In partnership with the NFL, the sport of flag football continues to see growth across the state. It is also providing yet another opportunity for our female athletes to show off their skills on the field creating new pathways into athletics. Our Beech Grove Girls Flag Football team has been unstoppable this season. The Lady Hornets completed a perfect regular season with a big win against Riverside High School last week. That puts the Hornets at 9-0 heading into sectional play this weekend. Freshman quarterback Natily Pruitt is currently ranked second in the state for total passing yards. She has aired it out for 2,547 passing yards and has connected with a receiver in the end zone 37 times. Having a strong QB requires equally talented wide receivers, as flag football relies heavily on the passing game. Olivia Stowers (senior) and Amiyah Dunn (sophomore) have the hands and the speed to punish their opponents. Olivia is ranked second in the state for reception yards and Amiyah is fourth. Together they have amassed over 1,400 receiving yards. To keep the defense guessing and on their toes, Harmony Burks (junior) handles the running game. Burks averages over 47 yards per game as running back. She has eleven touchdowns on the season and has carried the ball for a total of 426 yards. Last year, Harmony was heavily relied upon for pushing the ball up the field with the run game. This year, with Pruitt under center, Harmony has nearly an equal amount of receiving yards and has thrown the ball for two touchdown passes. She is a true triple threat on the field. If you are plugged into sports, you’ve heard the following saying uttered a million times. Defense wins ball games. For Hornets Flag Football, all one has to do is check out the scoreboard. For each game of the season, their opponents have not scored in the double digits. In fact, the highest opponent score this season was eight points. Beech Grove has outscored their opponents by an average of 37-5 this season. The defense simply puts up barriers that opponents have not been able to overcome. Led by Anijah Nevers (junior), Caitlin Dibbern (junior), and Alleeyah McDonough (senior), the defensive trio has 16 flag pulls for a loss this season. Both Dibbern and Nevers average over four pulls per game, and both players have four QB sacks on the season. In the back field, Olivia Stowers and Amiyah Dunn put their quick feet to work amassing eleven interceptions this season. The consistent and pressure-inducing defensive strategy of Beech Grove is enough to frustrate even the most organized teams. Finally, what is a team without its leaders? This will be the second year that Ryan Williams (head coach) and Nathan Rinks (assistant coach) have teamed up to lead the Lady Hornets. The two have definitely found their groove this season, and have led the team in some big wins against tough opponents such as Terre Haute North and Roncalli. During week three of the season, Coach Williams was recognized by the Indianapolis Colts as ‘Coach of the Week’. As part of this recognition the team will receive a $1,000 donation from the NFL Foundation and Williams will receive a commemorative plaque. The recognition is a testament to the time and energy it takes to build a winning team. This Saturday, October 3rd, Beech Grove will host sectionals at Everwise Veterans Stadium. We encourage you to come and check out this exciting team in action. For the first round BGHS will face off against Irvington Prep. If they win, they will face the winner of the Roncalli versus Kipp game. Games will start at 1:00 pm. We’ll see you there!