CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – The Rossview Hawks traveled to Clarksville High School for a rivalry flag football matchup with the Wildcats on Wednesday night. The Wildcats’ 19-0 first-half lead seemed to put the game out of reach. Rossview scored two second-half touchdowns to mount a comeback. However, the Wildcats drove down the field to run out the clock, holding on to a 19-12 win and remaining undefeated.

The Wildcats’ defense couldn’t have had a better start, as Mia Muizneks picked off the first pass from scrimmage. Rossview’s defense forced a turnover on downs before Clarksville’s Ally Howard picked off another pass to set the Wildcats offense up in the red zone. Ayusi Patel finished it off with a touchdown off of the speed option, and the Cats struck first. 

Rossview got a decent drive going before Howard picked off another pass, leading to a Kinley Long catch in the endzone that should be on the next addition of “You Got Mossed.” After a turnover on downs, quarterback Hadley Hagewood found the endzone on a keeper right before the half. It was all purple people in the first half, with a 19-0 lead going into the break.

“We jumped out quick, and had to hang on,” said Wildcats head coach Taylor Stanley. “Ally and Mia are both multi-sport girls who are pure athletes. They set us up in good positions, and our girls were able to capitalize, and those really proved to be a big deal in the second half.”

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Rossview wasn’t going to go quietly. Malyiah Warren got things started with the Hawks’ first touchdown of the season, shaking defenders off left and right and running a route to a 50-yard scamper to the endzone. On the very next Rossview possession, quarterback Harmoney Harper hit Markayla Darington in stride for a 65-yard bomb, and all of a sudden, we had a one-possession contest.

Clarksville got the ball back and was able to run out the final five minutes of the contest with a strategic drive, capitalized by a diving catch from Long. The Wildcats escaped with a close win, and Rossview is now 0-2 on the young season.

“Anytime these two schools play, it will be tight,” said Stanley. “It’s always good to beat the red people. We just have to keep getting better every day. It’s a tournament sport, so we have to keep building until that point, then see what happens.”

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