FLAG FOOTBALL: HORSEHEADS PICKS UP FIRST VICTORY IN PROGRAM HISTORY (24 PHOTOS) (2022-05-22)

Southern Tier Sports Report
HORSEHEADS — There have been a lot of firsts for the Horseheads flag football team, and Saturday was the biggest first yet as the Blue Raiders picked up the first victory in program history, beating Union-Endicott, 12-9.

The first two games weren’t what the Blue Raiders wanted, but they were building as each game went.

After a shutout loss in the opener, the team came back and last week scored the first two touchdowns in program history. (Look for a feature on the Blue Raiders’ flag football team coming soon in the STSportsreport.com)

On Saturday the Blue Raiders again scored two touchdowns, but this time the defense was equally impressive, holding Union-Endicott scoreless until their was 10 seconds left in the game.

“It was nice,” Horseheads coach Kevin Hillman said. “Because, we took a couple beatings the first two weeks. But, these girls have really progressed week after week. I’m just proud of them, they are getting better.”

Shae Thomas scored both touchdowns for Horseheads on Saturday. She has scored all four touchdowns the program has this year. And, she’s showed her versatility this year, as she scored two receiving touchdowns a week ago, and on Saturday she scored two rushing touchdowns.

For Thomas, scoring that first touchdown in the last game was a magical moment.

“The smile on my face after that touchdown,” she said. “It didn’t hit me until I got out of the end zone and people were saying, ‘Shae, you just did it,’ and I was freaking out about it. It was just a great experience.”

And, Saturday was a great experience for the whole team as they brought home the first win for the Blue Raiders.

“It feels amazing,” Sarah Hunt said.

“It feels good to put that work we have been putting into practices and use it in games, it feels great,” Thomas said.

The Blue Raiders have been able to see the progress game after game, and they also saw it as the minutes went on Saturday.

“It’s a process,” Hunt said. “We have just been working, working, working and you see it progressively change throughout the game. We started out so strong, so good, so we just deserved this.”

While Thomas has emerged as one of the best offensive weapons in the sport, the defense has been getting better and better each game out, and Saturday they were dominant.

“It’s our first flag football team,” Hunt said. “So, our first few practices we are trying to figure out what we are looking at here. So, now we are getting smarter, we are reading the plays, we are picking it up.”
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IN TOP PHOTO: Horseheads’ Shae Thomas runs the ball. . . PHOTOS BY BRIAN FEES.