By virtue of their 20-7 victory over the Northwest Lady Vikings on Monday, the Lady Coyotes’ flag football squad will square off with Montgomery Central on Thursday afternoon. The contest is a rematch from last year’s flag football championship, where the Lady Coyotes won 13-6 to capture the district’s first championship in the sport.
The contest will also be a rematch of the April 15 game that saw the Lady Indians win 13-6, the only loss of the season for the Lady Coyotes. Head coach Aaron King knows that defeating them will take a huge effort.
“Montgomery Central is a good team,” he said. “They have some good athletes but most importantly they are very fundamentally sound. They do the little things right. When you play a team like that, you have to match their level of fundamentals while also using your athletes to the best of their ability. You also have to find ways to force them to break away from those fundamentals. Things like sending pressure to make the Quarterback throw a bit quicker than she wants. That’s what you can do against teams like Montgomery Central. And luckily we have the athletes to be able to do just that.”
The Lady Coyotes’ defense has been outstanding this year, giving up just 38 points in nine games with five shutouts. The thirteen points surrendered to Central was the most they had given up for the season.
“I think our defense as a whole has a chip on their shoulder from the last time we faced Montgomery Central,” Coach King said. “They recognize that we had one of our worst defensive performances of the season, and we still kept it to within a score. I would bet that the defense has their best game of the season.”
In addition to returning defenders such as Leilyn Mercado, Coach King credits players like junior Shana Moore and senior Adison Aldana, who made a switch to defense this year, and senior Dayonna Williams, who has emerged as a defensive stopper.
“Some people have moved positions or stepped up in different ways than they did last year,” he said. “Shana Moore is a good example of that. Last year she was our Center on offense, but this year she moved to Linebacker. She’s been amazing for us there. We also have people like Dayonna Williams who didn’t get much playing time last year, but she made the most of her opportunities in the offseason to earn a starting spot. Now she’s statistically our best flag puller this season. Adison Aldana was one of our Quarterbacks last year, but she transitioned to defense this season and now she leads the team in Pass Break Ups.”
While the defense is stout, the offense also has its share of playmakers. Junior quarterback Kinleigh Lewis, senior running back Madison Bennett and sophomore wide receiver Nicole Cushionberry have been a burden for opposing defenses. Coach King believes Cushionberry’s ability to run after the catch has been a difference-maker.
Lewis is the key to success. “Offensively, I’m looking for Kinleigh Lewis to have a great game,” Coach King said. “She also had a less-than-stellar performance against MC in our last matchup, so she knows she can do well against them. If she’s on fire, I know our receivers will step up as well.”
The game starts at 5 p.m. at Montgomery Central High School, 3955 Highway 48, Cunningham, Tennessee. Tickets are available on GoFan.
Directions:
