Valley Sports ReportWAVERLY — Henninger scored two TDs in the final 2:48 of the game, including the game-winner with 3 seconds remaining, to rally for an 18-13 win over Waverly here Saturday afternoon in non-league flag football action at Memorial Stadium
"Again, we are really proud of our girls and the way they competed today against a very good team," said Waverly coach David Shaw.
"They did everything we asked them to do including clock management late in the game," he added.
Waverly took a 13-6 lead with 8:05 remaining in the contest on a 17-yard TD pass from senior Brilynn Belles to junior Makenzie Olmsted.
Henninger finished off a scoring drive with a 5-yard TD run with 2:48 left in the game to close the gap to 13-12.
Waverly stopped the conversion run to preserve the lead.
The Wolverines took possession and ran the clock down to 10 seconds before being forced the punt the ball away. Henninger returned the punt 65 yards for the winning scored with 3 seconds remaining.
"This (loss) falls on me," said Shaw. "We have not spent enough time on our punt coverage and it cost us today — that is on me.
"Again, I could not be any prouder of our girls and the way continue to do everything we ask of them," Shaw added.
Waverly scored the only points of the first half on a 14-yard TD pass from Belles to sophomore Lauryn Welles. Belles pass on the conversion to junior Lecksie Douglas made it 7-0.
Henninger trimmed the deficit to 7-6 on a 5-yard TD run with 5 seconds remaining in the third quarter to set the stage for a dramatic fourth quarter.
Belles completed 20 of 33 passes for 175 yards, two TDs, and one interception.
Olmsted led Waverly's receivers with eight catches for 86 yards and one TD, while Welles had six receptions for 51 yards and one TD, senior Lizzie Robinson had three grabs for 24 yards, and Douglas added three catches for 14 yards.
Olmsted also led Waverly's rushing attack with 36 yards on six carries, while senior Mira Kittle added 27 yards on seven carries.
Defensively, Kittle led Waverly with 11 flag pulls, including one tackle-for-loss, and one pass deflection, while senior Claire Clonch had nine pulls and one pass deflection, Belles had four pulls and one pass deflection, Welles had four pulls and one tackle-for-loss.
Eighth-grader Meeya Wheeler added three pulls, including two tackles-for-loss, Douglas had tackles-for-loss, sophomore Elli Cole had one pass deflection, and Olmsted had an interception.
Waverly, now 4-1, returns to action Wednesday when it hosts Johnson City.
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IN PHOTO: Waverly's Makenzie Olmsted.
