Red Tops Blue in Flag Football Footrace

Marblehead High School senior girls outran Swampscott players in the 2012 Flag Football Bowl at Piper Field Friday night, 44-32.

Both teams peeled off great sweeping touchdown runs from the outset.

The runs served to only further electrify the fans and sidelines.

The red team’s Tyler Phillips sprinted into the end zone four times.

The blue and white team’s Katherine Pitman and Erin Cassidy slung into the open field and raced for two touchdowns apiece.

Some of these runs were for more than 50 yards.

The sidelines and stands on both sides were hopping and shaking from beginning to end.

Players on both sides turned to face their fans and threw their hands over head imploring them to turn up the energy even higher.

As if that was possible.

But it was. And they did.

High-pitched screams joined bass hollers, the Friday night symphony punctuated by the tooting air-horn sound from plastic vuvuzelas.

The game ended after Marblehead took a knee with 48 seconds to go. A line of players — 89 on Marblehead and 100 on Swampscott — extended almost from sideline to sideline as they shook hands.

Swampscott Coach Joe Tenney summed up the feelings of his squad shortly after the clock ran out.

“Just an all-out good game — I guess,” he said.

The “I guess” part seemed to express the disappointment in not being able to celebrate after working so hard and investing so much emotion and effort.

Marblehead Manager Brett LeBlanc attributed the victory to adjustments.

He said the Marblehead defense was able to adjust to stop the Swampscott running attack, and the Swampscott girls’ defense did not adjust to stop the Marblehead running attack.

Marblehead Coach Jacqui Bouchard said it was all about heart.

“From day one these girls had heart,” she said. “They wanted it and they got it. It was a pleasure to be with them.”