Bulldogs eager to defend flag football title
still up for grabs until the final day of the regular season.
“We definitely wanted that one seed,” said Roberts, whose team lost to Cimarron in the regular-season finale on Thursday to fall into third place. “We were close and had it in our fingertips. … I didn’t realize our division was going to be this tough, to tell you the truth. We usually have a game or two, where we can get players some experience. But not this year.”
Led by senior captains Halli Erickson (2,631 yards passing, 28 touchdowns), LeNae Thomas (1,825 yards rushing, 23 TDs), Chantay Dixon (139 tackles, nine sacks) and Kayla Kipp-Nobles (120 tackles, eight sacks), the Bulldogs lost only three league games by a combined 13 points.
That is why, despite its seed, Centennial still is considered one of the favorites in the Sunset Region — even without star player Aliyah Wyrick, who went down with a hamstring injury on Jan. 3 and probably will miss the postseason, according to Roberts.
Fortunately for the Bulldogs, they’ve had enough time to find other weapons.
“(Wyrick’s injury) definitely slowed down the offense a little bit,” Roberts said. “She’s an amazing player. But the girls kept working. We were plugging them in to see who’d get the yards offensively, and the girls really stepped up.”
One of those players was impact sophomore Denae Benites, who has pulled down 16 TD receptions and a Southern Nevada-leading 17 interceptions.
Since his players already have overcome adversity this season, Roberts believes winning out of the third seed isn’t out of the question.
“It definitely comes down to focus,” Roberts said. “We need to focus in every aspect of the game. The girls are not going to be nervous. There’s no one we’re scared of. We’ve played so many tough teams.” Contact reporter Ashton Ferguson at aferguson@ reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0430. Follow @ af_ferguson on Twitter.