Stuff of Legend

November 3, 2021  
By Al Muskewitz  
East Alabama Sports Today  

Lady Jackets break up playoff trip with surprise visit to Bryant-Denny, ride it to quarterfinals win

AHSAA ELITE EIGHT
Hewitt-Trussville 42, Tuscaloosa County 14
Oxford 31, Greensboro 20
Auburn at John Carroll
Wenonah at Smiths Station

GREENSBORO — Gabby Lindsey knew Tuesday’s 3½-hour bus ride in the state quarterfinals would take the Oxford flag football team through Tuscaloosa. Where it stopped along the way was a complete and pleasant surprise.

About 2½ hours into the trip Lady Jackets coach and bus driver Wes Brooks made a detour into the parking lot of Bryant-Denny Stadium to let the girls stretch their legs a bit.

They still had another hour or so to go as they headed to Greensboro hoping to score another win and reach the semifinals of the inaugural state flag football season, but Brooks was confident they could make the side trip with plenty of time to spare. They were scheduled to play at 1:30 p.m. 

They came, they saw and they rode the excitement of what they saw all the way to a 31-20 win over previously undefeated Greensboro to become the first Final Four flag football team in state history.

“That’s where legends are made; maybe it might be our good luck charm,” quarterback Reygan White said.

The Lady Jackets (8-4) will play Hewitt Trussville in the state semifinals at a date and place to be determined. Hewitt beat Tuscaloosa County Tuesday night 42-14. 

“It was just surreal to walk out there and see everything and know that all those people who walked through that tunnel are champions, too,” running back and linebacker Sawyer Brooks said. “So, walking through those same footsteps helps us believe we’re champions as well.”

Their route was taking them through Tuscaloosa so no one was surprised when Brooks pulled off the interstate on the backside of town (although the real turn to the game was two exits back). And most of the girls were either sleeping or still silently paying attention to their cell phones when the bus turned right onto Paul Bryant Drive.

As the bus got closer to their stop and there still wasn’t much movement in the bus, you could see a satisfied smile wash over Brooks’ face in the rearview mirror.

It finally dawned on the players something was up when the bus pulled onto University Drive by the stadium. The excitement was real when they made their way to the tunnel.

They didn’t get on the famous field, but where they got was good enough.

“I was really surprised,” said Lindsey, who was in the stadium a couple weeks ago for the Tennessee game but not with the vantage point she had today. “I was excited and I was happy.

“I think this adds excitement and drive to keep playing so we can do more things like this.”

Brooks was happy to surprise his team and that the surprise held as long as it did.

“That makes the 2½-hour drive and 40-minute game worth it,” the coach said. “The only thing that would’ve been better is if (Alabama coach Nick) Saban opened the door and said, ‘Go get ‘em girls.’”

The Lady Jackets did all right on their own. They went after the Lady Raiders (12-1) with an approach that was simple and to their strengths and, as Brooks said, “sometimes things just click.” because of the bond these players have forged on this journey.

They scored on five of their seven possessions in the game and opened leads of 18-0 at halftime and 25-0 early in the second half. 

White and Ashlyn Burns rushed for 134 yards and 106 yards, respectively, and had two touchdowns each. Brooks had the other touchdown. 

“I think we came in as a team with really positive attitudes,” White said. “We came in with what we practiced on and put it to the game and it worked. Coach Brooks knows what he’s doing, that’s for sure.”

“I thought we played our heart out,” Burns said. “We didn’t leave anything on the field.”

Sawyer Brooks had seven pulls (flag’s equivalent of a tackle) and White had six.

“It’s pretty crazy to be the first Final Four flag football team and it’s like insane to think about how back in August we didn’t even know if we were going to have a team,” Sawyer Brooks said. “We’ve just gotten so much better as a team.”

Oxford 31, Greensboro 20

O – Ashlyn Burns 18 run (run failed), 10:44 1H
O – Sawyer Brooks 14 run (run failed), 4:11 1H
O – Reygan White 32 run (run failed), 0:25 1H
O – Ashlyn Burns 42 run (Reygan White 1-point pass from Gabby Lindsey), 9:28 2H
G – Janya Latham 28 pass from Tamia Lewis (run failed), 9:38 2H
G – Adriana Jones 33 run (Laila Hill 2-point pass from Tamia Lewis), 3:38 2H
O – Reygan White 44 run (run failed), 0:58 2H
G – Tamia Lewis 4 run (no PAT), 0:00 2H