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Sunday, May 5, 2024 | 11:01am
Gateway junior Kaitlyn Karpska will participate in a scrimmage on April 7, 2024 at Gateway's Antimarino Stadium.
After the third week of the high school girls flag football season ended on April 28, Gateway was 6-0 and in first place in the East Division.
The Gators scored 108 points in those six games, averaging 18 points per game and giving up just 14 points.
“We knew we had the potential to be a good team this year,” Gateway coach Hayley Adams said.
“As the weeks have gone on, the girls have really put everything together. They're focused on continuing to win and getting ready for the playoffs.”
Gateway shut out Janet and Penn Hills in Week 3, staying atop the division ahead of Woodland Hills (5-1) and Penn Hills (4-2).
Adams said the second-year team has been productive offensively as well as defensively, with three interceptions returned for touchdowns.
The Gators started the season with an 18-6 win over Penn Hills on April 14 and a 20-8 win over Propel Braddock Hills.
Gateway then shut out Plum (20-0) and Woodland Hills (6-0) on April 21, before defeating Janet 36-0 and Penn Hills 8-0 in the Janet games.
In the April 28 win over the Jayhawks, senior co-captain and starting quarterback Mya Jones threw six touchdown passes.
“It was really cool to see,” Adams said. “It was a really good game for the girls. The offense played really well.”
Coach Adams praised his team's defensive efforts in the win over a tough Penn Hills team. Gateway scored the winning touchdown with about two minutes left in the game.
“Penn Hills is a very good team,” Adams said.
“They were one of the only teams to score against us. They made us a tough play. We started off with a Janet win, so we were on our way heading into the Penn Hills game. I really liked the way the girls responded, knowing it wasn't going to be an easy game. There was never a doubt in my mind that we were going to win. We scored in the second half, but it was late. It was better than nothing. Then we got some really big stops on defense.”
Gateway was scheduled to return to Janet on Sunday for a rematch with Propel and a divisional game against Greensburg-Salem.
The Gators will open the season May 12 against the Wolverines at 1 p.m. in Woodland Hills before finishing the regular season with a rematch against Janet at 2 p.m.
“The girls are looking forward to playing Woodland Hills again. It should be a pretty tough game,” Adams said.
“That will go a long way in determining the final seeding from this division.”
Jones has 15 passing touchdowns through six games, while senior Danaeha James has six receiving TDs and two pick-sixes. Sophomore Izzy Brown scored five points and senior Nasha Luster had four sacks in Penn Hills' shutout.
Adams said before Sunday's game at Janet that Gateway is in a pretty good position to win one of the three league playoff berths from the East.
Fifteen teams, three from each division, will meet for a one-day playoff tournament on May 19th at Carnegie Mellon.
Gateway is one of only four of the league's 33 teams to remain undefeated after Week 3, with Moon (6-0), Upper St. Clair (4-0) and Scherer (5-0) remaining. It was one of them.
President Moon averaged 32.3 points in six games, leading the league. Like the Gators, the Tigers were stingy with their defense, giving up a total of 16 points.
Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and Pittsburgh's eastern suburbs. The Clearfield native and Westminster (Pa.) graduate joined the Tribe in 2002 after spending his five years at Clearfield His Progress. Please contact us at mlove@triblive.com.
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