ROYAL PALM BEACH — Wellington flag football overcame a Forest Hill rally, defeating the Falcons 25-13 Wednesday night behind the herculean efforts of Jordan Fernandez and Manuela Reyes.

The Wolverines (12-2) managed 19 straight points to open up the 2A-District 11 semifinal, powered by a pair of first-half strikes from Keelin Coleman.

But while Wellington appeared to be on cruise control, the Falcons (13-3) merely stepped harder on the gas pedal in the second half, with Taylor Brockman throwing two touchdowns to sister Riley Brockman.

Nursing a one-score lead, the Wolverines defenses entered lockdown mode late in the fourth, sandwiching a pair of stops around Reyes’ second touchdown of the game.

Sydney Lopez stopped a promising Forest Hill drive with back-to-back sacks, and then Fernandez’s interception – her second of the game – ended the Falcons’ comeback bid.Wellington will play Seminole Ridge for the district championship at Royal Palm Beach High School Thursday at 7 p.m.

Here are three takeaways from the Wolverines’ victory.

Wellington’s offensive trifecta powers early lead 

Between Coleman, Fernandez, and Reyes, the Wolverines are managing over 23 points per contest, and that offensive proficiency was once more on display Wednesday night.

Coleman, one of the top players in Palm Beach County, distributed the ball from the pocket and on the run and Fernandez and Reyes repeatedly delivered in big moments, such as the former’s athletic grab in the back of the end zone that put Wellington up by two scores.

While the defense deserves credit for the first-half shutout, the Wolverines offense applied just as much pressure by keeping the ball rolling.

And rather than soak up the compliments themselves, the girls spent the post-game interview lifting their teammates up.

“Manuela, she’s the G.O.A.T.,” Fernandez said. “She got two touchdowns today and without her, the score would have been much lower,” she added to the laughs of her nearby teammates.

The second scoring play by Reyes came with some theatrics from Coleman, who faked the bad snap while the receiver took the ball off tackle into the end zone.

The play followed the QB's 40-yard launch to freshman Samantha Ellis, who beat her defender and raced down the near sideline.

“Keelin is also the G.O.A.T,” Fernandez added with a smile.

Sister connection powers Forest Hill comeback bid 

As connections go, it doesn't get much better –or closer – than the Brockman sisters.

Senior quarterback Taylor threw two touchdowns to sophomore sister Riley in the Falcons’ comeback attempt. While it wasn’t quite enough to secure a berth in the district finals, it certainly breathed life into Forest Hill – and renewed excitement into the semifinals match

“The girls never quit, and we always say we’re a second-half team,” head coach Anjelica Blum said. “Unfortunately, when you’re down 19 points, it’s tough to just be a second-half team. But they never quit, and that’s all I can ask.”

The Brockman sisters got things going for Forest Hill when Taylor found Riley on a short pass over the middle. Riley’s flag was pulled, but too early, as the receiver was bobbling the ball.

She proceeded to take it to the house for a long score, putting the Falcons on the board.

“I think there’s always a connection between sisters, but she’s also the fastest girl on the field,” Taylor said of her sister. “She’s the one who catches the ball the most. I’m going to rely on her the most. When you get to share that with somebody, it’s really special.”

The sister duo linked up for another touchdown before game’s end, the two-score game spelling a fitting finale for the two.

Wellington searches for first win against Seminole Ridge

The Wolverines may be the top seed in the district. They may have lost just two games, by a combined two points. And they may also be coming off a big win in their semifinals matchup.

But Seminole Ridge is a different beast entirely – and it’s one Wellington's program hasn’t yet to overcome.

“Seminole Ridge is the standard around here,” head coach Robert Callovi said. “They’ve got all the state championships. We as a school have never beaten Seminole Ridge. We know that’s the end-of-year goal. We feel pretty good about the team we’ve got, but they’ve got to be ready to come out and play a tough game tomorrow.”

En route to the second seed, the Hawks have allowed 38 points across 12 games, most recently defeating Palm Beach Gardens to secure their spot in the district championship.

In order to beat them, Callovi knows that his Wolverines have to keep their foot on the gas a bit more consistently than they did during Wednesday's semifinal.

“After we scored that third touchdown to go up 19-0, we kind of took our foot off the pedal a little bit and let them back into the game,” Callovi said. “We had to fight at the end. So I think it was a good learning lesson for the girls that once we get a lead, we’ve got to play with that same intensity. We’ve got to make sure we’re putting the game away.”

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Wellington Wolverines top Forest Hill Falcons in flag football districts