Varsity flag football player Kimberly Hernandez, a senior, is pictured holding a football during the 2023 Fall Media Day on Oct. 12. Hernandez first tried out for the flag football team during the 2022-23 season. “I just wanted to try something new, I wanted to be a part of the first team here. I also got to be the first Hispanic on the team, which is something I feel like I accomplished because I get to leave my mark here,” Hernandez said. “It means actually a lot to me because some other teams, mainly the national Mexico flag football team, inspire me.” Photo by Aza Khan
The varsity flag football team has their Senior Night and games on Nov. 7.
The varsity flag football team has their Senior Night and games against Athens Academy High School and Oconee County High School on Nov. 7 at Clarke Central High School. After the inaugural 2022-23 season, the team is now competing with more experience in Region 8-AAAAA.
OCHS and ACAD are big rivals for CCHS athletes and are stiff competition for playoffs, according to varsity flag football running back Kimberly Hernandez, a junior. Hernandez played during the 2022-23 team’s games against OCHS and ACAD, which ended 13-0 and 0-15 respectively.
“(OCHS) beat us in the scrimmage but for the actual game, the one that actually does count, we actually beat them and the score was by two or more touchdowns,” Hernadez said. “I will say we did struggle a lot with them. They did have some really good players, some really tall players and just really good physical players.”
“My emotions are through the roof right now. It’s scary having to leave my team that I’ve built a genuine connection (with). I am stepping out of my comfort zone and trying something new, which is life without flag football,”
— Taylor Thrasher,
CCHS senior
Varsity flag football wide receiver Jewel Robinson, a senior, who also played last year, hopes to make it to the Mercedes-Benz Stadium for playoffs this season. The OCHS and ACAD games are the second to last games before playoffs, so they play a key role in determining whether or not the team will continue to post-season.
“If we had won the game against Oconee, we would have made it to the playoffs last year,” Robinson said. “The program just started last year and I’m a senior, I want to make it to a championship. Because it’s my last year, I want to be a part of something, like making history.”
Not only is the competition aspect of these games impactful for the athletes, but the aspect of Senior Night also affects players like varsity flag football running back Taylor Thrasher, a senior.
“My emotions are through the roof right now. It’s scary having to leave my team that I’ve built a genuine connection (with). I am stepping out of my comfort zone and trying something new, which is life without flag football,” Thrasher said.
