Three schools from St. Croix joined three schools from the St. Thomas-St. John district to compete in the Dana Richardson 9 v 9 Flag Football Tournament held on Nov. 2 – 4 at the Joseph Aubain Ballpark on St. Thomas.
This is the second year the Sports, Parks, and Recreation Department has put on this event in loving memory of long-time flag football coach Dana Richardson.
Central High School, Good Hope Country Day School, and Educational Complex were the three teams from St. Croix. Antilles School and Ivanna Eudora Kean High School (IEKHS) were the two teams from St. Thomas, and Gifft Hill School represented St. John.
The Central Caribs are the 2023 league champions from St. Croix. IEKHS Rays ended their 2023 campaign on top of the St. Thomas-St. John League. The two squared off to open this event on Nov 2. The home team Rays had its way against the Caribs, beating them 30 – 0. Rays quarterback Julian Maduro threw two touchdowns and ran for two more in this one-sided affair. In the nightcap, Educational Complex didn’t fare much better than the Caribs as they were also shut out, losing to Antilles 26 – 0. The Hurricanes’ quarterback, Dillen Webbe, accounted for four touchdowns all through the air for the winning team.
Four games were on the schedule for Nov. 3. Gifft Hill School continued the dominant play for the St. Thomas-St. John teams beating Good Hope Country Day Panthers 54 – 12. Dennis Bigrigg of Gifft Hill had himself a game throwing for four touchdowns and running for another. Four of those scoring passes were caught by wide receiver Hunter Simpson. Mason Lamber passed for one touchdown and rushed for another in a losing effort for the Panthers. In the second game of the day, Dillen Webbe of Antilles School picked up right where he left off, throwing three more touchdowns and running for another in their 34 – 14 win over Central High School. Central’s Nasir Saldand and Johnson Mena each rushed for one touchdown.
It was the battle of the Barracudas in the third game on Friday as the Gifft Hill Barracudas took on the Educational Complex Barracudas. Despite playing their second game in as many hours, Gifft Hill found the energy to defeat Complex 14-12. In the final game on Friday night, the Rays defense pitched another shutout, beating the Panthers 16 – 0.
On Saturday, Gifft Hill defeated Central 7 – 0. Antilles School took care of Good Hope Country Day 34 – 6. The Rays recorded another shutout, beating Educational Complex 16 – 0. This left the three schools from the St. Thomas-St. John district undefeated. The first tiebreaker to determine who moved on to the championship game was least points allowed. This put IEKHS safely into the final game, as they had yet to surrender any points thus far in the tournament. Joining them would be Antilles School. The Hurricanes only allowed 20 points, while Gifft Hill gave up 24.
The Antilles Hurricanes were the only team to beat IEKHS all season. This was a highly anticipated rematch. However, the Rays’ offense saved their best for last and exploded for 36 points. Their defense was true to form, only surrendering six points, which came in the final minutes of the game. The final score was 36 – 6. An outcome that even took the coaching staff at Kean by surprise. “Even though we won the league, we knew that Antilles was right on our heels. We felt if we faced them in the finals it was going to be a tough, tough game,” said IEKHS Offensive Coach Francisco Jarvis. “For us to do so well today, it really, really surprised me.”
Individual Award Winners
Most Passing Touchdowns – Dillen Webbe – Antilles School
Most Rushing Touchdowns – Averad Penn – Antilles School
Most Overall Touchdowns – Dillen Webbe – Antilles School
Most Receiving Touchdowns – Hunter Simpson – Gifft Hill School
Most Pulls – Sohil Mohanani – Antilles School
Sportsmanship Award – Jermaine Petty – Ivanna Eudora Kean High School
MVP Award – Christlord Bernard – Ivanna Eudora Kean High School
