Nordonia claim historic first state flag football title

The Nordonia Knights girls' flag football team poses for their first state title in school history. (Photo: Gene Simmons/Ohsfbmedia.com)

Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium is the mecca of Ohio high school football championships. Girls' flag football is a must-see sport.

CANTON, Ohio – The first-ever Girls Flag Football state championship lived up to its expectations: it was thrilling, demanding, competitive, and unprecedented.

The tournament started with eight teams and four quarter-final games that lived up to the hype as the two top-seeded teams were knocked out early. 

Nordonia wins their first ever girls state title for the school, defeating Cincinnati Mount Notre Dame 20-19. “We knew when we beat the defending state champs in the first round, we knew we could do anything,” said Paul. 

The defending state champion, Cincinnati Badin, was defeated by the eventual state champion, Nordonia Knights, with a score of 6-0 in a match where the weather had a considerable impact during the first round.

“It’s surreal,” said Holtz.

Haydn Paul (with ball) attempts to avoid a flag pull by Mount Notre Dame's Grace Bodkins. (Photo: Gene Simmons/Ohsfbmedia.com)

On Mount Notre Dame's first possession of the game, Evie Schoolfield tossed a high ball into the hands of Haydn Paul, an interception that got things going for the Knights. 

She would turn around, be the starting quarterback, and throw a first-ever girls flag football state championship touchdown to Nyla Burns, going up 7-0 with the 1-point point after. 

Things would not stop there, as the momentum would continue to roll, as Charlotte Naymik would run hard for the second score of the game with 10:31 remaining in the first half to go up 14-0. 

Hayden Elmlinger came up big for Mount Notre Dame, receiving a pass from quarterback Evie Schoolfield to close the gap to 7-14. 

Nordonia leads 14-7 at halftime. 

Kaylee Watson of MND would be the piece coming into the second half. She picks off Paul, leading to her scoring around the 17-minute mark of the game. 

That touchdown would bring them within one, 13-14. 

Hayden Elmlinger (8) of Mount Notre Dame intercepts  Haydn Paul during the game. (Photo: Gene Simmons/Ohsfbmedia.com)

Watson would come up big again, on a score with a little over four minutes to go in the game that would give them the lead 19-14. 

All was going Mount Notre Dame’s way until Ava McLendon would score and take the lead for Nordonia with just over 90 seconds to go in the game. They would get another possession at a chance to make history. 

That moment would not happen for them, but it did for Nordonia when two-way player Haydn Paul would intercept Schoolfield late in the game, which would cap off the first-ever sanctioned flag football championship. “I’m just happy that the girls worked hard all season, improved every week like we asked them, and brought home a trophy,” elaborated Holtz. 

All final scores and updates can be found on the Ohsfbmedia.com official Facebook page.

Coverage of the game was presented by The Ross Real Estate Group-KW Legacy Group and Grip Spritz grip spray. Also supported by Kingdom Takeover.