- April 29, 2024
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The last time Flagler Palm Coast's flag football team faced DeLand, the teams battled through five overtimes before DeLand prevailed 24-18.
On Monday, April 17, the teams met again, this time with the season on the line. On this night, FPC thwarted DeLand's last-chance scoring attempt to defeat the visitors 6-0 in a District 3-2A quarterfinal.
"It feels really good to get our revenge and move on in districts," said Emma Swearingen, the only senior on FPC's roster.
With the win, FPC (6-4) was scheduled to visit No. 1 district seed Spruce Creek (15-1) on April 18.
Spruce Creek defeated Matanzas 43-0 to advance to the semifinal game.
Swearingen scored the only touchdown of the game on a 2-yard pass from Heidi Michaels early in the fourth quarter.
"Heidi threw a short pass to me, and I just stuck it over," Swearingen said.
Faith Dailey picked off a DeLand fourth-and-goal pass late in the game to seal the deal.
FPC won its fourth game in a row since the marathon loss to DeLand on March 31. It was FPC's second straight shutout. The Bulldogs also beat Pine Ridge 6-0 on April 12.
"We're much better on defense," Swearingen said. "We just have really good mindsets. We're going to use our bodies to pull the flag, to knock down the ball."
The key to their stingy defensive play, said Bulldogs head coach Tony Coates, is the players trust each other.
"We always try to stay home, to stay in our zones," Coates said. "Each person has to do their job and trust their teammates to do theirs."
Swearingen, who likes to fly to the ball and knock down long passes, plans to attend Florida Tech to study to be a pilot and play soccer.
She hopes to end her high school athletic career with a district championship.
"I've never won any kind of championship here in soccer or flag football," she said. "I want to bring it home."
