Jon Chang is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Thunderbird High School for AZPreps365.com.
 

PHOENIX — The Thunderbird girls flag football team neutralized the explosive Dysart defense on Tuesday night, unleashing a power of its own.

The Titans stormed past the Demons 34-0 in a decisive victory where their offense was unstoppable.

Sophomore quarterback Kenzi Flores led the charge, passing for 180 yards and five touchdowns on 15 attempts. Sophomore receiver Madisyn Fosu led the team with four receptions for 127 yards and two touchdowns.

“Flores has been working on quarterback for a year, so she’s gotten a lot stronger, and she’s able to throw it further,” Titans coach Katie Gill said.

That work was on full display as Flores connected with her favorite target, Fosu, on their very first drive, rocketing a 33-yard pass to set up the Titans on the Demon’s 6-yard line. 

On the very next play, Flores passed to Fosu, who pitched to senior receiver Lanaya Robinson for a hook-and-ladder touchdown.

Flores found Fosu deep down the field on nearly every one of her receptions, with Fosu averaging 31.75 yards per catch.

“Fosu can jump in the air and catch just about any ball you throw at her,” Gill said. “Her height helps us get those deep balls.”

The Demon pressure was almost nonexistent this game, with only a handful of pressures and tackles for loss in the second half.

“We run at them, and we change our direction as well as we can,” Gill said.  “That’s how we get open.”

Robinson had a strong performance of her own, after coming into the game as the Titans’ leading rusher of the season.

She racked up three rushes for 31 yards along with two receptions for 21 yards and two touchdowns. Robinson ended her night defensively with a flag pull and an interception of her own.

“I can literally put her (Robinson) anywhere, and she would be fine,” Gill said. “It’s hard to pull her off the field when we’re winning like that.”

Adding to the offensive effort, Flores connected with unguarded sophomore receiver Jahdya’Kween Little for a 23-yard touchdown with 5:11 left in the third quarter.

Defensively, the Titans had a total of 19 flags pulled, forced three interceptions against the Demon offense to force the shutout.

Despite the stout Titan defense, which only allowed 13 yards on six completions in 16 attempts, senior quarterback Rayne Williams rushed for 50 yards on 11 carries.

“She (Williams) cares a lot about the game; she wants to win. She’s a competitor, “ Dysart head coach Kim Rosevear said. “She’s awesome all the way around.”

Williams consistently found space to move throughout the game.

“I try to give my receivers the most time I can when I’m in the pocket, especially if they’re not rushing,” Williams said. “I do a one, two, three count and then I run.”

Thunderbird’s (2-2) next challenge will be on the road as it faces Flagstaff in freedom play. With the home-field advantage next week, Dysart (2-2) aims to bounce back against St. John Paul II Catholic.