Girls flag football: Schaumburg pulls away from Carmel behind Bickhem, White, Phelps
Martha White makes her Schaumburg flag football teammates crack up.
Destiny Bickhem made that clear Friday night.
“She’s funny; she makes all of us laugh,” Bickhem said of the senior.
White’s play was considerably more serious.
So was Bickhem’s.
White made an impact on both sides of the ball, Bickhem rushed for 153 yards and three touchdowns, and Schaumburg pulled away from Carmel Catholic for a 27-13 nonconference victory at Baker Stadium in Mundelein.
The Saxons improved to 6-3. Carmel, which had won four straight, slipped to 4-3.
“Teamwork, communication,” Bickhem said of two keys to the win. “We looked out for each other. We told each other, ‘Breathe, stay calm,’ especially when we were down.”
Schaumburg had plenty of playmakers to help with that.
Junior quarterback Mia Phelps completed 9 of 17 passes for 147 yards and a touchdown and rushed 10 times for 79 yards. Bickhem needed only 11 carries to amass her 153 yards, while White caught four passes for 66 yards and a touchdown.
Saxons senior Stayan Porter added three receptions for 60 yards.
Carmel led 13-7 after sophomore quarterback Sophia Watson connected with senior Leanna Bell for an 89-yard touchdown with 2:26 remaining in the first half.
Schaumburg answered quickly.
Phelps hit White for 28 yards and Porter for 45 on consecutive plays before finding White for a three-yard touchdown with 23 seconds left. Phelps’ conversion run gave the Saxons a 14-13 halftime lead.
“First half, we thought we could rely on the deep ball,” Schaumburg coach Matt Gruszka said. “Second half, our blocking schemes allowed us to run the ball well, and our defense finally came alive.”
Did it ever.
Carmel reached Schaumburg’s 2-yard line late in the third quarter but came away empty. The Saxons responded with a 98-yard drive, highlighted by Bickhem’s 36-yard run and capped by her seven-yard touchdown.
Bickhem later provided the exclamation point, bursting 55 yards for a touchdown with 4:17 remaining.
Meanwhile, White was making tackles for loss, and junior Alexandra Salvartore recorded a sack nine yards behind the line of scrimmage as Schaumburg shut out Carmel after halftime.
Watson finished 11-of-15 passing for 168 yards and two touchdowns. Corsairs senior Maliyah Mays caught six passes, including a 12-yard touchdown, and rushed for 50 yards.
“We took some steps forward offensively,” Carmel coach Ben Berg said. “We’re getting better. The goal is to play our best in October, during the playoffs.”
Berg called Phelps one of the best quarterbacks Carmel has faced, lauding her speed, elusiveness and accuracy.
Bickhem could say plenty about White, too.
Great athlete. Excellent receiver. Hilarious.
White kept her own assessment simple.
“I like to play offense and defense,” she said.
Friday night, White gave Schaumburg plenty to smile about — on offense, defense, and everywhere in between.