Leopards Flag Football Falls Short to Bears in Season Opener

The Central Bears (2-0) held off a late rally by the Hernando Leopards (0-1) to take the 7-6 victory at Tom Fisher Stadium on a chilly Thursday night. The Navy and Silver had already gotten their season off on the right foot with a win over the Citrus Hurricanes on Tuesday. The Leopards were hoping for a similar result in their favor on Thursday, but it was not meant to be. Thanks to his team’s coachability and competitiveness, and a little Hernando clock confusion, Head Coach Joe Nestor and the Bears emerged victorious on the road. The two head coaches spoke about their team’s performances after the game.

“We played Tuesday night, and we came out flat,” Coach Nestor said. “So, they came out with a different approach. They are well prepared, they practice pretty good, and they learn. So, we were there mentally. It takes a little bit with this cold weather the last couple days to get warmed up. They come out and showed that they are competitive and very coachable. They were in a position everywhere we coached them to be, they were there, and we proved it tonight.”

“They were excited,” said Leopards Head Coach Tyson Ellis. “First flag football game – legit – ever here at Hernando High School. They were excited. Maybe a little nervous. They came out ready to play and we just made too many mistakes tonight. Did not execute when we needed to get down the field. That is it right there, but the girls loved it. They enjoyed it. They had a great time. We just got to learn from tonight and get better going forward. That is all.”

Central led for much of the matchup after a second quarter touchdown put them up 7-0. They would maintain the shutout until a late score in the final frame brought the Purple and Gold within one point. The Leopards continued to push the envelope as they marched deep into enemy territory with the clock winding down. The home team made their way as far as Central’s 10-yard line but could not punch it in before time expired.

Unbeknownst to Hernando, their final play would turn out to be a short pass to Freshman Carlie Grant from Freshman QB Aislin Ruppe. With time ticking away and no timeouts left, the Leopards tried to get back to the line and snap the ball with under 10 seconds remaining. There was confusion as to how much time was left, though, and Hernando could not simply spike the ball to stop the clock as it was fourth down. They simply ran out of time.

“We just got to learn from it and get better,” said Coach Ellis. “They are learning each other, learning to play together […] Obviously, there at the end, knowing how much time is, the sense of urgency we needed to have, and things like that. Learning to play together. This is only really their third game together counting last week. It is a little different. We had other girls playing tennis that got here late. So, it is a little bit of a mix right now. So, they are learning to work together, communicate together, and things like that.”

The Bears’ coach also noted a couple of standout players on the evening. While he thought his whole team played well, he pointed towards Trinity Allen who “always has like a 50-60 yard run every game. That is normal.” The quarterback also drew praise for both of her performances this week. Her previous outing saw her complete 11 of 15 passes while she went “70-75 percent passing” on Thursday. “In this cold weather, that is pretty good.”

Looking ahead to the teams’ next matchups, Coach Ellis and company will look to connect more on the “deep game” and make fewer mistakes against Trinity Catholic. They will travel to take on the Celtics on Monday evening. Coach Nestor’s squad will continue to work on toughing out the cold weather and maintaining their mental toughness against Weeki Wachee. They will also be the road team as they play at the Hornets’ Nest on Monday night.

Central Bears at Hernando Leopards Girls Flag Football

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