Douglas flag football routs Everglades

Kelsey Wys is used to making saves.

She is, after all, a goalie on the U.S. under-17 women's national soccer team.

Sure, on Friday she was just a flag-football-playing high schooler, a Douglas junior hoping to take down Everglades in the state quarterfinals at West Boca Raton High School.

But that didn't keep her from making another save.

With typically reliable Douglas quarterback Taylor Thomas coming off three straight incompletions -- ''she needed to get refocused,'' Wys said -- the keeper-turned-receiver tossed a 6-yard, trick-play touchdown to Amber Wormsley near the end of the first half. The pass gave the Eagles their first points of the day -- and, ultimately, the only ones they needed in a 20-0 win over the Gators (10-4).

''I just got up to the line and threw what I saw,'' Wys said. ``So good thing it worked out.''

A lot has worked out for the Eagles this year. Strong all season, Douglas (16-1) got even stronger when Wys joined the team full-time for the district playoffs.

Before then, she had been splitting time between flag football and soccer, attending a weeklong camp every two weeks -- which ''keeps me busy,'' Wys said, ``[but] keeps me pretty tired also.''

Still, she didn't look too drained Friday, showing her leadership on both sides of the ball -- Wys also caught an extra point and snagged one of Douglas' two interceptions.

''She's just a natural leader,'' coach Mitch Kaufman said. ``She just brings a presence to our team that picks them up. It's a gift she has that you can't teach. Her presence makes these kids better.''

It also helped provide that second-quarter play, which was crucial against a Gators defense that hadn't allowed a point in its previous two games -- both 18-0 wins.

But Douglas didn't stop there.

Taylor, who threw 41 touchdown passes before state, shook off her brief rough spot, completing an eight-yard touchdown to Allison Martin and a 19-yarder to Wormsley that put the game away.

In the end, Taylor spread the ball to six receivers (Christine Limpabandh led Douglas with five catches, and Christina Frost added four), going 15 for 29 for 119 yards and two touchdowns. She also threw just one interception against a team that feeds off picks -- with Everglades coach Steve Bounoutas saying ``it seemed like we were a step slow today.''

For Douglas coach Mitch Kaufman, that production is just what he expects from Thomas.

''She played with a lot of confidence, and that's what the game's about,'' Kaufman said. ``If you play with confidence, positive things happen. That's what I kept telling all of them. Just stay focused, stay positive, keep the confidence level high.''

Thomas said confidence won't be in short supply after Friday's win. Next up, though: defending state champion Tallahassee Leon (15-0), a team Kaufman called -- even without being asked -- ``pretty darn tough.''

''But that's why you play the game,'' Kaufman said. ``We'll be here [Saturday].''

So will Wys, possibly for another save.