Week 1 of the Michigan Girls High School Flag Football League is in the books!
Sports reporter Brandon Folsom is here to rank each team from the Hometown Life coverage area and explain why.
Reminder: HTL covers teams in Birmingham, Bloomfield Hills, Canton, Commerce Twp., Farmington, Farmington Hills, Garden City, Livonia, Milford, Northville, Novi, Plymouth, Redford, South Lyon, Wayne, Walled Lake, Westland, White Lake and Wixom.
1. Redford Union (1-0; Last week: 32-0 win vs. Detroit Cody)
Just as impressive as watching Ameerah Saba throw for 134 yards and two TDs and rush for another 53 yards and a score in the driving rain was coach Jon Ghazal’s defense. It starts up front with rusher Dalilah Brents, whose speed to the QB allows veteran defensive backs Amaya Tigney and Raven Ghee to lock down receivers. It’d be awesome if the Panthers face Orchard Lake St. Mary’s or Brighton in the playoffs, because those two have arguably the best offenses in the state after Week 1.
More: Michigan girls high school flag football Week 1 stat leaders
2. P-CEP Prowlers (1-0; Last week: 12-6 win vs. Northville)
The referees slowed down the Prowlers’ offense, leading to a 10-minute powwow at the 14-yard line between officials, coaches and Canton athletic director Tiffany Roberts to check the rule book and confirm whether P-CEP could huddle on the sideline instead of in the backfield, where officials initially wanted it. Fortunately, the defense stepped up while the offense worked to find its groove after the weird, momentum-crushing delay.
3. Redford Thurston (2-0; Last week: 12-0 win vs. Detroit CMA, 20-0 win vs. Detroit Renaissance)
The rain couldn’t slow down the Eagles from picking up two wins in their program debut. In Year 1, they look ahead of the curve, a hat tip to their veteran coaching staff, which includes varsity football coach William “Coach Webb” Webster. Every negative play Thurston had, the coaching staff straightened it out the next time they lined up. The Eagles face rival RU in Week 2, with the league title likely on the line. It’ll be exciting to see how their top players, such as QB Rayanna Lewis, running backs Angel Henderson and Mariya Plata and cornerback Taylor Kinney, perform against some of the best players in the state.
4. Bloomfield Hills (1-0; Last week: 31-0 win vs. Rochester Community Schools)
The Black Hawks got it done through the air — Eva Kontos threw two TD passes and a one-point conversion — on the ground, as Milan Thai-Tang rushed for two TDs, and on defense, where Faith VanNorwick returned an interception for a score. It added up to a shutout and the program’s first victory.
5. Westland John Glenn (1-0; Last week: 7-6 win vs. Belleville)
Bayley Wisely (112 yards receiving, 33 yards and one TD rushing) and Amiya Handy (177 yards) came through in the clutch, connecting on a late TD to earn a hard-fought win against KLAA-East rival Belleville in the driving rain.
6. Wayne Memorial (1-0; Last week: 6-0 win vs. Detroit UPrep)
Laylah Brown punched in the winning TD to secure the Zebras’ first victory in program history, while the defense — led by Nyema Johnson (four flag pulls), Capri Easley (three) and Teira Rucker (interception) — did enough to preserve the shutout. Their Week 2 matchup against rival Westland John Glenn will be must-see action.
More: MVPs from Week 1 of the Michigan girls flag football season
It took a half for the Mustangs to settle in, but they made it a game after halftime and kept P-CEP on its toes until the final whistle. Brooke Schabel stood out, catching six passes for 65 yards, most coming on crossing routes underneath and in the flats. Elise Tappy also looked sharp and scored Northville’s late TD.
8. Birmingham Groves (0-1; Last week: 12-0 loss to Clawson)
The Falcons lost to one of the most veteran teams in the state. Clawson returned nearly every key starter from last season, including QB Brennan Gough, receivers Elaina McDonald and Lily Buchler and running back Grace Fisher. The Trojans are also coached by Novi varsity football coach Jim Sparks, whose teams always put up big numbers through the air. This is probably a rebuilding season for Groves, but that’s OK. QB Ke’lko Buskin is only a junior, and the more time she gets with her new receivers, the better she’ll be next spring.