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It was a night of undefeated region rivals, HV Jenkins High School (15-1, 6-0) versus Robert W. Groves High School (14-2, 5-1), and a strong New Hampstead  (4-4, 1-2) flag football program over the last four seasons.

Jenkins quarterback I’Yarna Lee sets to throw during the GHSA Area 2 flag football region game. (Photo by Gilbert B. Miller Photography)

The Jenkins Lady Warriors swept a doubleheader against the New Hampstead Lady Phoenix and the Groves Lady Rebels to repeat as Georgia High School Association (GHSA) Region D2 Area 2 flag football region champions. The Lady Warriors dominated on both sides of the ball, scoring 32 and 27 points against the two opponents, respectively, and not allowing any across their two games. 

Jenkins’ Iycess Scott locks in before the snap during the GHSA Area 2 flag football during game against New Hampstead. (Photo by Gilbert B. Miller Photography)

After a Jenkins A’Niyah Browner touchdown gave the Lady Warriors a 7-0 lead in the first quarter, New Hampstead found themselves in great field position, after a Jenkins punt gave the Phoenix the ball on the Jenkins’ 35-yard line. New Hampstead drove down to the goal line, but Jenkins turned them over on downs and took over deep in their own end. 

New Hampstead’s quarterback Mila Cramer looking to handoff football against Jenkins during game. (Photo by Gilbert B. Miller Photography)

Two plays later, it was 14-0 after junior quarterback I’yarna Lee hit senior Iycess Scott for a 67-yard touchdown. As it looked like the half was coming to a close with Jenkins up 14-0, Scott put an exclamation point on a dominant first half by the Lady Warriors, intercepting a pitch and taking it back 30 yards for a touchdown to give Jenkins a 20-0 halftime lead. As if that weren’t enough, she would do the exact same thing on the opening possession of the second half for her second defensive touchdown of the day. 

“We have a really athletic team, and we teach them to be able to read the offense,” said Jenkins’ Head Coach Brianna Brooker. “Being able to shoot the gaps and be able to see those pitches happen were adjustments we had to make because we were giving up way too many yards on their pitches.” 

Freshman running back Ca’Niyah Williams capped off the dominant mercy-rule performance with a 30-yard touchdown on the last play of the game, and the Lady Warriors won 32-0. 

In Jenkins’ second game of the day, they faced off against the Groves Rebels, who were fresh off their own 20-0 win over New Hampstead in which junior quarterback Tamiya Washington accounted for three total touchdowns. 

Groves quarterback Tamiya Washington takes the snap in the GHSA Area 2 matchup. (Photo by Gilbert B. Miller Photography)

After forcing a turnover on downs by the Rebels on the opening possession of the game, Jenkins quickly found themselves in a difficult 3rd-and-20. I’Yarna Lee kept the ball on a fake end around and torched the defense for 20 yards and a Lady Warriors' first down. 

“Lee did a great job being able to sit back in the pocket and read the defense, and when the receiver isn’t there, she has great speed. She’s a great athlete,” Brooker said. 

Jenkins quarterback I’Yarna Lee scrambling during the GHSA Area 2 flag football region game. (Photo by Gilbert B. Miller Photography)

Two plays later, Lee found Iycess Scott for a 34-yard touchdown. Jenkins forced a 3-and-out on the ensuing Groves possession, and on the first play back on offense, Lee gashed the Phoenix defense for a 43-yard run, bringing Jenkins down to the 5-yard line. Lee ran it in on the next play, and Jenkins took a 14-0 lead into halftime. The Lady Warriors got the ball to start the second half, and despite back-to-back chunk plays through the air to open the drive, the possession stalled. But once again, on the first play of the ensuing Groves drive, Iycess Scott intercepted a pitch and returned it all the way for a touchdown, her fifth of the day. The Jenkins defense ended the game with another pick-6 on the last play, and with a 27-0 mercy-rule win, they took home the region championship. 

Jenkins will look to build on its second straight region championship as it competes for a state title. 

“It’s a big deal for us, and we’re hoping that when it’s all said and done that they can walk away with the state championship. We were so close last year, and the mission this year is to complete the job,” said Brooker. 

Jenkins has three regular-season games remaining, and then they will begin their path toward a state championship. 

Tri-Match Final Scores
(Games played at Groves Stadium)

Game 1 — Jenkins 32, New Hampstead 0
Game 2 — Groves 20, New Hampstead 0
Game 3 — Jenkins 27, Groves 0

GHSA FLAG FOOTBALL D2 AREA 2 STANDINGS 

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Photo Credit: Gilbert Miller Photography.

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