Both Minooka and Plainfield Central are in their first years of playing flag football. Judging by Wednesday’s game between the two Southwest Prairie Conference rivals, it’s safe to say that the Wildcats are ahead of the Indians in their development.

Plainfield Central dominated on both sides of the ball, cruising to a 60-6 win that improved its record to 5-5 overall and 2-3 in the SPC. Minooka, meanwhile, falls to 1-6 and 0-4.

Minooka got the ball first, and the Plainfield Central defense allowed just one first down before forcing a punt. They took over at the Minooka 22, and Shania Davison ran it into the end zone on the Wildcats’ first offensive play.

Although she is only a junior, Davison has a bit of a leg up on most of her competition.

“I played with the boys team my freshman and sophomore years,” said Davison, who also returned an interception for a touchdown in the second half and was in on several tackles. “I actually started at cornerback or safety, so I have had quite a bit of experience with football.

“The best thing about our team right now is that we all work together and there are no egos. We all want each other to do well. It’s also fun to be a part of school history as the first team to play flag football.”

Plainfield Central quarterback Alyssa Link was accurate with her throws all night, completing 12 of 14 passes, four of which went for touchdowns. She also ran in a score and completed five two-point conversion passes. She spread the ball around, with Ella Page grabbing two TD passes and Alyssa Page catching another. Ella Page also returned an interception for a touchdown.

“I wanted to have a new experience by coming out for football,” Link said. “I also play basketball and soccer, but I wanted to give football a try. I would say that basketball is my best sport, though.

“We have really good team chemistry. We are all pulling for each other and everyone wants to do well and win. I’m pretty lucky that I have a lot of good receivers that can catch the ball, and of course Shania can run very well. We’re having a lot of fun.”

The Wildcats built a 38-0 halftime lead and the game was played with a running clock the entire second half. Minooka’s defense stopped Plainfield Central to start the second half, and the Indians took over on their own 42. They were able to get a first down on a 16-yard scramble by quarterback Teagan Nurczyk, and another on a pass interference penalty. From there, sophomore Savannah Mwaba ran around the left end for a 15-yard touchdown to get the Indians on the board.

Any Minooka momentum, though, was snuffed when Link hit Ella Page for a 52-yard touchdown on Central’s second play, and Davison returned an interception for a touchdown on Minooka’s first play after that.

“It’s hard to find fault with anything the girls did tonight,” Plainfield Central coach Jenna Malak said. “Even at the end when we had subs in, we were able to score a touchdown. This was the best we could ask for. We had a couple of tight losses coming into this game, but the girls picked it up and got some confidence back.

“It’s our first year and we are still learning everything. We’re learning the rules, we’re learning how to play the game, we’re learning everything. The best thing I can give to them as a coach starting out is to tell that they are a team and they have to work together. They have really taken to that and it is showing. Pretty much none of these girls had never played football before, so having Shania with her two years of playing with the boys has really helped. She knows how and where they are supposed to line up and it’s like having a coach on the field.”