Amherst flag football team loses battle of unbeatens to Sandusky

SANDUSKY — There's a first time for everything, even in sports. Amherst lost a battle of unbeatens while Avon Lake and Elyria became the first two teams in the Northern Ohio Girls Flag Football League's Orange Division to play an overtime game Sunday at Sandusky. The Shoregals won 12-6 on a bomb touchdown pass from Molly Milligan to Brienna Droke. "It feels great to get this good win," said Milligan, who had a monster day in the Shoregals' two wins with five combined touchdowns, a 2-point conversion and two interceptions, one of which she took back for the game-tying touchdown against Elyria. "I was just going to throw it to anyone I saw and it worked. We're building chemistry a lot and we're getting closer every day." Midview improved to 5-0 with two more dominant wins — defeating Elyria 21-7 and Oberlin 41-6, which represents the first points allowed this season by the Middies. They're still outscoring their opponents 155-13, but the schedule is about to get tougher as their final five games are against every team in the division with a winning record. Strongsville (3-0) also stayed undefeated with a 25-15 win against Cloverleaf, leaving Amherst and Sandusky to settle who would join them as the final unbeaten team. The Blue Streaks (4-0) had put up points in bunches through their first three games, outscoring opponents 94-2. However, against Amherst points were at a premium as Sandusky was shut out in the first half. Senior Addyson Wright was a big reason why the Blue Streaks struggled on offense, she recorded two sacks at the end of the first half to stall a promising drive and routinely pulled flags behind the line of scrimmage. "We were just all working together as a team and just stayed strong," Wright said. "Even when we were down, we were still keeping up the good work and got those flags pulled." The Comets led 7-0 at halftime when quarterback Olivia Ford connected with Sarai Hussein-Bey for a long touchdown pass, then again for a 1-point conversion. But Sandusky's offense woke up in the second half as quarterback Brooklyn Long leaned on Maekhiya Rameau for a number of big completions, including a touchdown. The Blue Streaks scored the go-ahead touchdown with about a minute left and the Comets (3-1) couldn't mount a counter. "We've still got to keep going," Wright said. "We have a lot of games left so we just have to take the loss, learn from it and keep going." Black River (0-4), Elyria Catholic (0-4) and Oberlin (0-5) are still looking for their first wins. The Phoenix hung with Avon Lake for the first half of their opening game, leading 12-6 before trailing 18-13 at halftime, but the Shoregals pulled away with 16 unanswered points. The Panthers opened the second half with a touchdown to tie Medina 12-12 before the Bees pulled away with 18 unanswered. Earlier in the day, Medina defeated Black River 32-14 in a closer game than the final score would indicate as the Bees only led 14-6 at halftime. The Pirates tied Medina on the first two possessions of the second half with a safety and a touchdown, but the Bees scored the next 18 points. Black River's Morgan Kubitz had both touchdowns — throwing for the first and receiving the second. "We have to keep up the intensity throughout the second half and make sure we're still seeing the field," Kubitz said. "We just have to keep our intensity up throughout the full game." Contact Chris Sweeney at (440) 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com. Follow him @CSweeney1686 on X. STANDINGS Orange Division W L Midview 5 0 Sandusky 4 0 Strongsville 3 0 Avon Lake 4 1 Amherst 3 1 Medina 3 2 Elyria 2 3 Black River 0 4 Elyria Catholic 0 4 Cloverleaf 0 4 Oberlin 0 5 RESULTS Sunday at Sandusky Medina 32, Black River 14 Strongsville 25, Cloverleaf 15 Avon Lake 40, Oberlin 27 Midview 21, Elyria 7 Sandusky 15, Amherst 7 Avon Lake 12, Elyria 6 (OT) Medina 30, Elyria Catholic 12 Midview 41, Oberlin 6 SCHEDULE April 12 at Sandusky Avon Lake vs. Strongsville, 11 a.m. Cloverleaf vs. Oberlin, 11 a.m. Black River vs. Elyria Catholic, 11 a.m. Sandusky vs. Elyria, 11 a.m. Midview vs. Amherst, noon Elyria Catholic vs. Avon Lake, noon Medina vs. Cloverleaf, noon Strongsville vs. Black River, noon