How this Central-Phenix City flag football team became ranked No. 1 in the nation
When she heard USA Today ranked her team No. 1 in the nation last week, Central High School flag football senior quarterback Gerritt Griggs considered the news more affirmation than revelation.
“It’s honestly not surprising,” Griggs told the Ledger-Enquirer during Wednesday’s practice at Garrett-Harrison Stadium in Phenix City. “But it’s like all of our hard work that we put in is deserved nationally instead of just statewide.”
Statewide, this team has been a powerhouse the past two years. The Red Devils take a 28-game win streak into a Thursday night matchup with Columbus High School at Garrett-Harrison Stadium. They went 18-0 last season, capped by a 25-0 victory over Vestavia Hills in the Alabama High School Athletic Association Class 6A-7A state championship game at Bryant-Denny Stadium.
This season, they returned all but one starter and are off to a 10-0 start — in dominating fashion. Central has outscored its 2024 opponents 453-24. The closest any team has come to beating the Red Devils this year is Harris County, which lost 33-12 to Central on Monday.
Griggs, a shortstop for Central in the spring, has committed to play softball for the University of Alabama, but the stats show she excels as a quarterback as well.
In 10 games this season, she has completed 100 of 150 passing attempts for 1,584 yards, 40 touchdowns and one interception. Her top targets are senior Natalyn Lumpkin (36 receptions, 682 yards, 16 touchdowns), junior Mariah Harrison (25 receptions, 396 yards, 9 touchdowns), freshman Savannah Sevier (21 reception, 459 yards, 9 touchdowns) and junior Colby Cook (21 receptions, 340 yards, 8 touchdowns).
Griggs also leads the team in rushing with 197 yards and 6 touchdowns on 28 carries, followed by Harrison (56 yards on 10 carries), Lumpkin (53 yards on 8 carries) and senior Ally Supan (52 yards and 1 touchdown on 6 carries).
On defense, Central’s top tacklers are Supan (36), Lumpkin (26) and senior Janiyah Garrett (19). The team’s top interceptors are Cook (5), Lumpkin (4) and junior Kalea Lovejoy (4). Garrett leads the team in sacks with 2.
Griggs mentioned another team strength that doesn’t appear on the stat sheet.
“Our chemistry,” she said. “Everybody loves each other. Everybody gets along. I mean, some days you might have something going on, but we know how to bring it back together.”
All of which adds up to Griggs being confident the Red Devils can repeat as state champions.
“We have the experience, and we have the players, and we have the plays,” she said. “We have everything to do it. … It just has to be the right time, the right moment, and hopefully everything falls into place.”
Griggs thinks they also have the right head coach.
Caring coach
After going 5-10 in its inaugural season in 2021, the Central flag football team’s head coach departed, and the school administration asked head softball coach Mitchell Holt to add flag football to his duties.
Alabama high schools play softball in the spring, and many Central softball players are on the flag football team, so Holt figured this new coaching assignment made sense.
“It was just a challenge, something exciting, so I thought I would give it a shot,” Holt told the Ledger-Enquirer. “… It’s a player-led group. We don’t have to say much to them. They’re gonna get here and do what they’re supposed to do at a high level.”
Griggs credits Holt for finding ways to connect with each player.
“He’s somebody that cares for you more than just winning,” she said. “… He cares about how you feel as a person, so he doesn’t coach every player the same.”
For example, two years ago, Griggs reacted negatively to a play the coaches called that she didn’t like. Holt benched her. Two plays later, she led the Red Devils to a touchdown.
“That was just a learning experience for me,” she said. “He knew it was the right time to do that. … He knows how to be hard on you when you need him to be. … When I got back on the field, I knew he believed in me, and I just needed that second to get it all back together.”
Holt smiled as reflected on that moment.
“Garrett knows, as good as she is, that if she doesn’t perform, then Mariah can go in there and perform,” he said. “All of them know that there’s somebody behind them. But kids are gonna make mistakes. Even adults are going to have bad reactions.
“So we have to check each other, and that’s part of coaching. It’s not always screaming and yelling and fussing. You can correct in different ways.”
Motivating loss
The Red Devils went 13-5-1 in 2022, losing 26-20 to Auburn in the state quarterfinals. They haven’t lost since.
Holt shook his head as he recalled that game ended with Central on Auburn’s 4-yard line. With 11 of the 23 players on this year’s roster in the senior class, he noted they have used that quarterfinal loss to Auburn as motivation the past two years.
“I just think that loss fueled us,” he said. “I tell them all the time, ‘If we would have gotten those extra yards and overcame Auburn that year, we wouldn’t be who we are today.’ … It wasn’t our time. We just had to trust each other and work hard, and we would have another chance.”
Then he pointed to a group of Red Devils doing ladder drills.
“They’re going to be upset if one of them does it better than the other one,” he said. “They’re just competitors. They hate losing.”
This story was originally published October 17, 2024 at 12:02 PM.
