Fairbanks, Westerville North fall in flag football regional

Flag football season in central Ohio came to an end May 11 when Fairbanks and Westerville North lost their first-round games in the Cleveland Browns Girls High School Flag Football regional tournament at the University of Akron.

Fairbanks fell to Madison 39-14, and Westerville North lost to Grafton Midview 24-0.

Both area teams were undefeated entering regional.

Fourth-seeded Fairbanks (10-1) pulled into an early 6-6 tie with Madison, the 13th seed and eventual champion, when senior Hannah Boehm caught a tipped pass from classmate Jolie Porter for a touchdown, but Madison reeled off the next 28 points.

North (9-1), seeded 11th of the 11 division champions in the field, allowed a season-high in points to fellow unbeaten Midview, which reached the final but lost 34-0 to Madison.

North allowed a combined 38 points in its first two games of the season, wins over host Worthington Christian and London on March 20, but had given up more than eight points just once since.

The top four teams advanced to the state tournament May 16 at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton. Burton Berkshire and Macedonia Nordonia also earned state berths.

Westerville North flag football quarterback Lainey McComb makes a soft toss during the Warriors' May 4 practice. North's season came to an end May 11 with a 24-0 loss to Grafton Midview in the first round of the Cleveland Browns Girls High School Flag Football regional tournament.

The 16-team regional field was comprised of 11 division champions in the Browns league, which is comprised of central and northeast Ohio, and five wild-card teams.