DACULA -- The Long County Lady Blue Tide flag football team is making a ton of noise in their inaugural season and now the team has advanced as one of the final eight teams in the state A-4A playoffs.
On Tuesday, Nov. 30, the team defeated Swainsboro 6-0 and Shaw 21-12 to advance to the quarterfinal round of the playoffs.
The first game against number three seed from Area 3 Swainsboro was a low-scoring affair as neither team got on the board until the six-minute mark of the second half.
The Lady Tide got on the board with a three-yard run from senior running back Ke’Osha McKeever. The one-point conversion fell short, but the Tide held on to get the win.
The Tide were helped by a late interception by sophomore Amiyah Simpkins, which gave her team the ball with less than two minutes left. Simpkins has been a star on both sides of the ball this year and this game was no different as she pulled down three interceptions in the game.
The Lady Tide recorded four total interceptions to pull out the victory. They played the second game against Shaw, who got the 7-0 upset win over Hebron Christian Academy in the first game.
It was another low-scoring affair for the first half as the Lady Tide led 7-6 going into halftime. They were paced by quarterback Kyleigh Sizemore hitting Simpkins with a touchdown pass.
McKeever added her second touchdown of the day to put her team up 14-6 in the second half.
The Raiders were able to answer quickly, however, on a long touchdown to make the score 14-12. They could not convert the two-point attempt however as the score remained a two-point difference.
The Tide capped off the game with a final touchdown to go up 21-12 and hold on for the win to advance to the Elite Eight.
The Tide will go on the road again as they will face off against St. Anne-Pacelli in Columbus on Thursday, Dec. 2. The Vikings have been one of the best teams in the state this year at 13-1 with their only loss coming to defending state champion Calvary Day.
The Vikings have recorded 10 shutouts and in their 13 victories, including a 27-0 win over Effingham County in the first round and 21-0 win over Tri-Cities in the second, they have outscored opponents 338-20.
