By Donald Heath

Special for the Effingham Herald

UPDATED STORY

GUYTON – Allie Grassi directs cheers as a member of the South Effingham cheerleading team. Thursday night, she basked in the cheers after leading the Mustangs’ staunch defensive efforts in the GHSA Division 3 State Flag Football Championships.

SEHS captured its first state flag football victories in school history after defeating Hiram 7-0 and Southwest DeKalb 18-0 at the Corral.

The Mustangs advanced to the Elite Eight before losing to fourth-ranked Pace Academy 26-7 on Monday night (Dec. 9) but it was only a blip on an otherwise historic season.

In its four years of flag football, the Mustangs (12-5) improved from 1 win to 6 to 8 and finished with 12 this season and added their first Area regular-season title.

“We had a lot of good players that we lost last year, but this group learned from them. (Playing the game) is about knowing what you have to do when you have to do it and the girls were phenomenal,” said Mustangs coach Turner Davis after Thursday’s wins. “This is a fun group to coach and I enjoy them. Sometimes they enjoy me too.”

Grassi’s approach to Thursday’s state tournament games symbolized her team’s approach.

“I try to come out with a good mindset,” Grassi said. “When that happens and everyone has a good mindset, it shows on the field. It’s all about having fun and I think that’s what makes this team special.”

Grassi is South’s lone defensive lineman at the line of scrimmage and her harassment of quarterbacks and ball carriers sparked a defense that registered eight shutouts this season.

Grassi had four tackles for losses and two sacks against Hiram in the first state tournament game. She drew a blocking penalty that negated a touchdown pass in closing minutes and had a sack on the visitors’ final play from the SEHS 16.

“I expect that out of myself every game,” Grassi said. “I have my special job. I go after one person (the quarterback) and if I knock people down, it happens. Did I get the flag? That’s all I care about.”

Pressure on the quarterback helped the secondary as well and teammate Morgan Hetzel, a safety, registered three pass breakups, including two interceptions.

“(Grassi) has been phenomenal. She’s definitely an all-state candidate,” Davis said. “The tackles and sacks and having pressure in the backfield are huge for us.”

South complemented the defensive effort with a diversified offensive attack. During the two wins, quarterback Arden Thompson threw three touchdown passes to three different receivers and she ran for another score.

Against Hiram, Thompson hooked up with freshman Karianna Dorsey on a 27-yard TD pass and Malaya Signal’s one-point conversion run were the only points of the game.

The Mustangs had another apparent TD negated by a blocking penalty. (In flag football, there is no blocking, although an offensive player can stand in the way – like a pick in basketball – to obstruct a defender.)

Hiram (10-5) outgained South 161-119, but the Hornets’ first-half drive to the Mustangs’ 16 was stuffed by Hetzel’s interception.

Hiram’s final drive reached the South 5-yard line, but illegal procedure backed the Hornets to the 10, an apparent touchdown pass was negated by a blocking penalty and Grassi ended the drive with her fourth-down sack in the final minute.

There wasn’t as much drama in the Mustangs’ second game of the night. Southwest DeKalb (15-5-1), a 13-12 winner over Veterans, never got closer to the endzone than South’s 30-yard line.

Meanwhile, Thompson threw a 12-yard TD pass to Signal in the first quarter to make it 6-0 and her 8-yard pass pinballed through the defense before reaching Savannah Dorsey for the Mustangs’ second touchdown in the third quarter.

Thompson ran one yard for the final touchdown in the fourth quarter.

Grassi recorded a sack and two tackles for losses against Southwest DeKalb. Hetzel had another interception.

It’s been a nice run for the Mustangs, who placed first in Area 1 during the regular season to earn a chance to host the first and second rounds.

The Georgia High School Association sanctioned flag football as a girls sport four years ago and, like many parts of the state, South’s girls are learning the nuances of the sport on the fly.

SEHS advanced to the state playoffs last year but lost to eventual state champion Southeast Bulloch in the first round.

This season, the Mustangs took another step.

“I think we were all very confident in these two games,” said Thompson, a first-year starter at quarterback as a junior, after Thursday's wins.