JACKSONVILLE - Fleming Island sophomore flag football athlete Emily Poucher caught the game-tying touchdown with two minutes on the clock then sealed the deal with an interception in the opposite end zone to give the Golden Eagles a 13-12 win over ED White Thursday at ED White High School.
The win propels Fleming Island, 7-1 and ranked ninth in Class 3A, 33rd in Florida, into a Tuesday, April 1 showdown with unbeaten Clay, now 7-0, who beat Oakleaf 19-0 on Wednesday, March 26, in their first game after Spring Break. Clay, 7-0 and ranked sixth in Class 2A, was set to play at Columbia (1-4) on Friday, March 28. Columbia won their first game 24-0 over winless (0-8) Gainesville on March 25. ED White falls to 6-3 with a pregame ranking at 13th in Class 2A.
In other games around the county, Ridgeview (4-3) defeated Eagle's View 25-19, Keystone Heights (6-6) lost to unbeaten Bradford 45-12, Oakleaf beat Middleburg 13-7 and Orange Park and Bishop Snyder also playing Thursday.
In their ED White game, with the ED White quarterback Kyra Jackson offering a quick strike capability with her elusive breaks from the pocket and her passes to equally quick wide out Zykeria Luellen, the Fleming Island defense got stellar line of scrimmage play from linebacker Daisy Fletcher and rusher Audrey Ellis to keep the Commanders offense in check.
Fletcher has a team leading 65 flag tags for the season thus far.
In the first half of the game, ED White struck first with a 25 yard pass play to Luellen putting the Commanders up 6-0 just before the second quarter.
ED White looked to stifle a Fleming Island drive with an interception near midfield, but Poucher stretched to steal the ball back on the ensuing pass play to put the Golden Eagles offense back on the field just a play after ED White's interception.
A sack on Dudones stopped the Fleming Island offense, but Poucher launched a 50 yard punt to put the Commanders deep in their own territory to start.
On the next ED White snap, it was Dudones at safety stealing the pass to again put Fleming Island back on offense with a Dudones rolling right bringing up the ED White defense then lofting a pass to a wide open Seven Gourdat for a 30 yard catch and run score for the Golden Eagles to tie the game 6-6 with 1:39 to halftime.
Dudones was wide right with a pass to Poucher at the pylon to keep the game locked.
ED White turned on the jets in the third period with their team speed breaking downfield to set up a go ahead touchdown just as the fourth quarter started to go up 12-6 with another missed PAT.
For Fleming Island, with 9:43 left in the game, Dudones hit Poucher who was doing her best Rob Gronkowski box out to catch a critical 15 yard pass for a first down near midfield.
Dudones took three runs to the ED White eight yard line before a pass interference in the end zone on a pass attempt to Gourdat gave Fleming Island a final breath with 2:56 on the clock.
A drop by Ellis on third down put the game on the hinge with fourth down at the ED White two yard line with Dudones lofting a tall pass to Poucher in the back corner of the end zone for the tying score, 12-12 with 1:57 to go. Ellis caught the PAT to put Fleming Island up 13-12 with ED White still having 1:57 to stage their own comeback.
After two missed passes, Jackson launched a Hail Mary pass downfield on fourth down that Poucher snagged to end the game.