In their inaugural seasons, flag football teams from Daphne and Baldwin County High School won their debut games as part of the Alabama High School Athletic Association’s pilot season.

The Daphne Trojans swept a doubleheader with B.C. Rain (33-7) and Mary G. Montgomery (24-6) in Week 1 on Sept. 12, then added a 28-6 win over Satsuma earlier this week in Week 2.

Following an open first week, the Baldwin County Tigers debuted in Week 2 on Tuesday night with a 35-12 win over LeFlore on the road.

After being sanctioned over the summer, both girls’ flag football and wrestling will be included in the 2024 realignment of the AHSAA. The first flag football state titles will be won as part of this fall’s Super 7 Championships in Tuscaloosa.

Both schools are the lone county representatives on the scene in this pilot season of flag football. Daphne and Baldwin County will compete in Class 6A/7A Area 2 alongside Davidson and McGill-Toolen.

They’ll eventually battle the top teams from Area 1 (Baker, Alma-Bryant, MGM, Theodore) in the qualifying tournament that will end with one team representing both areas in 6A/7A’s eight-team state championship bracket.

Trojan defense stands tall early

Through Daphne’s first three wins of the season, the Trojan defense has allowed an average of 6.3 points per game. On the other side of the ball, Daphne scored an average of 28.3 points per game.

In the Week 1 doubleheader, Victoria Hosford led the way defensively with 2 flag pulls and 4 sacks in the opener before Kandis Tidwell collected 3 flag pulls in the nightcap.

Offensively, Vic Moten racked up 91 rushing yards on 14 carries with 4 touchdowns between two in each contest. Aubrey Gregg threw for 138 yards on 8-of-12 passing with 2 touchdowns in the first game where Abby J. Johnson caught 3 passes for 49 receiving yards and 1 touchdown.

Ayari VanBlaircom got it done through the air and on the ground in the Trojans’ 24-6 win over MGM where she caught 1 pass for 12 receiving yards to go along with 26 rushing yards on 3 carries with 1 touchdown.

In the Week 2 win over Satsuma, it was VanBlaircom who led the defense with 7 flag pulls including 1 for loss. Johnson ran wild for 114 rushing yards on 7 carries with 2 touchdowns to supplement a 4-catch, 32-yard, 1-touchdown performance from Lex Charqueno.

Head coached by Jenny Laird, Daphne will return to the field next Tuesday, Sept. 26, for a doubleheader against B.C. Rain and Baker in non-area action.

Tigers roar to historic victory

The Baldwin County Tigers joined in on making school history with a win in their first try of the season.

Head coach Tabetha Davis was tasked with assembling the first flag football team at Baldwin County High School and said the athletes haven’t skipped a beat with their on-field execution despite being in new territory.

“These girls have gone out of their comfort zones to participate in a new sport that only one other Baldwin County school is doing and I couldn’t be more proud of them,” Davis said in a release.

Michael Hill and Glenn Ray have joined Davis’ staff as assistant coaches where Ray said that although the win was a team effort, there were a few exceptional efforts.

“The defense was led by standout performances from Stori Palmer and Talajia Brown,” Ray said. “The offense played well and was led by the strong arm of Ryann Wallace and the receiving talents of Karsyn Barnett and La’Mya Hicks.”

The Tigers’ Week 3 schedule features a road trip to Satsuma for a non-area doubleheader with the Gators and MGM Vikings on Sept. 26. Baldwin County’s first home game is set for Oct. 10 against McGill-Toolen for a 6A/7A Area 2 contest.