Just when it looked like the Newsome Lady Wolves were going to leave Plant City with a win, they made a mistake.
Leading 19-7 late in the fourth quarter, Newsome completely failed to read Plant City’s Ashontes Jones. Her pick six put the Lady Raiders back in the game, and got them on track for their 20-19 win.
Newsome controlled the pace for much of the game, eventually turning a 7-6 deficit into a 19-7 lead. The Lady Wolves kept close tabs on Plant City quarterback Alicia Zarate, forcing her out of the pocket and into making unsuccessful throws.
The mood wasn’t too high at 1 Raider Place late in the game, until Jones’s pick six happened. The extra point attempt was good, and Plant City was able to force Newsome to turn the ball over with just under two minutes left on the clock.
Starting from midfield, Plant City avoided a turnover on downs when Lacey Hargrove caught a deep pass along the sideline and got out of bounds. Plant City soon found itself in another fourth-down situation, but was given a do-over when a Zarate incompletion was negated by an illegal contact flag on Newsome. Zarate’s next pass, to Bre Ruedeman, ended up being the dagger.
The extra point attempt was no good but, with a 20-19 lead in hand, all Plant City had to do was hold steady. A few plays later, the clock ran out and the Lady Raiders were still undefeated.
Contact Justin Kline at jkline@plantcityobserver.com.