Playoffs: Jensen Beach flag football blanks Lincoln Park Academy to reach region final
FORT PIERCE — Jensen Beach flag football made a good case for rewriting the rules of revenge on Tuesday, serving it up hot against Lincoln Park Academy.
Less than two weeks removed from their nail-biter loss in the district championship game, the Falcons' 26-point shutout over the Greyhounds earned them a taste of something better: a Class 1A FHSAA regional finals berth.
“I try to tell the girls to keep a 24-hour rule. Just think about it for 24 hours and move on,” said Jensen Beach coach Aaron Gilbert. “As a coach, though, the losses always stick more in my head than the wins do. It was more about what I didn’t do right than what they didn’t do right. I had to up my game and make sure the next time we face them, that I would be giving them the best chance to be successful.”
The No. 3 seed Falcons feasted on both sides of the ball with an offense that lit up the scoreboard each quarter and a defense that forced three turnovers.
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“[It] feels great,” Gilbert said. “We had to handle business to get this opportunity, but I’m so glad that we got this chance, and I knew that if my girls got this next opportunity against them again — and that we did our job — the result would be different. And it was.”
While revenge was sweeter to serve on the playoff stage, the stakes made it all the more bitter to receive for the No. 2 seed Greyhounds.
“They whooped us. It’s hard for me to say anything,” said Lincoln Park Academy coach David Perry. “They beat us. I’m not much on words after something like that.”
Jensen Beach junior quarterback Paige Bressman delivered four touchdown passes in the game, three of which found home with senior wide receiver Dalia Yazji. Yazji also picked up the night’s first interception midway through the second quarter.
Bressman quickly converted the turnover by leading a 41-yard touchdown drive to expand the Falcons’ lead to two scores. Bressman completed 28 of her 34 pass attempts for 237 yards with one garbage-time interception.
“[Bressman] is a success. I challenge her every day in practice, every day when I see her in school,” Gilbert said. “She meets those challenges on a daily basis. She’s improved all of her numbers from last season and cut down all of her mistakes. I’m really proud of her and the great thing is: I got her back next year.”
The Falcons’ young core, which will return all but one starter, powered the team's success this season. Meanwhile, the Greyhounds saw their last glimpse of much of their starting squad, which led them to a 14-4 season. They will lose seven seniors, including five receivers and quarterback Leah Murphy.
“It’s not just this year, it’s the last three, four, or five years for some of them,” Perry said. “Great memories — not just games, but being together. And I have a great group of young kids coming back so I’m looking forward to that.”
Jensen Beach sophomore Ashlyn Otton hauled in nine passes for 70 yards, including an 8-yard touchdown strike to wind down the fourth quarter. Junior Joy Bocanegra tallied a game-high 73 yards receiving, highlighted by a 23-yard bomb.
The Falcons, who have yet to give up a point through two playoff games, advanced their record to 14-6 with the win. They will travel to face No. 1 seed Somerset Academy - Canyons (Boynton Beach), on Tuesday, April 30 at 7 p.m.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Jensen Beach flag football shuts out LPA to reach region championship
