GREEN COVE SPRINGS - For Clay High's flag football team, putting their 13-0 record in Class 2A was going to be against a host of new faces to face in the upcoming region playoffs.
"Our new region, a little more south of us instead of into the Panhandle, will have us play against the likes of Nature Coast, Jones, Hernando and new Smyrna Beach with the Panhandle teams; Choctowhatchee, Booker T. Washington, Fort Walton Beach, Godby coming later in the region finals," said Clay coach Jared Moses. "We just have to play who is on the field. Everyone is good from this point on."
Step one was against an Orlando Jones High team (10-6) that featured numerous very big and strong athletes that occasionally put their height and weight to use on the Blue Devils fast and furious attack, but Clay prevailed with a 20-6 first round win to advance to their semifinal on Monday, April 28 at Clay High againt Nature Coast Tech (13-4) and a 13-12 winner of Citrus in their region opener.
"I think our very tough district championship win over Ridgeview, (a 7-6 spinetingler), may have been the best thing to happen to us because it let me repeat to the team that playoffs makes everyone step up their game," said Clay coach Jared Moses. "We know we have good athletes and we knew they had good athletes, just like this team (Jones) and it was going to take us to execute our jobs on each play to get the win. I give Ridgeview a lot of credit for getting us prepared mentally for this game (Jones)."
Against Jones, Clay saw their shutout record for the season; only four scores in 13 games, screech to a surprising opening with Jones linebacker Ronice Berry, a 6'-2" rambler, stealing a Teaghan Moses pass and rumbling 45 yards to paydirt to quickly put the Blue Devils on their heels.
Just two series later, Clay safety Cora Parker nearly imitated Berry's score with her own 45 yard interception return that got ruled stopped at the one yard line. Parker plunged in for the tying score with Moses hitting wide out Yuliana Garcia for the PAT to 7-6.
Clay's defense struck again with rusher Lily Khalil causing a rushed pass that linebacker Charlotte Glavin scooped up after a deflection to put the Blue Devils offense back on the field.
Moses missed on three pass tries to put Jones' offense on the field, but Clay's defense got a punt and a short field to which Moses hit Ava Gursh with a shovel pass from the two to put Clay up 13-6; 14-6 with a PAT pass to Tatum Waugh.
Clay's final score came after a second Glavin interception in the fourth quarter that finished with a Waugh touchdown pass from three yards out. Glavin was a welcome addition to the Blue Devil defense after suffering a minor leg injury as a hard-driving running back.
Clay's defense finished with three more interceptions in the fourth quarter as Jones was forced to go long ball with 6'-6" inch defender Charlotte Andrus snagging one; and Parker and Waugh both grabbing one to end the game.