FLAG FOOTBALL: Prattville beats Catholic in overtime

Catholic's Anna Russo comes up short as she reaches for goal line during the flag football contest against Prattville. (Tim Gayle)

By TIM GAYLE

Mady Cate Lindsey’s touchdown reception on Prattville’s first play in overtime helped the Lions to a 6-0 win over Catholic in a flag football game played at Catholic on Tuesday.

The Lions had played four halves of scoreless ball in two games against Catholic this season, but finally found the answer with a pass to Lindsey after holding the Knights on a goal line stand to open the overtime period.

“They had taken ‘25’ (Lanieya Page out of the game), wanted to make sure she didn’t get it by putting their best athlete (Ann Cobb) on her, so that was the read and Mady Cate made a heck of a play,” Prattville coach Brian Pittman said.

The two teams had combined for little offense in the first half but each put together a long drive into the red zone in the second half, only to come up empty.

Catholic opened the second half with a promising drive, using a pair of Jehle Dickson passes to Hayden Fitts for 14 yards and Cobb for 16 yards to reach first and goal at the Prattville 15-yard line. Two plays later, the Knights were at the 11, but Dickson passes into the end zone for Fitts on third down and Cobb on fourth down camp empty.

Late in the game, Prattville used back-to-back Hartley McCay passes to Page to put the ball on the 6-yard line. The second pass, a 29-yard completion, was tipped by Catholic defensive back Haley Ishman, but Page made a diving grab of the tip to put the Lions at the 6-yard line with 29.8 seconds left.

From there, Catholic defenders Riley Wilcoxson and Anna Russo each recorded 5-yard tackles for loss, leaving the Lions one play with 4.8 seconds remaining. McCay’s pass went through defender Kate Robertson’s hands and then Page’s hands in the end zone, leaving the game tied.

“We would have liked to have punched it in right there, but we’re learning from it and the girls gutted it out with a defensive stop and then turned around and made a play,” Pittman said. “If we’re going to make a run in the postseason, those are the types of games you may get into.”

In overtime, Dickson connected with Russo for 4 yards and 5 yards, leaving the Knights a yard away from the goal line, but on third down Russo was stopped for no gain and on fourth down Carsyn Hawkins lost the handle on the ball as she was extending it across the goal line. (The ball is dead on flag football fumbles).   

“We were right there in overtime on the line,” Catholic coach Whitney Toole said. “That’s on us. There’s no reason not to score when you’re on the goal line.”

After losing to Catholic 12-0 on Sept. 26, Pittman wasn’t surprised to find himself in another defensive struggle.

“We knew going in that it would be a defensive battle,” he said. “Defensively, they’re as good as anybody you’ll run into. Coach (Jason) Fisher put in a real good game plan. Stepping up there and stopping them on the 1, I think our pressure got them a little and she bobbled it but I thought we did a good job all night containing them and playing solid football and in the playoffs, that’s what you’re going to get.”

It was Catholic’s second consecutive 6-0 loss in overtime. All three losses have been in overtime.

“We didn’t click on offense,” Toole said. “The defense did their job, we just have to do better on offense. We couldn’t find a way to score against them.”

McCay completed 7 of 15 passes for 99 yards, while Page had two receptions for 46 yards.

The game was the first of three on Tuesday as each team also played Brew Tech.

In the second game on Tuesday, the Lions were once again locked in a scoreless tie at the end of regulation, but this time the game went seven overtimes before Brew Tech was able to hold on for an 18-12 win over the Lions.

Hartley McCay ran 32 yards for a touchdown in overtime and Lanieya Page ran 5 yards for another score.

Eriana Benson had nine tackles, including two for loss, to lead the Prattville defense. Anna Bone had six tackles, including two for loss, Gabbie Hoyle had a pair of tackles for loss and London Williams had an interception.

It was Prattville’s fourth overtime game this season. The Lions (10-5) will play at Smiths Station on Monday and Sidney Lanier on Tuesday before traveling to Tuscaloosa to play in a qualifying tournament against Central-Tuscaloosa on Nov. 1.

In the final game on Tuesday, Catholic shut out Brew Tech 19-0. Haylei Mason had an interception on Brew Tech’s first possession to help the Knights to a touchdown. Ann Cobb scored on a 5-yard reception from Jehle Dickson. Dickson then passed to Kate Robertson for the conversion and a 7-0 lead. 

Anna Russo returned an interception 20 yards for a touchdown and a 13-0 lead before Cobb pulled in another touchdown pass from Dickson, this one from 10 yards out.

Russo and Rylee Wilcoxson had multiple sacks for the Knights.

It was Catholic’s ninth shutout of the season. The Knights (10-3) will play at Sidney Lanier on Wednesday before hosting Northside Methodist and Booker T. Washington in a doubleheader on Monday at Catholic. The Knights will then travel to play in a qualifying tournament the first week of November.