TUSCALOOSA — Central’s perfect season is complete.
The Red Devil ladies are bringing home the hardware.
Natalyn Lumpkin caught three touchdown passes and the Central-Phenix City girls flag football team defeated Vestavia Hills 25-0 to win the AHSAA Class 6A-7A girls flag football state championship on Wednesday in Bryant-Denny Stadium.
Central finished the season an undefeated 18-0.
Quarterback Gerritt Griggs finished with three touchdowns for Central, throwing for two and running in another.
Central led 19-0 late in the third quarter when Vestavia Hills drove into a goal-to-go situation, marking one of its best scoring opportunities of the game against a stingy Central defense. The Red Devils made a fourth-down stop, though, then to start the fourth quarter, Lumpkin caught a 61-yard touchdown from Mariah Harrison to put the Red Devils up 25-0.
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Lumpkin caught five passes for 107 yards and those three scores. Griggs finished 7-of-10 through the air for 74 passing yards and two of those scores.
Central wins the state title in the third year girls flag football was sponsored by the AHSAA. In 2021, Smiths Station made the postseason final and lost to Hewitt-Trussville. Last season, Auburn High won the postseason final.
In 2023, the AHSAA played championship games for Class 1A-5A and for Class 6A-7A. Wenonah beat Montgomery Catholic in the low-A championship game earlier Wednesday.
The Red Devil girls were the first part of an all-Central doubleheader on Wednesday in Bryant-Denny Stadium: The Central boys football team played Thompson next in the Class 7A state championship game.