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Drea Thompson returns an interception in Thursday's flag football District 2A-9 title game. PHOTO/KATIE WHITT WILLIAMS -
Ella Husbands runs for yardage in Thursday's 27-0 win over Horizon to claim another district championship. PHOTO/KATIE WHITT WILLIAMS -
The Harmony Longhorns are district flag football champions for the 10th time in school history. PHOTO/KATIE WHITT WILLIAMS
On paper, Thursday night’s FHSAA Class 2A, District 9 flag football final between Harmony and upstart Horizon held the promise of being a real barnburner. The Hawks, in their second year of competition, were 14-1 and had an impressive 19-2 win over St. Cloud in the semifinals, a team that Harmony has traditionally struggled with. The Lady Longhorns were 15-2 with 11 shutouts – including 19-0 and 31-0 wins over Lake Nona and Poinciana in the first two rounds of the tournament. Both teams featured stout defenses, with the Longhorns allowing just 3.1 points per game and Horizon allowing less than four per contest.
But games are not played on paper and Harmony fired on all cylinders – grabbing a 12-0 lead in the first quarter and cruising to a 27-0 win to claim their second consecutive district title and 10th in school history.
The Longhorns will await their regional playoff opponent on Wednesday; pairings should be announced this weekend.
“I wouldn’t be honest if I told you beforehand that I wasn’t a little worried,” Harmony Coach Paul Strauch said. “They came in with a great record and that 17-point win over St. Cloud in the semifinals really caught my attention. On top of that, we had a couple of injuries and had a few players trying to get over an illness. I was absolutely pleased the way we came out and took control of the game, especially our defense.”
While sophomore quarterback Martha Edwards was completing 22 of 32 passes for 191 yards and three touchdowns, it was the Longhorn defense that really set the game’s tone, intercepting five passes and keeping the Hawks out of the end zone the entire game.
Harmony would lose the toss and Horizon deferred. Picking to have a strong wind at her back, Edwards led the Lady Longhorns on a nine-play, 65-yard scoring drive capped with a four-yard scoring pass to Drea Thompson and a 6-0 lead.
Thompson, a first-team All-OBC selection and the Osceola News Gazette’s “Defensive Player of the Year” in 2022 then intercepted Miriam Athay and returned it 30 yards for a touchdown and a 13-0 lead.
Three possessions later, Hannah Simmons would get Harmony’s second interception, and three plays later Edwards hooked up with Kenzie James on a 34-yard scoring play as the Longhorns went out in front 20-0. That score held to halftime as Ellah Husbands stopped one Horizon drive with an interception and Harmony held on downs on Horizon’s last possession.
Taking first possession in the third quarter, Horizon tried to get back in the game but after the Hawks drove to the Harmony 11, Alex Means made a diving interception near the goal to end the threat. Edwards would then lead a methodical, time-consuming 12-play, 75-yard scoring drive capped with a 10-yard pass to James to make it 27-0. Edwards completed 10 straight passes on the final scoring drive.
“She did a great job out there,” Strauch said of his left-handed sophomore. “She can literally make all the throws and she did an outstanding job of clock management—especially in the second half.
“Props to my defensive coordinator,” Strauch said of his brother Drew Strauch. “He really called a great game and had our players going aggressively at the ball tonight.”
James led Harmony with five catches for 70 yards and two scores. Frannie Moreno had six for 49 yards. Thompson had a receiving and interception return for touchdowns and batted down two balls. In the district tournament, Harmony outscored its three opponents, 77-0.
