Hernando girls flag football routs Clay 32-6 in regional semifinal

One snap was enough to show Hernando High was in control. On the Leopards’ first offensive play Monday at Tom Fisher Memorial Stadium in Brooksville, Carlie Grant hit Aajyrah Adams streaking down the right sideline for a 51-yard touchdown, and Hernando never let Clay get comfortable.

Adams added a pick-six later in the first quarter, stretching the lead to 14-0 before the Blue Devils could settle in. Grant then found Ayana Kincade for an extra point and later connected with Kenderlyn Hart for another touchdown, helping Hernando build a 26-0 halftime cushion on the way to a 32-6 victory in the Region 2A-2 semifinal.

The win carried real postseason weight for a Hernando program that entered as the No. 2 seed and has been looking like one of the county’s most consistent teams. Grant finished with 286 passing yards, three passing touchdowns, one rushing touchdown and a 73.3% completion rate, while Adams’ interception return for a score was one of the game’s defining plays. Clay came in at 14-1 and left at 14-2, its three-game winning streak snapped by a Hernando defense that kept the pressure on from the opening snap.

The Leopards’ playoff run has been built on the kind of margin that turns a local team into a regional problem. Hernando is now 14-3 and has won eight games by 20 points or more this season. The Leopards have outscored opponents 450-205, a spread that reflects not just firepower but a defense that has made life difficult for opponents all year. The semifinal also continued a familiar postseason pattern for Hernando, which had already beaten Weeki Wachee 25-13 in the regional quarterfinals and Citrus 33-6 in the district semifinals.

The victory sent Hernando into the regional final against Deltona, scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday, May 7. The Florida High School Athletic Association has its state semifinals and championships set for May 15-16 at the AdventHealth Training Center in Tampa, and Hernando’s latest fast start kept that path squarely in view.