FRANKLIN SPRINGS, Ga. - The Thomas University flag football team put together a commanding performance on Saturday, earning a 40–0 shutout win over Lees‑McRae in neutral‑site action. The Night Hawks controlled the game from start to finish, piling up 255 yards of total offense and forcing four interceptions on defense to secure their most complete outing of the season.
Thomas set the tone early by scoring on its opening possession, as quarterback Arie'Yona Christion led a four‑play, 66‑yard drive capped by a 19‑yard touchdown pass to Dyva Jones at the 9:59 mark of the first quarter. Christion added a rushing touchdown later in the period to make it 14–0, and the Night Hawks continued their momentum into the second quarter when she found Ameari Logan for a one‑yard score to push the lead to 20–0.
Christion delivered a standout performance, accounting for five total touchdowns, four passing and one rushing, while throwing for 131 yards and adding 124 rushing yards on 13 carries. Jones was a major beneficiary in the passing game, finishing with three receptions for 30 yards and two touchdowns, while Sabrina Schlegelmilch hauled in a 27‑yard touchdown and totaled 35 receiving yards on the day. Logan also contributed four catches for 19 yards and a touchdown.
After a scoreless third quarter, Thomas erupted for 20 points in the fourth. Christion connected with Jones again for a six‑yard touchdown early in the period, then added another rushing score from two yards out with 3:26 remaining. The finishing blow came on defense when Jordyn Woodward intercepted a pass and returned it 16 yards for a touchdown, extending the lead to 40–0. Woodward ended the game with five pulls and an interception.
The Thomas defense delivered its strongest outing of the season, holding Lees‑McRae to just 143 total yards while forcing four interceptions. Along with Woodward's pick‑six, Azariah Greer, Christion, and Kennedi Warren‑Young each tallied an interception. Greer added three pass breakups and three pulls, while Warren‑Young contributed three pulls and a 12‑yard interception return. Yuleisly Hodgson anchored the defense with a team‑high nine pulls, and Iyana Harris recorded the team's lone sack.
Offensively, the Night Hawks averaged an impressive 7.3 yards per play and scored touchdowns on six drives. Defensively, they allowed only 13 rushing yards and denied Lees‑McRae on all four fourth‑down attempts.
Thomas will look to build on its dominant shutout victory as the Night Hawks begin SUN conference play next week, traveling to Life University for their league opener.
