Flag Football: Opening night a big hit with thrilling finishes and big crowd

ELYRIA — Friday night football has come to the spring.The Northern Ohio Girls Flag Football League kicked off its season Friday night at Elyria Catholic with 11 teams taking the field. Many did so for the first time in program history.The night featured eight games — two sets of doubleheaders — each played horizontally on the football field. There was no kicking, no tackling, but lots of great plays and plenty of history made.For starters, Amherst's inaugural team won its first two games — a 19-14 nail-biter against Avon Lake and 31-0 against the host Panthers, who are fielding a team for a third season.Also taking the field were Black River, Cloverleaf, Elyria, Medina, Midview, Oberlin, Sandusky and Strongsville. The 11 teams that make up the Western Conference Orange Division will each play 10 games in seven sessions scheduled on Fridays and Sundays for the next month. Sandusky hosts the next set of games Sunday, and Elyria will host next Friday."This was an unbelievable night," Elyria Catholic coach Eric Miscuda said. "The stands were almost as packed as they were for a regular high school football Friday night game. We want to host another game out here, this was an unbelievable atmosphere."It's been so cool to watch the sport grow. Our first year we were scraping to get six girls, this year we alone already have 23. And then the league has doubled, at least, I would say within those three years. It's amazing to see."Avon Lake only played one game, but it was arguably the best of the evening as Amherst escaped in the final minutes.The Shoregals took their first lead on a safety after a bad Comets snap to open the second half. And Avon Lake junior Molly Milligan then pulled in back-to-back catches — one in which she went up and over three defenders — to set up her touchdown grab, putting the Shoregals up 14-7."It was really nice to be a part of this," Milligan said. "I think it's growing really fast and I'm really excited to see what it holds for our team in the future."Amherst got the last laugh, though, as senior Paige Miller returned an interception for a touchdown late in the second half for what was ultimately the winning score after the Shoregals could not mount an answer. Scarlett Grandson also scored on a pick-six for the Comets."We're super excited to come out here," Miller said. "It feels great. We all won it together. We've all been really excited about this. We've been hyping it up to each other."We have a lot of things we can learn from, but we also did a lot of things we can be proud of. The environment is really positive. Everyone is happy to be here, cheering each other on. We're all learning together because none of us have ever played before. To learn and grow together at the same time is just such a great experience that's so special. You just can't replicate it."Elyria (2-0) and Midview (1-0) also came away unbeaten while Black River (0-1), Elyria Catholic (0-1) and Oberlin (0-2) were unable to secure wins. The Pioneers iced their 24-18 win against Medina with an interception in the final seconds.Midview only played once, but scored as if it wanted to make up for not being on the field in the first hour, defeating Cloverleaf 32-0. Sophomores Hannah Bacskay and Leila Morgan each accounted for two touchdowns — Bacskay's on the ground and Morgan's through the air — while junior Savannah Holcomb returned an interception for a touchdown.Midview's student section also came out in force to cheer on the Middies."I'm really happy about the outcome," Bacskay said. "This feels amazing. It's something new, nobody's experienced it and we did really well. I'm really proud of us. Our fans all came out to support us and it's amazing. I couldn't ask for a better school."Contact Chris Sweeney at (440) 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com. Follow him @CSweeney1686 on X.STANDINGSOrange Division W LAmherst 2 0Elyria 2 0Midview 1 0Sandusky 1 0Strongsville 1 0Medina 1 1Avon Lake 0 1Black River 0 1Elyria Catholic 0 1Cloverleaf 0 2Oberlin 0 2Game 1Amherst 19, Avon Lake 14Elyria 23, Cloverleaf 6Medina 20, Oberlin 0Sandusky 30, Black River 0Game 2Amherst 31, Elyria Catholic 0Elyria 24, Medina 18Midview 32, Cloverleaf 0Strongsville 32, Oberlin 0