Thomas defeated Sun Conference foe, the Warner Royals, 28-0, in their opening game of the NAIA Flag Football Championships, sponsored by NFL Flag and the Atlanta Falcons.  With the victory, Thomas will have a rematch against another Sun Conference opponent, the St. Thomas Bobcats, at 4 PM.  A victory versus St. Thomas will keep the Night Hawks in the winner's bracket of the tournament, meaning that their next game will be at 10:30 AM on Friday versus the winner of the Ottawa/Keiser game.  Should the Night Hawks lose, Thomas will drop the elimination bracket and play on Friday at 12 PM.  

How It Happened

Thomas scored on the first play of the game as Brittney Delva picked off a Warner pass and returned it 20 yards for a touchdown (conversion good).  TU 7 WU 0.  Neither team was able to put any additional points on the board during the quarter, although Thomas had another successful drive to the Warner red zone, but were unable to score.

Thomas scored on its first drive of the 2nd quarter, on an eight play drive.  Alexa Wilson hit Nakerra Brown for a 5-yard pass to cap off the drive (conversion good).  TU 14 WU 0.  Thomas scored on their next drive also, this time taking six plays.  Wilson hit Brown again for the touchdown on a 10-yard pass (conversion good).  TU 21 WU 0.

After halftime, Thomas gave Kiana Acol some reps at quatertback.  On her second possession at the helm, Acol led the Night Hawks on a six-play drive, with Acol keeping it herself for the 18-yard touchdown run (conversion good).  TU 28 WU 0.

From that point, Thomas would run the ball  and run the clock out, to eventually win the game via the mercy rule.

NOTES

• Thomas played all three quarterbacks.  Wilson was 20/25 for 156 yards passing.  Acol was 4/5 for 37 yards passing, and Shelby Hartley was 5/6 for 32 yards passing.
• Kiana Acol rushed the ball two times for 24-yards and one touchdown.
• Kiera Knight led the team in reception yards with 50.  Kiana Acol led the team in receptions with eight.
• Thomas had five sacks on the day.  Jaida Reese led the team with three sacks.  Ni'Ja Seals collected two sacks.
• Si'Niya Glover, Kiera Knight, and Brittney Delva all had interceptions.
• Nakerra Brown, Si'Naya Glover, Jaida Reese, and Janae Scott all tied for the team lead in flag pulls (tackles) with three each.
• The NIght Hawks did not punt the ball during the game.

BOX SCORE

Follow Thomas Flag Football at https://tunighthawks.com/sports/womens-flag-football for updates on the Night Hawks pursuit of a National Championship.  For complete coverage of Night Hawks Athletics, please visit www.tunighthawks.com to stay updated with the latest news, scores, game previews and recaps.  Follow the Night Hawks on social media at @TU_Night_Hawks (Twitter), @tunighthawks (Instagram), and @thomasuniversityathletics (Facebook).