CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – The Montgomery Central Indians flag football team traveled to the “Coyote Den” at West Creek High School for a rivalry matchup on Monday. The game needed triple overtime to decide. Coyote quarterback Lewiana Merriweather sealed the win with a one-point conversion, 21-20, keeping the Coyotes undefeated with a 9-0 record.

It took until the second quarter for a score, when MJ Anthony got the Coyotes on the board with a touchdown. While both defenses held firm for the rest of the first half, Merriweather scrambled for a touchdown to extend their lead to two scores right before the fourth quarter.

Female football player in maroon jersey dives to reach the ball on a grassy field as blue-team players chase nearby.
Girls flag football: maroon jersey runner with ball evades a blue defender as another blue player approaches on a grassy field.
Female soccer player in blue jersey sprinting with the ball on a green field, rival in maroon nearby.
Female football player wearing blue number 27 leaps high to catch a pass on a grassy field as spectators watch from the bleachers.
Female flag football players in action: a maroon-jersey runner holds the ball while two blue-jersey defenders reach in on a grassy field above a track and trees edge the background.
Football players in maroon jerseys leap to catch a pass as a blue defender chases them on a grassy field at sunset.
Girls' flag football players leap for a ball mid-air on a sunny field; two blue-uniformed players reach up as a maroon-clad defender tries to block the pass.
Girls' flag football game: a maroon-jersey player runs with the ball as a blue-jersey defender closes in.
Two female ultimate frisbee players on a sunny grassy field; a blue jersey player reaches for a thrown disc while a maroon jersey player pursues, with bleachers and trees in the background.
Two female flag football players on a sunny field; blue jersey jumps to catch the ball while a red defender reaches out.
Female flag football player in maroon jersey #5 sprints with the ball on a grassy field as teammates pursue behind.
Girls flag football game in progress on a sunny field as a ball is tossed midair toward players in maroon uniforms with pink flags flying from belts.
Girls in blue and maroon jerseys jump to catch a football during an outdoor game on a track field with bleachers in the background.
Female players in a high jump/goal-area moment as two players reach for a ball above the others on a sunny field.
Two players wearing maroon and blue uniforms run across a grassy field during a game, with a spectator seated in the foreground.
Blue-jersey flag football player (number 13) reaches to catch a pass as a defender in maroon lunges toward her on a sunny field, with a striped-referee in the background.
Female flag football players in blue and maroon jerseys reach for a spiraling ball during a game, with spectators watching from the bleachers on a sunny day.
Girls' flag football game on a sunny field; maroon team player reaches for the football as blue-team players swarm.
Female football player in a blue Central jersey (number 28) reaches upward to catch a football during an outdoor game; teammate in blue (number 6) is in the background on a sunny field.
A group of girls in maroon jerseys tackle for the football during a flag football game on a green field, pink flag belts fluttering nearby.
A group of female athletes in maroon uniforms celebrate on a grassy field, hugging and cheering as a person in the foreground records with a pink phone.

The Coyote defense shut down Central’s normally potent offense, until they stormed back in the fourth. Tristan Huff finally got the Indians on the board with a touchdown at the beginning of the fourth quarter, and Maggie Ward beat the buzzer for a touchdown with less than a minute left to tie the ball game at 14. Of course, a matchup between the two historically best flag programs in Clarksville couldn’t end in regulation.

“This is what this rivalry is all about, two great teams going at it,” said Coyotes head coach Aaron King. “That’s about how high stakes it can get. The big thing for us has always been to stay mentally tough. We’ve been tested a lot this year, so we knew what it was going to take to win this game, and we had to go out and execute.”

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In the first two overtimes, both defenses held strong, but Huff scored her second touchdown of the night to put the pressure on the Coyotes. The Indians failed the one-point conversion, and it proved to be fateful, as Irelynn Lauryn found the endzone for West Creek, and Merriweather took it herself for the one-point conversion, keeping the Coyotes undefeated season alive, and avenging West Creek’s loss to the Indians in last year’s championship game.

The way this season is going, this may not be the last time we see these two teams square off.

“It was a hard-fought game,” said Indians head coach Spencer Harp. “We found a way to get back into that game when we really shouldn’t have been, with how much we were turning the ball over. The girls out here are leaders, and they stayed with the fight all the way to the final play. We just have to continue to work harder to change that end result.”

“Our game plan worked about as well it could to the fourth quarter, but we found a way to win,” said King. “We will celebrate this one, triple overtime is definitely a first for me, but it’s on to Northwest.”

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