TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Flag Football: Cheerleaders Return For Knights

ADVERTISEMENT

By SCOTT PURKS

Tribune correspondent

Published: March 23, 2009

TAMPA - It's pretty safe to say that Robinson is undergoing a situation that few, if any, flag football teams must endure: Having four of its seven starters also perform on the school's cheerleading squad.

And this fact has thrown a bit of a wrench into early-season proceedings.

"Basically, about half our team has had to split time practicing for flag football and for cheerleading," Robinson coach Josh Saunders said. "Days before last week's first two games of the season the girls had a huge cheerleading competition in Tallahassee. So, when it was time to play to play the first game, we really hadn't fully prepared."

Next thing you know, Robinson, predicted by many to have one of Hillsborough County's better teams, had finished the week 0-2, the first loss a 7-6 setback to Newsome and the next a 33-9 pasting by Plant.

"Every year of the first four years of flag football it's been like this because our quarterbacks have also been cheerleaders," Saunders said. "We've always lost our first game of the season."

But, it should be noted, Robinson also made the playoffs in each of those years.

"Hopefully we'll get all the pieces put together as the season goes along," Saunders said. "Now it's good because the girls are done with the cheerleading competition and they can focus on football."

THE REAL DEAL

Any questions about whether Plant sophomore quarterback Stephanie Murray could play similarly to brother Aaron Murray - who guided Plant to last season's Class 4A state championship - have pretty much been dispelled.

In the first two games, Stephanie Murray has thrown for six touchdowns.

One of those was thrown with about 30 seconds remaining in a 20-14 victory against Alonso, and two more were thrown on her first two passes against Robinson.

"She has that ability to throw great deep balls, and, really, just about any other kind of pass," Plant coach Bo Puckett said. "She has thrown some lasers."

The top recipient of those lasers has been Katie O'Brien, who has caught five of Murray's six touchdown passes.

"I truly haven't seen too many girls who can throw like her," Saunders said. "I mean it was pretty impressive."

RIGHT WHERE THEY LEFT OFF

The five teams that finished in last year's Tampa Tribune top five - Plant City, Freedom, Chamberlain, Leto and Plant - started this season's first week a combined 9-0.

Plant City, which finished last year as the state's runner-up, made one of the loudest statements, defeating Brandon 56-0.

Chamberlain, however, might have been the biggest surprise. After graduating several key starters, the Chiefs came out in the season opener and beat Middleton 53-0.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT