Jillian Preston gets off a pass under pressure. Photo by Stephanie Burgoon/Alaska Sports Report
Jillian Preston passed for 150 yards and three touchdowns, and the South defense picked off five West passes Friday to run away with a 31-0 Cook Inlet Conference flag football victory at West High School.
After a scoreless opening drive, the Wolverines’ potent passing attack began to click. Preston completed passes of 30 and 21 yards to move her team into the red zone, then dropped a perfect over-the-shoulder dime into the hands of Niveah Heartwell for the touchdown.
The West defense stood tall and backup quarterback Grace Hoves played a solid first half to keep the hosts within 6-0 at halftime. The Eagles’ luck ran out quickly, however, starting with an interception by Heartwell on the second play of the second half. The South star ran under a floater at the 25-yard line and returned it to the West 2, setting up a short plunge by Darby Damico.
Three plays later, Damico came seemingly from nowhere to intercept Hoves’ short pass over the middle, sidestep two would-be tacklers and race 50 yards for another score. Lexi Luff snagged a pick on the very next play to lay the groundwork for another precision touchdown strike from Preston to Heartwell, this time from 5 yards out.
Niveah Heartwell climbs the ladder to make the catch in coverage. Photo by Stephanie Burgoon/Alaska Sports Report
After grabbing an interception in the opening half, Skylar Lind made it bookend picks with 3:15 left in the third quarter, and Preston connected with Victoria Tostemar on a 13-yard strike to cap the scoring in the fourth.
Heartwell finished with four catches for 54 yards, including a pair on which she simply outjumped multiple West defenders, while Damico had a pair of catches for 37 yards.
Despite her three interceptions, Hoves showed a promising future, completing 11 of 18 passes for 127 yards against one of the CIC’s top defenses. Leiloa Fesolai made a game-high six catches for 63 yards for the Eagles, and Nene Wyche rushed five times for 49 yards.
South 0 6 19 6 – 31
West 0 0 0 0 – 0
FIRST QUARTER
No Scoring
SECOND QUARTER
South – Heartwell 18 pass from Preston (pass failed)
THIRD QUARTER
South – Damico 2 rush (pass failed)
South – Damico 50 interception return (Preston pass to Heartwell)
South – Heartwell 5 pass from Preston (pass failed)
FOURTH QUARTER
South – Tostemar 13 pass from Preston (pass failed)
West coach Antonio Wyche encourages his team. Photo by Stephanie Burgoon/Alaska Sports Report
