedy Lee caught three passes for 20 yards.
Jones carried five times for 28 yards and a TD, with a long run of 11 yards.
Auburn’s lone TD came on a run by Taylor Plott, who led the Lady Tigers (10-6, 5-2) with 82 rushing yards on 14 carries. Plott completed 10 of 26 passes for 75 yards with three interceptions, and Charlee Rhoten was intercepted on her only attempt.
TeKaja Thomas caught three passes for 16 yards and ran twice for 18. Sophie Arrington and Marley Hunt each had two catches for 15 yards.
Jada Williams and Kaleah Palmer led Auburn’s defense with six flag pulls apiece. Katie Foster had two sacks and two hurries, and Pearl Simmons had an interception and two pass breakups. Sarah Kate Heisler added four flag pulls.
Auburn struck first when Plott took a direct snap and scored on a 1-yard TD run with 10:23 left in the second quarter, giving the Lady Tigers a 6-0 lead.
Smiths Station answered with 3:05 left before halftime, when Norred found Allen wide open down the Smiths Station sideline for a 17-yard TD pass. The extra point failed, leaving the game tied at 6.
The Lady Panthers struck again with 56 seconds left before halftime, when Norred found Reagan Thomas for a 61-yard TD pass. Thomas split two Auburn defenders, kept her flag from being pulled and raced to the end zone. Norred then found Maylin Bailey on an extra-point pass to give Smiths Station a 13-6 halftime lead.
Neither team scored again until Jones sealed the win with an 11-yard TD run with 1:15 left in the game. The extra point failed, making the final score 19-6.
Jones said the team’s closeness shows up on the field.
“I think the most important thing on the field is really having a good relationship with your teammates and your coach,” Jones said. “You communicate with each other.”
She said King’s encouragement goes a long way.
“Just him telling me ‘Good job, keep going or you’re good,’ that really helps me,” Jones said. “His word holds a lot of weight [with] me.”
The win kept Smiths Station as its region’s No. 2 seed, which earns the Lady Panthers a first-round bye and a home game in the second round of the playoffs.
“At this point, we’re controlling our own destiny,” King said. “To be able to have a bye week to do that, and then to host a home playoff game … is huge for us.”
Postseason
The Class 6A playoffs begin on Tuesday, Nov. 3.
On Oct. 10, Smiths Station will host the winner of the first-round playoff game between Alma Bryant High School (8-4) and Opelika High School (6-6). That game will be played in Irvington on Nov. 3. at 6 p.m.
The Lady Tigers will host Baker High School (1-7) in the first round on Nov. 3 at 5 p.m.
