Lafayette, Central High School girls flag football teams conclude season in a tie with one another

(ST. JOSEPH, MO) - The Lafayette and Central High School girls flag football teams concluded their inaugural seasons with a 19-19 tie against each other.

Lafayette got on the board first. After an interception from sophomore Karmi Stasa, freshman Amira Van Gundy then showed off her speed on. long touchdown run to give the Irish a 7-0 lead.

Central then answered with a long touchdown run from freshman Paige Colgan, the extra point was no good and Lafayette still led 7-6.

Central was then in the redzone looking to score before halftime, but freshman quarterback Cami Dailey was intercepted by Natalie McMillan and she brought it back all the way for a pick-six for the Irish. Lafayette led 13-6 at the half.

The Fighting Irish then got another long interception return for a touchdown from Van Gundy in the third quarter to increase the lead to 19-6.

The Lady Indians then scored long touchdown runs on back-to-back possessions from senior Hayden Root and freshman Cami Dailey to tie the game at 19-19. Central had one last possession to try and win it but Van Gundy had her second interception for Lafayette to clinch the tie.

Both teams felt in a good mood after their seasons came to an end.

"Everybody pretty much didn't really know what to do here (when we started the season) and so I think coming out today and being able to hold them as much as we did and being crosstown rivals, I think we did really good of being able to anticipate everything and just running our places correctly. I think we did pretty good on that," said Van Gundy.

"They had a little chip on their shoulder, being 0 and 2 and playing the other crosstown rival, another chip on their shoulder is that Lafayette's closing. So this is the last time they get to wear these jerseys and play this game," said Lafayette head coach Brandon Perkins. Getting them out here, getting them riled up and getting ready to go is awesome."

"There could have been someone in the stands, an elementary kid, and I might get to coach in a couple of years here. They're gonna be like, hey, I remember the first game here at Central. So that's pretty cool," said Central coach Sheldon Farrell. "You don't realize it until probably later in life, but it's bigger than just one sport and growing it with the different fan base is pretty cool."

Central finishes the season with a 2-6-1 record, Lafayette finishes 0-10-1.

In Missouri, girls flag football is listed as an "emerging" sport for the Missouri State High School Activities Association. An emerging sport means that it is growing in popularity but is not yet fully sanctioned for state championships.

There are 18 states in the country that have sanctioned high school girls flag football including Kansas. It is yet to be seen if Missouri will join them next season.