Historic night for Fort Worth school district as girls play football at AT&T Stadium
Dak, Zeke, Romo and Witten.
Just a few of the greats who have played at AT&T Stadium.
The $1.3 billion “JerryWorld”, which opened in 2009, has hosted several of the most memorable sports moments of all-time.
We’re talking Super Bowl XLV, the college football playoffs, Cotton Bowl Classic ... not to mentioned some of the best plays in both Dallas Cowboys history and UIL state football history.
Oh, it even hosted an NBA all-star game and an NFL draft.
So at this point, it’s hard to imagine something you already haven’t seen there.
But high school girls in Fort Worth are changing that.
The Fort Worth school district along with its partnership with the Dallas Cowboys capped off the inaugural high school girls flag football season on May 18.
“With football, it just created another bond,” Carter-Riverside junior Ammerie Cesenas said. “I knew we were coming to the Cowboys stadium. I love the Cowboys. That’s my team. I’ve never been to a game so it was my first time to be at the stadium. I was like a fan girl out here.”
“I think anyone that grew up in DFW, grew up watching the Cowboys,” Arlington Heights senior Abi Patterson added. “I’ve been in those stands before and I’ve looked down on the field. It’s crazy to be standing in the middle of the field, knowing I’ve played on this field.”
It’s one of the first public school systems in the United States to offer such a program.
Three playoff games took place ending with the championship match between Fort Worth Arlington Heights and Fort Worth Eastern Hills.
Heights won 21-12.
“It’s a great feeling. My whole goal was to get the ladies here. I wanted to get them here, get them to compete,” Heights coach Darius White said. “God let us get to the championship and gave us the victory.”
Setting the scene
The fans were only allowed on one side of the stands at AT&T Stadium, but by the time Heights and Eastern Hills took the field, the crowd was at its largest all night with Eastern Hills fans chanting “E-side, E-side,” while Heights had brought a pretty good sized student section.
On the field, the rules are simple.
Equivalent to six-man football where the field is only 80 yards versus 100 yards, a touchdown is worth six points. Teams can go for an extra point five yards away from the goal line or two points 10 yards away.
Teams also have four downs to pick up 15 yards and a first down.
Eastern Hills took a 6-0 lead when Rian Guy registered the first and only interception return for a touchdown on the night. Heights led 7-6 on a touchdown connection between seniors Jessa McDonald and Merrill Kruemcke.
“When everyone heard about it, everyone thought it was going to be like powderpuff, but I was hoping it was going to be a little more than that and it definitely was,” Kruemcke said. “All these girls are great. They come out everyday. Everyone works hard and everyone wants to be here, and that’s all we can ask for.”
Timaya Woody caught a short touchdown pass to give the Highlanders a 12-7 lead at halftime.
The game has two 20-minute halves.
Zakari Kilgore scored on a long touchdown run and McDonald added a second touchdown pass to give the Yellow Jackets the victory.
“I was nervous, but I never let my nerves get to me,” said McDonald, who will play softball at Midwestern State. “One thing about our team is we work together and we all click. Me as quarterback, I trust all four of my receivers. I trust everybody and it doesn’t matter who I throw to, I believe they’re going to catch it.
“It’s just so unreal. I’m just so glad, my senior year, I got to be a part of this.”
Paschal, Trimble Tech victorious
During the first two games, Paschal took down Carter-Riverside, 33-13, in a battle of the third seeds in both divisions. Tech beat Dunbar, 34-22, in the second-seeded game.
FWISD had 16 teams split into two divisions.
With 15 schools, Paschal had two teams to even out the standings.
Heights, Eastern Hills and Tech all finished the season 7-1.
“It’s been a wonderful season. These girls worked really hard,” Tech coach Hao Tran said.
Ly’Taisha Jefferson and Sha’coria Hill accounted for early touchdowns as Tech led Dunbar 14-0 in the first half.
A short Jordan McIntosh pass to Kathryn Jones pulled Dunbar within 14-8.
Both teams continued to trade scores, which included a touchdown run by Jefferson and a McIntosh pass to Tiyanna McKinney, but the Bulldogs held on for the win.
“It’s a great season and we built a program we hope lasts in the future,” Tran said. “You have to believe in yourself. No matter who you are, female, male, you have to build a strong stamina to create a sport that no one has done before.”
Freshman Annie Parsons made a nice cut back on the first touchdown scored at AT&T Stadium. Then she made the best catch of the night off a Sky Crackett pass to give Paschal a 15-0 lead over Carter-Riverside.
Parsons added a long touchdown run to give Paschal a 21-7 lead at halftime.
Mysslalia Clakely and Ella Herdman scored in the second half for the Panthers.
“It’s just something different and a new experience,” Parsons said about trying out this season. “I’ve played all the time with my brothers in the front yard, but never on a real team.”
Carter-Riverside got touchdowns from Jercarra Hughes and Seija Thomas, and an interception from Baleigh Ross.
“Not only being the first season and trying something completely new, but doing it with athletes, who might be athletes but they never played the sport before,” Carter-Riverside coach Philip Murray said. “To grow over a whole year and end the season here where the Cowboys play with a group five months ago never picked up a football, is pretty amazing.”
“I told them to come out and perform, and understand that you’re going to be the first flag football team ever to play in this stadium,” Paschal coach John Killough added. “I told them, in 30 years when they make a movie about you, it’s going to be cool.”