Vikings, Eagles upset foes for state berths

Two emotional flag football rematches send Northeast and East Lake to the state finals.

By MEYLA HOOKER
Published May 4, 2005

	[Times photos: Willie J. Allen Jr.]
	Northeast QB Jessie Bowman runs through traffic as Lakewood's Shannon Anton hangs on for the ride.
	Senior wide receiver Nancy Lee catches the final touchdown, giving Northeast a 19-0 win over Lakewood.

ST. PETERSBURG - You would not have guessed Northeast was playing an away game at Tuesday's flag football region final.

The visitor's section at Lakewood's football field was jam-packed with screaming Vikings fans, some with red paint covering their entire bodies.

The Northeast squad gave their fans plenty to cheer about.

The Vikings scored all their points in the first half en route to downing Lakewood 19-0, earning their second consecutive state berth.

"It's been like this all week," Northeast running back and safety Kim Clark said. "We've had so much support. The atmosphere at school and out here (Tuesday night) was amazing."

Clark, who had two touchdowns and two interceptions, said the squad did not want to eat its words. She was referring to a team shirt, which had "Back to Boca in 05" printed on the back.

The Vikings avenged a 25-0 rout April 4 to Lakewood (10-1). The Spartans dominated that game with athleticism and defensive prowess.

Northeast coach Dan Dotter admitted Lakewood caught his team off guard the first time around.

"I didn't expect them to be that good," Dotter said. "We went back and watched film of the game and got these girls prepared. I told them that to get to state they would have to face the only team that beat them."

The Vikings were the more aggressive team from the start. Northeast's defense had four interceptions, forced Lakewood to punt twice and had an impressive goal-line stance in the fourth quarter when the Spartans failed to punch the ball in from the two.

Northeast (11-1) travels to Spanish River High in Boca Raton for a state quarterfinal game Friday.

EAST LAKE - While waiting for Orlando Dr. Phillips to pull into the parking lot, East Lake coach Scott McLain could sympathize with the Panthers' odds of being fresh and ready after the drive down Interstate 4.

Neither McLain nor the Eagles - who traveled to Dr. Phillips in the first round of the region tournament last year and lost 52-6 - wasted any time pitying the Panthers, though. In fact, he and the girls had time to implement a new defense.

"Last year they torched us," McLain said. "We needed a three-deep safety package. With sort of a middle safety roving around out there."

The 20-minute defensive training session worked, providing a complete shut down of Dr. Phillips' aerial assault and netting one touchdown as East Lake beat the Panthers 6-0 and advanced to the state quarterfinals for the first time.

Whitney Eberhardt and Megan Brill (six pulls) each had a pull behind the line of scrimmage, and Nicole Visokay made a diving interception (all in the first half) to help East Lake allow just four Panthers first downs.

"This is the first game we were ready and loose," McLain said.

With three minutes left in the second quarter, Alison Burnham found Amanda Wheat (four catches, 50 yards) open in the end zone for a 35-yard touchdown. Patti Murphy provided a night's worth of blocking for East Lake (13-3), which will travel to Daytona Beach Recreational Field in Derbyshire on Friday to face the Daytona Beach Seabreeze-Jacksonville Mandarin winner.

- ERIC MUSKATEVC, Times correspondent

[Last modified May 4, 2005, 07:09:59]