- April 25, 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 advanced to the district semifinals against No. 1 seed Spruce Creek.
The Hawks defeated the Bulldogs 28-6 on April 18 to improve to 16-1. The loss ended FPC’s season.
Spruce Creek defeated Matanzas 43-0 to advance to the semifinal game.
Swearingen scored the only touchdown in the win against DeLand 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.
The win was FPC's fourth in a row since the marathon loss to DeLand on March 31. It was the Bulldogs' second straight shutout. Theyalso 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, her primary sport.
She had hoped to end her high school athletic career with a district championship. Instead, she will be rooting for her former teammates next year.
