Tamiya Washington of Groves is one of the top flag football quarterbacks in the state and her numbers tell the story as she has thrown for 2,534 yards with 36 touchdown passes, while rushing for 667 yards and nine more scores this season for the undefeated Rebels.
But when asked, the two-way senior star said she prefers playing defense and her team-high 10 interceptions
show she is a true ball hawk.The focus on defense is at the foundation of the Rebels success. Groves is off to a 14-0 start this season and has given up just seven points all year ― in a 14-7 win over St. Vincent's on Oct. 15. Groves has outscored its opponents 315-7 through 14 games.
Rebel coach Johnny Anderson has led the program since it started four years ago. Groves had a breakthrough
season last year when the Rebels finished 18-3, but they were knocked out in the first round of the State Division 2 playoffs. This year the Rebels are currently ranked fourth in the state among Division 3 teams by Score Atlanta.
"At the start of the program we had really low numbers coming out, but I've had three girls that have been there since the beginning," Anderson said during a double header sweep of Savannah Arts and Johnson on Oct. 22 as the team celebrated Senior Night. "It has now grown into a team with 30 girls. It's been an unbelievable journey and I can't thank our seniors tonight for their commitment to the program and I'm blessed to be a part of it."
Washington earned All-Greater Savannah first-team honors last season when she was also named the Division 2 Area 2 Player of the Year. She is a leader on and off the field for the Rebels again this season.
"I got into flag football because I played regular tackle football from the age of five until I got into high school ― I was a receiver," Washington said. "But I like playing quarterback now because I can share the ball and distribute it to my teammates so I can get everyone involved in the game. I still like to play defense better because I love catching the ball, and I love playing flag because I feel want to prove my game to certain people.
"Last year we lost in the first round of the playoffs, and I think that has motivated us to win the championship this year."
Washington spreads the ball around well to an array of talented receivers. Ja'Hkiya Lanier Roberts has 12 catches for 255 yards and four touchdowns and Indira Gonzalez has 27 receptions for 261 yards and four scores.
Kayla Small has 32 catches for 487 yards and nine touchdowns and Shanel Sutton has 35 grabs for 482 yards and a team-high 11 scoring catches. Daphney Detty is another prime target with 44 receptions for a team-high 555 yards with five scores.
Small, another senior two-way star, said she prefers playing defense like Washington, and Small leads the team with 94 flags pulled to go along with a pair of interceptions.
"I definitely like playing defense better because I feel like it's my bread and butter and I have a certain level of domination on defense," Small said. "I think the key to our success this season is our chemistry and Coach Anderson. We have built a strong bond and we know what each other thinking when we're on the field. And we wouldn't know what to do if it wasn't for Coach Johnson ― he has helped us build that bond."
Dennis Knight covers sports for the Savannah Morning News. Contact him at Dknight@savannahnow.com. Twitter: @DennisKnightSMN
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Groves flag football off to 14-0 start looking for a deep playoff run
