Flag Football: Fort Pierce Central blanks Martin County, picks up first-ever state berth

FORT PIERCE — The Martin County flag football team was among the state’s elite from the season’s opening kickoff.

But there was one squad, whether in the regular season or postseason, that the Tigers simply didn’t have an answer for: Fort Pierce Central.

Behind a lockdown defense, four touchdown passes from junior quarterback Adrienne Rivera and a brilliant catching exhibition from sophomore Karla Timothy, the Cobras are state bound for the first time in program history following a 25-0 victory over Martin County during the Region 5-2A Final on Tuesday from Cobra Field.

“I just can’t believe how every girl here has bought in,” Central head coach Nick Clements said.  “They’ve sacrificed and bought in, and this is the result.

“Martin County is a great team. … So to come out and be able to execute in the postseason, I’m just so proud of my girls.”

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It’s the second consecutive season that FPC has eliminated the Tigers from the state playoffs.

The Cobras have won their last 12 games and improved their record to 19-1 this season. They’ll play host to Wellington in a state quarterfinal game on Friday in Fort Pierce.

Martin County, the region’s No. 2 seed, finished 2024 with a 17-2 mark. The team went undefeated against all other opponents this season, but was 0-2 when facing its arch nemesis, dropping the contests by a combined margin of 45-6.

The Tigers mustered a couple drives into opponent’s territory in the early going, but couldn’t put up any points on the scoreboard. Senior Kate Buchmeye and sophomore Brenna Allen were among several Cobras fast to the ball against Martin County’s quick passing game, not allowing receivers to turn up field.

Creating several third-and-long scenarios, the Cobras zeroed in on middle-to-deep passes down the field, picking off Tigers junior quarterback Cali Scornavacca three times.

Senior Alyssa Llanos snagged two interceptions while fellow senior Serenity Marte had another.

“(The Cobras) are good,” Martin County head coach Jeff Padgett said. “They’re one of the teams that play year-round. We do too, but they’re good and their hard work shows.”

The two teams went scoreless in the opening quarter. The hosts got on the board during the second when Rivera found Timothy in the corner of the end zone for a 5-yard scoring reception. The pair connected once more before the end of the half when Timothy made a catch in the middle of the field, broke free from a flag-pull attempt before sprinting past the goal line. Timothy later made it a hat trick with a touchdown grab in the fourth quarter.

Marte had the other touchdown reception for Central, who entered the state playoffs as the region’s top seed.

“We went from being underdogs to being the (region’s) top seed,” Timothy said. “It’s really impressive the amount of growth we’ve had over the time that we’ve played. It’s a good feeling.”

Shutout streak

Fort Pierce Central is unquestionably loaded, offensively.

Rivera is second in the state in passing while Marte (22), Timothy (15) and Llanos (12) are in double figures with touchdown receptions.

But through this postseason run, it’s been the defense that has dismantled opponents, as the Cobras did not allow a point through two district games and three regional games. Forcing nine turnovers in that stretch, the unit is clearly playing as one.

“I have seven girls on defense that are students of the game,” Clements said. “I never have to say something twice, they listen the first time. They understand their role and they execute. … We kind of started off rough, but we’re clicking at the right time.”

If the ball isn’t thrown, there’s a good chance Chance has stopped the play behind the line of scrimmage. The junior had three sacks on Tuesday, pushing her season total to 40.

“I think chemistry is a big (factor). We’re a family,” junior rusher Tajeyah Chance said. “Also in practice, we ask questions and try our best to remember and do our best in the game.

“It was just about staying disciplined and stopping any routes from going on.”

Timothy hat trick

In the seven days between the regional semifinal and regional final, Timothy said her performance during practice was “iffy.”

However, instead of allowing drops and bad routes to linger, the sophomore chose to have a short-term memory during pregame warmups.

“I felt that whatever happened in the past was erased,” she said. “Today is a new day and we are going to dominate.”

Timothy hauled in a deep pass down the sideline to set up her first touchdown reception. It was with that catch where she believed she’d have a big day. Three scores later, she was right.

“I told her before this game, ‘You’re going to have a big game, they’re not ready for you,’” Clements said.

‘Nothing to shake a stick at’

Martin County fell short of its ultimate goal. But that doesn’t wipe away a season where the program flexed its muscles.

Outside of its losses to Central, the team outscored all of its other opponents by a 445-33 and won 14 of its 17 games via shutout.

“This is a special group,” Padgett said. “They worked hard all year long and 17-2 is nothing to shake a stick at. We beat everyone on our schedule except one team. We’ve been blessed to have success with our program and I think this team is up there with all our other teams that've been successful.”

The Tigers say goodbye to eight seniors, including their captains Dakota Moberg, Laniyah Smalls and Hailey Walsh.

Moberg, who made a spectacular grab high-pointing a ball before halftime, had 30 total touchdowns to go with 17 interceptions. Walsh was the team’s leading receiver with more than 1,100 yards while Smalls paced the team in sacks.

Patrick Bernadeau is a sports reporter for Treasure Coast Newspapers. He can be reached at (772) 985-9692, on X at @PatBernadeau or via email at pbernadeau@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Flag Football: Fort Pierce Central motors past Martin County in Region Final