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South Effingham Beats Rebels 28-6 in Flag Football Rivalry
Flag football
South Effingham quarterback Arden Thompson fires a pass during Thursday night’s 28-6 win over Effingham County at The Griff. Thompson threw three touchdowns and ran for another as the Lady Mustangs scored on every possession. (Birk Herrath / Effingham Herald)

SPRINGFIELD, Ga. – By finishing possessions with touchdowns, South Effingham’s flag football team got the results it hoped for Thursday night.

South Effingham (9-4, 2-1 Division III, Area 1) defeated Effingham County 28-6 at The Griff for its fourth straight win in the cross-county rivalry.

Thompson leads perfect offensive night

Quarterback Arden Thompson threw for three touchdowns and ran for another as the Mustangs scored on every possession.

“The offense was rolling,” SEHS coach Turner Davis said. “To have four possessions and score all four times, that’s impressive. I give the girls a play and they find who’s open. It’s almost like I’m telling them what to do and then letting them go be athletes.”

Thompson, a senior, has been the point-guard-type leader for the last two years, directing the school to its first area championship and two state playoff wins last season.

Flag football
South Effingham’s Morgan Hetzel throws a pass late in the fourth quarter. Hetzel had a 5-yard touchdown catch and contributed on extra-point conversions as the Mustangs beat Effingham County 28-6 on Thursday night at The Griff. (Gilbert Miller / Effingham Herald)

Young playmakers step up

Sophomore Karianna Dorsey caught scoring passes of 18 and 50 yards, and junior Morgan Hetzel added a 5-yard touchdown reception.

Thompson added a 2-yard touchdown run.

South also went 4-for-4 on extra-point attempts. Mustang freshman Kyla Shuman and Hetzel each ran and caught a one-point conversion.

Flag football
Effingham County’s Ivyana Jenkins runs for big yardage on a quarterback keeper in the second quarter, helping the Lady Rebels stay close against South Effingham. (Gilbert Miller / Effingham Herald)

Rebels move the ball but can’t finish drives

Brooks Burnsed hauled in a 7-yard touchdown pass from Ivyana Jenkins for the Rebels’ lone score in the second quarter.

Despite the 22-point margin, ECHS (8-6, 2-1) was competitive. The Rebels held a 224-219 edge in total yards until South’s final possession, but drives stalled at the SEHS 3-, 12- and 9-yard lines.

The Mustangs, meanwhile, scored on their first trip inside the 20 when Thompson and Dorsey connected for an 18-yard touchdown and a 7-0 lead late in the first quarter.

Jenkins’ touchdown to Burnsed made it 7-6 — the first time in four years ECHS had scored against South’s defense.

Mustangs answer and pull away

South responded quickly with a seven-play, 66-yard drive capped by Thompson’s 2-yard scoring run for a 14-6 lead.

The Mustangs added a 50-yard touchdown pass from Thompson to Dorsey early in the third quarter to extend the lead to 21-6.

“We pushed their defense up with runs and short passes. It’s ‘get them in, get them in’ and then go over the top,” Davis said.

Davis later went for it on fourth down from his own 17-yard line, and Thompson’s 7-yard completion to Shuman helped the Mustangs chew up most of the fourth-quarter clock.

Stat leaders

Thompson completed 12 of 15 passes for 171 yards. Dorsey caught three passes for 74 yards.

For ECHS, Jenkins went 16 of 22 for 125 yards and ran 12 times for 71 yards. Jada Praylo made nine catches for 61 yards.

Postseason push ahead

After a 27-0 loss to four-time defending state champion and Area 1 leader Southeast Bulloch, South Effingham has rebounded with three straight wins by a combined score of 95-19.

Next week is the final week of the regular season. Teams get a week off for Thanksgiving before the state playoffs begin Dec. 4.

“I think we’re sitting pretty good right now,” Davis said. “We still haven’t played our best on defense. It’ll be impressive when both sides of the ball get together.”