The Acalanes Dons wrapped up a whirlwind of three games in just four days, notching the first win in program history and showing their fight and resilience in every game.
Game One: A See Saw Battle
Acalanes opened the week at home against Benicia and were locked in from the first snap. On the opening sophomore running back Avery Titus, freshman receiver Margaret Stirling, and freshman center Lauren Gallagher each found pay dirt and each giving the Dons first downs to set a confident tone. But the drive stalled short of the end zone.
Benicia’s offense answered with a long march drive capped by a touchdown to go up 7–0. On the next drive, the Dons hit adversity—penalties and negative plays left them with questions. But Titus found the answer, slicing through the defense for a powerful 55-yard touchdown run. A missed extra point left The Dons trailing 7–6.
Then the defense dug in. Freshman Violette Cline shot into the backfield for a tackle for loss, while freshmen Maddie Garber, Amber Qin, and Rania Adil locked down the passing lanes. Their coverage freed Titus to sack the Benicia quarterback and flip the momentum.
Taking over on downs, sophomore QB Ashby Raher guided the Dons with tough runs and smart throws before Titus finished the drive with a 31-yard scoring dash, giving Acalanes its first lead of the game at 12–7.
But Benicia punched right back, retaking a 14–12 advantage before halftime. The second half proved tougher—though Ximena Espinosa Angel put the Dons in good field position with a 19-yard punt return but the Dons ultimately came up short. Benicia was on the move and threatening again but sophomore Ashlyn McCoin delivered a clutch fourth-down tackle to force a punt to give Acalanes the ball back late, but the Dons couldn’t get the offense rolling again and Benicia’s passing attack iced the game, handing Acalanes a 21–12 defeat.
Game Two: History Made at College Park
Two days later the Dons traveled to College Park with confidence. They didn’t wait long to show their talents. On the third play from scrimmage, Raher pitched to Titus, who streaked 60 yards to the house for a quick 6–0 lead.
The defense, led by drive stalling tackles for losses from McCoin and Cline, set the tone by forcing a punt. After a Raher-to-Adil 17-yard completion, the drive fizzled, but the defense stood tall again giving the ball back to Acalanes. On the next possession, Titus took another option pitch and went for 31 yards and a touchdown. Moments later, the defense forced College Park into a safety, stretching the margin to 14–0.
Raher then put on a passing clinic—finding Adil, Gallagher, and Titus on crisp completions before hitting Gallagher in the end zone for a four-yard strike. The defense racked up more stops including a sack by Qin and the Dons soon punched in another touchdown to balloon the lead to 26–0.
Despite a touchdown saving tackle by freshman Kamryn Dudley on the final defensive stand of the game, College Park finally scored, but it was too little, too late. The scoreboard read Acalanes 26, College Park 6, the first JV flag football victory in Acalanes program history.
Game Three: Heartbreaker at Monte Vista
Fresh off the win, Acalanes hit the road again—this time to face Monte Vista. The Mustangs were ready and their quarterback and receiver combined for a 55-yard bomb, jumping ahead 7–0.
But the Dons didn’t flinch. Titus and Raher strung together consecutive first downs before Titus found the end zone to trim the deficit to 7–6. Monte Vista took over and drove down the field and despite a key tackle by freshman Emilia Deutsch Stella which put the Mustangs on their heels, they were eventually able to strike back with a 29-yard touchdown run, extending the lead to 13–6, but undeterred, Acalanes answered right back on a Titus 21 yard run to the red zone and a Raher strike to Gallagher for the go-ahead score. Suddenly, the Dons were on top 14–13.
The defense turned up the heat, with Espinosa Angel breaking up a deep ball near the end of the half keeping the Dons on top. Coming out of the break, freshman Julia Polson Flanigan and McCoin delivered back-to-back tackles for a loss to force a punt. One play later, Titus took the handoff and electrified the crowd with a 51-yard touchdown, putting Acalanes in control at 20–13.
Monte Vista fought back with another touchdown drive to make it 20–19 going into the fourth quarter. After first down catches by Gallagher and McCoin, a penalty slowed the Dons. Looking to put the game away and put the Dons in the driver’s seat, Raher was picked off, and Monte Vista drove down the field for a 26–20 lead.
Still, Acalanes refused to quit. The defense forced one more break when Adil snatched an interception, giving the Dons one last shot to win it at the end. Raher marched the offense downfield with a first down toss to Gallagher and a quarterback keeper, but Monte Vista’s defense sealed it with an interception in the red zone with just 38 seconds left, denying Acalanes what would have been a storybook comeback.
Despite being denied their second win The Dons finished the week proving that they have the fight and determination to compete with anyone.
