The girls varsity flag football team continued to rack up the wins this week, surviving a scrappy and physical Bear attack from Concord on Monday then shutting out a highly ranked Alhambra squad that has eleven wins on Wednesday.
First up on Monday Night Football was the Concord Bears. Over the course of the game the Bears demonstrated that they are both fast and physical. The Bears have several players near the league lead in several categories, specifically rushing and sacks. The Dons defense made the Bears pay early however. Super Senior Ines Coyne got the game started with an early sack of the Bears quarterback. A play or two later, All Everything linebacker Avery DeMent intercepted a Concord pass in the flat and outraced the remaining Concord players to the endzone for the pick 6. The point after was no good and the Dons were out to a quick 6-0 lead.
On Concord’s third drive of the game it was senior Stella Beuchotte’s turn to pick off a Concord pass. Beuchotte stepped in front of the Bears quarterback’s pass giving the Dons the ball at the Concord 38 yard line. Common wisdom says that you are not supposed to run from Bears. Someone forgot to tell stud running back Isabelle Agnost. After Buechotte hit Coyne for a 15 yard gain, Agnost ripped off a run of 12 yards for a first down. A short time later, Agnost ripped off 10 more to punch it in for the touchdown. Beuchotte found junior receiver standout Prime Time June Natal for the point after increasing the Dons lead to 13-0.
The next few drives went back and forth between the two squads. Pass rush specialist Ashlyn McCoin recorded a nice sack and Natal had a pass defensed. Rather than wither under the Dons relentless pressure, the Bears settled down. Using their speed and physicality, the Bears were able to drive down and score a touchdown to close the gap to 13-6. The Bears had a chance to tie right before the half. With the ball on the Acalanes 1 yard line, the Bears tried to run up the gut but Beuchotte made a great flag pull at the goal line to end the threat and the first half.
The second half started with a bang. On the first play from scrimmage Beuchotte and Agnost ran an option left. Agnost took the pitch and wiggled through three defenders before turning on the jets. Agnost split two more defenders at midfield before leaving the final Bear defender in the dust for the 66 yard touchdown. Beuchotte fired a pass to Coyne for the PAT and the score was now 20-6. With the 98 yard rushing performance against Concord, Agnost eclipsed the 3000 yard rushing mark for her varsity career. The remainder of the game was a penalty filled slugfest. Dons receiver Mira Clark had big receptions of 35 and 10 yards. Coyne continued to terrorize opposing quarterbacks recording 3 more sacks in the second half. Stella Mason added to the Bears quarterback’s misery recording a sack. The Bears were able to score a touchdown in the closing minute but it was too little too late. The Dons took the victory with the final score of 20-13.
On Wednesday the Dons faced off against the number 2 ranked team in NCS Division 3, the Alhambra Bulldogs. The Bulldogs came in with an 11-5 record and high hopes but would leave disappointed. Future generations will look back and refer to this game as the Santana Tamayo Show. On the Dons opening drive running back Isabelle Agnost tore through the Alhambra defense for gains of 7, 10 and 10 yards, all for first downs. Eager to stop the run, the Alhambra defense stacked the box. Big mistake. Beuchotte found Tamayo streaking deep for the 30 yard reception and touchdown number one. The point after was no good and the Dons were out to a quick 6-0 lead. The teams traded possessions several times before Beuchotte picked off an Alhambra pass, setting the Dons up at the Alhambra 38 yard line. Beuchotte then fired a pass to Coyne for a big chunk gain of 20 yards. A short time later, Beuchotte found Tamayo deep again for 21 yards and touchdown number two! Coyne snagged a pass for the point after and at the half the score was 13-0.
The Dons defense stepped up to stop Alhambra early in the second half. Pass rusher Malory Decredico recorded a sack setting up an interception by the best defender in the D.A.L., Ines Coyne. Not satisfied with just the pick, on the ensuing Acalanes drive, Coyne hauled in a 25 yard reception plus 10 more when Alhambra was flagged for holding. Beuchotte then found DeMent for a chunk 15 yard play. With the ball deep in Alhambra territory the Dons resorted to some trickery. Beuchotte lined up in shotgun formation with Coyne on her left and Agnost on her right. Beuchotte handed off to Coyne who sprinted towards the near sideline for what looked like an option play with Agnost. The Alhambra defense thought the same thing and came crashing down. The trap was sprung. Coyne pulled up and fired a laser to, guess who, Santana Tamayo in the back of the endzone for her third touchdown reception of the day. Beuchotte then showed off her wheels out sprinting Bulldog defenders to the pylon for the point after and the score was 20-0.
The defense put the game away. Prime Time Natal had an interception, Ashby Raher had a nice pass defensed and McCoin notched another sack. On offense, the Dons were able to run out the clock behind a big reception by receiver Hazel Raaum and the legs of running back Noelle Dobies. Final score 20-0.
With the two wins the Dons improved their record to 11-4 and are currently ranked 6th in NCS Division 2. The last week of the regular season sees the Dons travel to Mt. Diablo high school on Monday before a senior night home finale against that school from Moraga on Wednesday. With the NCS playoffs just around the corner, the Dons, winners of 7 of their last 8, are getting hot and look to be peaking at just the right time. See you in the stands!
