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ALL-AREA FLAG FOOTBALL TEAM
ALL-AREA FLAG FOOTBALL PLAYER OF THE YEAR KAYLEIGH CLARIZIO
All-Area First Team
First Team continued MARGIE SMITH
Vero Beach senior receiver Statistics: 34 catches, 278 yards, 5 TDs
OLIVIA THOMAS Miranda Clyde
Treasure Coast freshman defensive back Statistics: 12 interceptions, 4 defensive TDs
Andrea Dunkley
JADE VISSER
Treasure Coast sophomore quarterback Statistics: Threw for 220 yards and three TDs in the regular-season finale to cap perfect record Kyla Hargraves
Emily Johnson
Honorable Mention ANTONETTE BOOTHE Fort Pierce Westwood freshman quarterback/ linebacker
Nene Johnson
RONNESHA BROWN Jensen Beach junior defensive back/receiver/running back
Kelsey Logsdon
MARISSA CASSIMER Treasure Coast junior athlete GLORIA CLARIZIO Fort Pierce Westwood sophomore receiver Yasmine Queen
LOGAN CONE Jensen Beach junior quarterback
Laurie Scott
KARLEIGH COX Martin County junior linebacker MAKIYAH DAMES Fort Pierce Central sophomore safety Margie Smith
JAKARIA FANFAN Fort Pierce Central sophomore linebacker/ running back
Olivia Thomas
BAYLEE FARLESS Okeechobee freshman receiver TIANNEA FRYSON South Fork freshman running back/linebacker Jade Visser
CHRISTINA JOHNSON Port St. Lucie junior rusher
MIRANDA CLYDE
Fort Pierce Central sophomore linebacker/ safety/receiver Statistics: 38 flag pulls, 1 INT, 3 catches for 35 yards
ALEX BOERNER/TREASURE COAST NEWSPAPERS
Fort Pierce Westwood High School’s Kayleigh Clarizio is the Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers 2013 All-Area Flag Football Player of the Year.
Something special
ANDREA DUNKLEY
Treasure Coast senior linebacker Statistics: 13 INTS, averaged 10 flag pulls a game
KYLA HARGRAVES
Westwood’s Clarizio was a force on offense and defense
Okeechobee senior quarterback Statistics: Threw for 1,500 yards, accounting for majority of team’s offense
By Laurel Pfahler laurel.pfahler@scripps.com 772-978-2282
EMILY JOHNSON
Jensen Beach senior running back/receiver/ defensive rusher Statistics: 505 yards rushing, 102 yards receiving, 7 TDs, 8 flag pulls
NENE JOHNSON
Martin County junior quarterback/defensive back Statistics: Completed 48 of 94 passes for 493 yards, 9 TDs, 8 INTs; 575 yards rushing, 3 TDs; 8 pass deflections on defense, 2 INTs
KELSEY LOGSDON
Jensen Beach senior outside linebacker Statistics: 37 flag pulls, 1 INT
YASMINE QUEEN
Martin County sophomore wide receiver/safety Statistics: 11 INTs, seven returned for TDs; 13 catches for 143 yards and 5 TDs
LAURIE SCOTT
South Fork senior linebacker/running back/ receiver Statistics: 160 yards rushing, 171 yards receiving and 408 all-purspose yards, 50 flags pulled, 3 sacks, 5 INTs, 2 TDs
FORT PIERCE — Kayleigh Clarizio grew up playing backyard football with the boys at school and around her neighborhood. So when Fort Pierce Westwood High School added flag football last year, Clarizio immediately began recruiting other students to join the team with her. The competitive nature she developed over the years — while playing those backyard games and a myriad of other sports — showed on the football field. Clarizio, a senior running back and safety this season, proved to be one of the most electric players in the area while leading the Panthers to a District 20 runner-up finish. Clarizio is the first Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers All-Area Flag Football Player of the Year — the first full season of the sport on the Treasure Coast. “I’m a normal tomboy. I love every sport and anything outside — me and my siblings are always outside,” Clarizio said. “I’ve always been athletic and just lucky to be good enough to play with the guys, so I knew what I was doing, but it turned out a lot better than I thought it would.” Clarizio was a standout on both sides of the ball, recording six offensive touchdowns and another five on defense, while rushing for more than 650 yards and intercepting seven passes. Westwood coach Michael Harrelson said Clarizio was the best
Player of the Year
Coach of the Year
KAYLEIGH CLARIZIO
AARON SHEPPARD
Fort Pierce Westwood senior safety/running back Statistics: 6 offensive TDs, 5 defensive TDs, more than 650 yards rushing/receiving combined, 7 INTs Coach Michael Harrelson: “Kayleigh is the best all-around athlete I have seen this year. She was instrumental to our team on both sides of the ball. She has that killer instinct and shows it on the field. She makes everyone on the team better and never gives up. ... Everyone knew she was our player, and she still couldn’t be stopped.”
all-around athlete he saw this year and opponents were always gameplanning for her — making her production that much more impressive. Her nickname was “Beast.” “She led her team to (the area tournament) championship last year, and we didn’t have any other offensive weapons this year, so everyone knew she was our player to stop,” Harrelson said. “She still managed to put up impressive stats and lead us back to a championship game.” Clarizio said although she played sweeper in soccer, which earned her first-team All-Area recognition this past winter, she did not originally like defense in football. This season she improved at flag pulling, and she realized she could help her team just as much from the safety position as from her spot at
SHELBY LITTLE Port St. Lucie sophomore wide receiver/safety MADISYN LOCKWOOD South Fork sophomore quarterback ALEXUS McGRIFF Vero Beach junior receiver/ safety SHELBY PARKER Treasure Coast freshman receiver CARLEY SCIANDRA Jensen Beach junior linebacker JESSICA TAYLOR Vero Beach senior linebacker/ cornerback
Treasure Coast, second year This season: After guiding the Titans to a perfect regular season, Sheppard led Treasure Coast to the District 20 title — the first district championship for a local team. The Titans lost to Palm Beach Gardens in Aaron the first round of Sheppard state play-in games and finished 11-1. Known for their stingy defense, they posted nine shutouts this season. Quotable: “It was good to see our girls grow. Last year, we lost some close games. We lost to Westwood in the (area) championship, but we were missing eight players and we returned most of our team this year. I knew we could be good. It just took improving some things. We had talent but also a little luck — a lot of good things happened for us.”
SHERRY THELUSMA St. Lucie West Centennial junior running back AUTUMN WILSON Fort Pierce Westwood junior defensive back JUSTINE YING St. Lucie West Centennial sophomore running back
running back. “For some reason, I didn’t see why defense was so important in football,” Clarizio said. “It’s the same thing basically but in soccer you’re trying to get the ball away and in flag football you’re trying to stop the opponent from getting yards. “I got better and better at defense, and I ended up liking it more by the end of the year.”
All-Area Schedule JUNE 4
JUNE 5
JUNE 6
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
SUNDAY
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
Girls Tennis
Boys Tennis
Girls Track
Boys Track
Softball
Baseball
Girls Lacrosse
Boys Lacrosse
Flag Football