When Plainfield East‘s flag football team met District 202 rival Plainfield South on Wednesday, each team had a different method of moving the ball.

Both were effective, but it was the Plainfield East running game, spearheaded by Siah Purnell, that led the Bengals (2-5, 2-2) to a 25-20 Southwest Prairie Conference win.

Purnell ran for 213 yards on just 10 carries and scored touchdowns from 44, 56 and 90 yards out.

Not too shabby for someone who had never played the sport before this season.

Purnell turned in a highlight-reel play on her first touchdown run.

She started split out wide to the right and took the ball on a reverse around the left end. She saw Plainfield South defenders near the sideline, so she went back the way she came and got around the end. Then, she made a nifty move to elude a couple of would-be flag pullers and sprinted the rest of the way into the end zone.

“I was just doing what comes naturally,” Purnell said. “I have always been pretty athletic, so I thought it would be fun to try football when we got it. I run a lot in my other sports [track and field and soccer], so that’s nothing new. I am pretty tired, though.

“It feels great to beat another Plainfield team. They are in the same boat as us with this being their first year, so it’s a pretty even matchup.”

It was indeed.

Plainfield South (2-4, 0-4) showed off its aerial attack early, as freshman quarterback Brooke McDonald hit Destini Sims for a 38-yard gain on the second play from scrimmage. The Cougars continued to move the ball through the air, and McDonald and Sims connected for a seven-yard TD to put their team ahead 6-0.

East followed with Purnell’s weaving TD and converted on a run by Tonica Williams to grab a 7-6 lead. The Bengals’ defense then forced South into a turnover on downs, and Purnell sprinted 56 yards around the right end for another touchdown. The conversion pass failed, and East led 13-6.

South came right back and this time, McDonald hit her sister Carly for a 46-yard TD that pulled the Cougars to within 13-12 with just 1:58 to play in the first half. The Cougar defense then forced a punt and took over at midfield. Brooke McDonald then hit Zahira Edwards for a 34-yard touchdown as time expired to give South an 18-13 halftime lead.

Brooke McDonald finished the game with 337 passing yards and three touchdowns, completing 25 of 39 passes.

The Bengals got the ball to start the second half, but a pair of penalties had them facing 3rd and 10 from their own 10. Purnell took a pitch around the right end and outran everyone else on the field for a 90-yard TD. The conversion run failed, but the Bengals owned a 19-18 lead.

After forcing a South punt, East took over at the Cougars’ 45. They drove down the field, highlighted by a 14-yard run by Purnell. Quarterback Jaylin Milano hit Wosa Osazuwa for a four-yard touchdown and a 25-18 lead after the conversion pass failed.

South had a 73-yard TD pass from Brooke McDonald to Carly McDonald wiped out due to a penalty, but drove deep into Bengal territory before being stopped on back-to-back sacks by East’s Veronica Sawyer.

The Cougars’ defense stepped up and got a safety when Sade Davis pulled Purnell’s flag in the end zone to make it 25-20 and giving South the ball at its own 30 with 2:23 to play. On fourth down, Kimoree Patrick ran for a 19-yard gain and a first down before Brooke McDonald hit Gabriella Montufar for a 30-yard gain to the Bengals’ 21 with 30 seconds to play. They couldn’t get into the end zone, though, and East held on for the win.

“I am so proud of these girls,” East coach Lauren McNichols said. “We needed this so bad. We had lost four in a row coming in and were scoreless in three of those. We were pretty tough on the girls in practice, but they responded very well. I have to credit my assistants [Dave Jackson and Chris Fills]. They do a great job.

“Our girls have talent, and we know what they can do. To see them do it on the field in a game is great. We know they can do it, and now they know they can do it.”