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After coming so close to reaching the state finals in two different sports, a group of female athletes from Jenkins broke through on Monday night as the Warrior flag football team beat dominated Therrell and Grovetown to earn a spot in the Division 2 State Championship game.
A talented Warrior flag football team lost in the state semifinals to eventual champion Greenbrier last year, and most of those girls are also members of the Jenkins basketball team, which fell on a buzzer beater to eventual state champ Cherokee Bluff. in the Class 3A state basketball Final Four in February.
On Monday night, the Warriors left no doubt as they rolled to a 34-0 win at Therrell in the quarterfinals, before taking down Grovetown 27-7 about an hour later. Jenkins improved to 21-1 on the season with victories and the Warriors will face off against Greenbrier (21-3) in the championship game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium set for Monday, Dec. 15, with kickoff set for 1 p.m.
This is the first girls team in Jenkins history to reach the state finals in any sport.
Brianna Brooker coaches both the flag football and basketball teams, and the Warrior alum couldn't be prouder of how her team performed after taking a 3.5 hour road trip to Therrell for the games. The girls basketball team, ranked No. 5 among Class 3A teams in the state, is set to take the court in basketball today at Long County, less than 24 hours after punching their ticket to the Flag Football state finals.
"I loved how they responded to the adversity of having to go on the road to win these games, while we're playing two sports at this time of the year," said Brooker, who was the All-Greater Savannah Coach of the Year in flag football and basketball last season. "This has been our goal since we lost to Greenbrier last year — to get to the Benz this year and finish the job.
"We had a bad taste in our mouth after losing last year and that has been the driving force that has motivated us all season," she said. "The girls were hungry and focused on winning these games."
Senior A'Niyah Browner has a pair of pick sixes in the second game against Grovetown and Skylar Spaulding intercepted a pair against Therrell, Brooker said. Angelique Fleming and Ca'Niyah Williams had big-time performances in a stellar defensive effort, while junior quarterback I'Yarna "YaYa" Lee was on point with her passing once again.
"Lee was just picking them apart with her passing," Brooker said.
Browner was a first-team All-Greater Savannah pick in flag football and basketball last season, and she stars on both sides of the ball for the Warriors as a linebacker and receiver.
"This feels great because we have worked so hard to get here," Browner said in a phone interview on the bus ride home from the wins. "The key for us has been our team work and our defense this year. We're going into the championship game with a lot of confidence because we came on the road tonight to win against top competition. That got us ready for the championship game."
Washington County 28, St. Vincent's 19
Greenbrier 25, Calvary Day 0
Richmond Hill 14, Locust Grove 7
Whitewater 6, Richmond Hill 0
Dennis Knight covers sports for the Savannah Morning News. Contact him at [email protected]. Twitter: @DennisKnightSMN
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Jenkins flag football team to play for state title Monday at Mercedes-Benz
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A talented Warrior flag football team lost in the state semifinals to eventual champion Greenbrier last year, and most of those girls are also members of the Jenkins basketball team, which fell on a buzzer beater to eventual state champ Cherokee Bluff. in the Class 3A state basketball Final Four in February.
On Monday night, the Warriors left no doubt as they rolled to a 34-0 win at Therrell in the quarterfinals, before taking down Grovetown 27-7 about an hour later. Jenkins improved to 21-1 on the season with victories and the Warriors will face off against Greenbrier (21-3) in the championship game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium set for Monday, Dec. 15, with kickoff set for 1 p.m.
This is the first girls team in Jenkins history to reach the state finals in any sport.
Brianna Brooker coaches both the flag football and basketball teams, and the Warrior alum couldn't be prouder of how her team performed after taking a 3.5 hour road trip to Therrell for the games. The girls basketball team, ranked No. 5 among Class 3A teams in the state, is set to take the court in basketball today at Long County, less than 24 hours after punching their ticket to the Flag Football state finals.
"I loved how they responded to the adversity of having to go on the road to win these games, while we're playing two sports at this time of the year," said Brooker, who was the All-Greater Savannah Coach of the Year in flag football and basketball last season. "This has been our goal since we lost to Greenbrier last year — to get to the Benz this year and finish the job.
"We had a bad taste in our mouth after losing last year and that has been the driving force that has motivated us all season," she said. "The girls were hungry and focused on winning these games."
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Senior A'Niyah Browner has a pair of pick sixes in the second game against Grovetown and Skylar Spaulding intercepted a pair against Therrell, Brooker said. Angelique Fleming and Ca'Niyah Williams had big-time performances in a stellar defensive effort, while junior quarterback I'Yarna "YaYa" Lee was on point with her passing once again.
"Lee was just picking them apart with her passing," Brooker said.
Browner was a first-team All-Greater Savannah pick in flag football and basketball last season, and she stars on both sides of the ball for the Warriors as a linebacker and receiver.
"This feels great because we have worked so hard to get here," Browner said in a phone interview on the bus ride home from the wins. "The key for us has been our team work and our defense this year. We're going into the championship game with a lot of confidence because we came on the road tonight to win against top competition. That got us ready for the championship game."
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Other scores
Division I
Washington County 28, St. Vincent's 19
Division 2
Greenbrier 25, Calvary Day 0
Division 3
Richmond Hill 14, Locust Grove 7
Whitewater 6, Richmond Hill 0
Dennis Knight covers sports for the Savannah Morning News. Contact him at [email protected]. Twitter: @DennisKnightSMN
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Jenkins flag football team to play for state title Monday at Mercedes-Benz
Continue reading...
