Booker T. Washington’s Kamryn Hughes made a bold, but accurate, statement after the Wildcats flag football team dominated in the District 1-2A quarterfinals over Escambia.
“We’re making a whole lot of history at Booker T.,” she said with a smile, along with the core group of leadership for the Wildcats. That also included Devani Williams, Da’rieon Gilbert and Jordan Jeffcoat. Booker T., currently 9-2 and in the district playoffs, is in the middle of its second winning season in program history.
The Wildcats’ only two losses, entering Tuesday’s semifinal game against Fort Walton Beach, were against highly-ranked teams in Fort Walton Beach and Pace.
For Drew Lafontant, who took over as head coach for Booker T. this season, it’s been about the process over the last two seasons of changing the culture for the Wildcats and getting “the right leadership in place.”
After only graduating one senior at the end of the 2024 season, there wasn’t much turnover coming into the 2025 campaign. The culture and work ethic was the same. And all the players knew the coaching staff’s expectations already. “A season like this was expected,” Lafontant added.
“We wanted our seniors and juniors to hold the freshmen and sophomores accountable. We were able to implement that early. Once we got the work ethic and culture going, the rest was easy. Learning plays was easy,” Lafontant said. “That’s it, really. That was the beginning of it.”
After opening the season with that loss to Fort Walton Beach, the Wildcats won six straight games before falling to Pace. Included in that streak was an incredible seven-overtime victory over Destin, 31-30.
That game became a “defining moment” of Booker T.’s current season, and showed Lafontant the “true grit” that his players boast.
“We ran out of water during that game. We ran out after the second overtime. I told the girls, ‘Hey, we can either lay down now and get some water, or we can fight through it,'” Lafontant said. “They were like, ‘We’re fighting.'”
“I could just see how good this team was after the Destin game,” Jeffcoat said.
Booker T., entering the district tournament, had a solid chance for a spot in the region tournament as well. If the Wildcats don’t get an automatic bid from a district championship, they were in the top eight of the region for an at-large bid.
It’d be back-to-back seasons that Booker T. made it to the region tournament. Last season, the Wildcats fell to Choctaw, which was ultimately a state Final Four team.
The 2025 season has “built on the confidence” for the future, Lafontant mentioned.
“We have some great underclassmen. Winning is the expectation now. It’s no longer, ‘I want to win.’ Now, it’s ‘when we win,'” Lafontant said. “That’s huge. That’s the biggest thing. They know what the expectations are now. We’re just going to ride this wave, man.”
“Whenever we leave and graduate, we want them to step up and take the positions,” Jeffcoat said. “We’re all trying to leave a good example.”
‘Building that foundation’
Booker T., and the rest of Escambia County, however, could be perceived to be at a disadvantage compared to neighboring counties.
Programs in Santa Rosa and Okaloosa counties, for example, have opportunities for student-athletes that start in middle school or even elementary school for some.
Instead of having players try out for the team their freshman year having already known the game, Lafontant has used social media to attract players to the sport of flag football.
And, so far, it’s worked. Booker T. had 45 players try out for the Wildcats’ team this year, which was worked down to 26 by the time the season rolled around.
“The kids are on social media already, right? So we show them highlights on Instagram or Facebook and show them Reels. They’re like, ‘Oh my gosh, did you see that move?’ Now, they like the sport,” Lafontant said. “They have people they want to mimic that they see on social media. That’s how we get the buy in. …
“It’s big, just building that foundation.”
As Booker T. continues to grow in Escambia County, Lafontant said he considers the Wildcats “trailblazers for flag football” in the county. While the program continues to chase those like Pace and Choctaw, Lafontant wants to help other programs in Escambia County grow as well.
“You’re only as strong as your weakest link,” Lafontant said.
Tate, Escambia, Pine Forest and Pensacola High are all city-area schools that boast flag football teams in the county. Northview also has a team, but plays an independent schedule in the FHSAA.
Lafontant’s goal is to have camps and clinics over the summer with other coaches to let them see what Booker T.’s sport-building “strategies” are.
“We’re learning from the ground up. That’s the difference between us – being Escambia County – and teams in Santa Rosa and Okaloosa,” Lafontant said. “We want to increase the competition level in Escambia County, then be able to go to other counties and win those games.”
“We are standing out,” Gilbert said. “We want to carry that banner.”
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Washington flag football continues to grow sport in Escambia County
