East Laurens flag football team heating up, with wins in 10 of last 11 going into last week of season

East Laurens’ first-year flag football team has had some big wins already this fall, including shutouts of region rival Swainsboro and Division 3 Statesboro. 

But this past Tuesday’s 13-6 victory over Dodge County felt like a certain landmark in the Falcons’ inaugural season, as they registered their first top-15 win against one of the area’s name brands in the sport. 

Though the Indians are only 8-8 this season, they remain a measuring stick on the schedule of many newer programs as the Heart of Georgia’s first school to stake a claim in flag football, and to win a state title several years ago. 

The sense of gravitas associated with their Power-D logo gave Tuesday’s matchup the same type of big-game feel you get anytime the Yankees, Alabama or Kentucky are in town to play, along with the extra satisfaction that comes with winning that type of game. 

For East, this was the most satisfying taste of success so far in a season where every additional win has done more and more to build the confidence of a team experiencing all of this for the first time.

“With it being our first year, there’s a lot of doubt, and it’s just great seeing the heart that those girls played with (Tuesday) against a pretty established program like Dodge County,” said Falcons head coach Shumara Carswell. “We knew what to expect, and our girls exceeded our expectations. They played with a lot of heart, they were positive, the energy was high, support from the fans was felt throughout the game, and it just felt good. It felt really good to beat a pretty good team, collectively as a team.” 

There has been a good bit of the thrill of victory to soak in for East Laurens, which has won 10 out of its last 11 games in a run that started the week following a slow break from the gate in opening losses to top-rated Fitzgerald and Telfair County, which are presently No. 1 and No. 3 in the classification, back in September.  

The Falcons’ only one since that point, following a winning streak of eight, was to another member of the top 10 in Portal, 26-7, Oct. 9. And the Panthers, who still have a couple of league games to go, are currently in position to claim the area title. 

East Laurens (10-3, 5-1 region area 4) stands right behind in second. As of Tuesday, the Falcons were also ranked a not-too-shabby 10th in the GHSA’s Post Season Rankings, and well on track to earn a playoff spot later this month. 

Tuesday’s outcome hinged on three Falcon interceptions. Zahmaria Robinson carried back one of her two for a pick-six that opened the scoring in the second quarter, as she broke on a pass near the goal line – with Dodge knocking on the door in the red zone – and tipped it to herself before eluding tackle on an 80-yard return. 

The Indians responded not long after to tie things up at 6 on a 20-yard pass from Kamani Clark to Kamyla Smith just before the half. 

East’s Garyunna Mitchell leapt for the 11-yard reception between three defenders to snag the go-ahead touchdown with 3:19 left in the third. 

Quean Washington, who had the other pick, led the team in flag pulls with seven. Andrea Wright was next with five. Wright and Miyah Smith broke up passes. 

“They’re tenacious,” Carswell said of her defense. “The girls wanted it, by any means necessary. They were on their toes, moving in proper coverage, so they were able to pick off those passes. They were in the right place at the right time, and we capitalized off of that.” 

Between the fundamentally-sound tacklers across the field and ball-hawks in coverage, defense continues to be one of the Falcons’ strongest points this year. 

On the season, Wright leads the defense in pulls with 54. Kalise Williams has recorded six of them for loss, and five sacks, in the pass rush department. 

Robinson and Washington combine for seven of the team’s 11 interceptions, and Washington has defended eight other passes. 

Offensively, Robinson has been the engine at quarterback, with 715 yards and 14 touchdowns passing on a 52 percent completion rate, and a team-leading average of 5.5 yards per carry on runs, which total 468 yards and seven more TDs. 

The senior threw for 41 and rushed for an additional 20 on Tuesday, as Mitchell caught three of her passes for 23 yards, and Tytiuna Page brought in two for 17. 

Wright and Page also have 150-plus rushing yards each, and a combined three scores. Mitchell and Washington lead receivers with around 250 yards each, and 10 out of the team’s 16 touchdowns. 

As you’d hope, these players are getting more and more familiar with the nuances of the sport, and comfortable in their roles, which has allowed each to play more freely and get a better feel for how all seven players on the field fit into a cohesive unit. 

“At first, a lot of them were just learning the game,” Carswell said. “Now that they’re actually comfortable in the game, I feel like they’re developing a love for the game, and with that comes going all in, all in for each other. We harp on the fact that it’s not about one person. It’s not really about the stats, although I know they compare stats. It’s really about how you contribute to the team. We’re the one to get the wins. It’s not I who gets the wins, it’s the team. Because they’re developing that team mindset, it has helped us tremendously.” 

East Laurens is set to play two with Hawkinsville and Wheeler County Monday in Alamo, before visiting Statesboro STEAM on Tuesday. 

The Falcons play their regular season home finale Thursday against Statesboro proper. 

What do they hope to accomplish in the season’s final few games? 

“Just adding more complex plays, making sure that they perfect or get the defense flowing better, being more consistent, making sure the girls are flag pulling at angles and understanding their defensive roles,” Carswell said. 

Through 13 games, she’s been most encouraged by her team’s intensity, and the day-to-day desire of players to get better, and give their best anytime they’re on the field. 

That should continue to serve them well wherever the rest of this season leads. 

“To be honest, it’s really energy,” Carswell said. “I tell the girls that, in life period, just having that high and positive energy, it determines how you play, how you practice. If our energy is high for a practice or for a game, it tells a lot. If you come in with that positive energy, the expectation of winning is there.”