Knights ride off to win NE title

By John Harden/sports editor

Knights member Dolyn Mayo grabs the flag of Devils player Blerim Krivca, preventing the Devils from scoring. The Knights defense proved too much for the Devils with the Knights winning 34-20.  Photo by Jennifer Covington/The Collegian
Knights member Dolyn Mayo grabs the flag of Devils player Blerim Krivca, preventing the Devils from scoring. The Knights defense proved too much for the Devils with the Knights winning 34-20. Photo by Jennifer Covington/The Collegian

For the Knights to advance to the TCC District Cup Championship in flag football, they first had to slay the Devils in the NE tournament.

Most players anticipated a Knights and Devils NE championship meeting before the tournament even began.

The anticipated meeting between the two teams led many to believe that this would be the most exciting game of the tournament.

In the first play of the game, the Knights threw a Hail Mary delivering a quick score to gain the early advantage, which they held for the entire game.

In the Devils’ first drive, they answered the Knights with six points of their own. The first half ended with the Knights leading 20-12.

In the second half, the Knights began to shut out the Devils by increasing their intensity on both offense and defense.

Interceptions plagued Devils quarterback Bryan Painter in the second half, throwing a total of four.
An interception by the Knights’ Imran Samsir late in the game helped to seal the win over the Devils 34-20.

In the second half, the Knights scored three touchdowns and limited the Devils to only one.

Knights player Bradley Williams helped to carry his team on offense by receiving three touchdown passes.

“ We’re a good team,” Williams said. “I had a couple of lucky touchdowns, but basically, I was just running where the Devils had holes.”

The Devils were the most challenging team the Knights played this semester. In fact, they were the only team to score against the Knights.

“ I think the Devils were a great challenge, I’m not surprised they made it this far,” said Knights player Dolyn Mayo. “Anyone could have won the game, but we had skill and a little bit of luck on our side.”

Everyone on the Knights team contributed to the good communication between each other, which helped lead to the win.

“ I think we had a high morale going into the game, and it helped that we had a lot of chemistry,” said Mayo.