Mount Carmel R.C. High School are delighted that their girls’ team have been crowned NFL Flag (American) Football National Champions after winning their way through from the regional finals to the national finals in their first year of playing the sport! They only conceded one touchdown throughout the final tournament.
The Hyndburn All-Star team consists of Mount Carmel Saints players and Hyndburn Academy pupils and they were crowed North-West Champions earlier in June to qualify for the National Championships in Loughborough. There they competed against 7 other regional winners to crown the first ever NFL Flag Girls UK Champions.
TOURNAMENT REVIEW
The team were put in Group 2 with champions from London (William Perkin CE High School) and Nottingham (Arnold Hill Spencer Academy), and St Ivo's Academy, who were last year's Y7/8 Mixed National Champions. The girls topped their group with three straight wins to be seeded first for the playoff stage. They faced Midlands champions Rawlett School in the quarter finals, played a rematch with William Perkins in the semi finals, and met a fellow undefeated team in Cambridgeshire champions Hinchingbrooke in the final.
The girls put every opponent to the sword, giving up just a single touchdown all day, and came home as the inaugural Girls' National Champions. They have now been invited to the NFL London Games in October where they will be given tickets to a professional NFL game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Manager and trainer Mr Barratt commented “Every single player was on their best form all day despite the blazing heat, and they all contributed massively to the team's success. We were also supported in the stands by representatives from our local U11/U14 team Burnley Tornados, and our local U17/Adult team Lancashire Bombers, including NFL Academy quarterback (and Hyndburn native) Bobby Bridges.”
“MC Saints captains Mia and Faye stepped up and led by example with season-best performances, Hyndburn's Izzy was a force to be reckoned with and led the team in scoring on both sides of the ball, and Mount Carmel's Grace had a breakout performance at Linebacker in her first tournament as a full-time starter. This tournament also signalled the end of Hyndburn player Maddison's eligibility for the U15s, and after a season that had been hampered by injuries and extended stints stuck on the sideline, it was great for her to get a proper send-off in a tournament where she showed what we had been missing without her, with dynamic performances on both sides of the ball and plenty of veteran leadership throughout.”
“Thank you to all the players, parents, staff and supporters who have helped us get to this point in our first season, to the Year 8 mixed team, our kit sponsor TechSource, and the Tornados and Bombers who have always gone above and beyond to support us any way they can.”
Results:
Hyndburn All-Stars 12 - 0 William Perkin
Hyndburn All-Stars 19 - 2 St. Ivo's
Hyndburn All-Stars 19 - 0 Arnold Hill
Hyndburn All-Stars 33 - 6 Rawlett
Hyndburn All-Stars 13 - 0 William Perkin
Hyndburn All-Stars 19 - 0 Hinchingbrooke
Squad:
Faye A (Defensive Captain)
Mia P (Offensive Captain)
Izzy O
Lexie W
Lily D
Pia C
Maddison B
Grace D
Phoebe G
Sarah N
