The 2026 flag football season kicked off Thursday night for the Dons with an away game against Piedmont High School. Piedmont, a small enclave nestled in the Oakland hills, provided a picturesque setting for the first game of the year. The Highlanders were coming off a 5-13 campaign in 2025 and the schedule makers did them no favors by scheduling the powerful Dons for the season opener. And while this intrepid reporter was unable to attend due to work commitments (sigh), he heard from numerous, reliable sources that the Dons put on quite the show. On to the highlights!
Anyone who watched the Dons in last year’s NCS Championship game remembers that Prime Time June Natal had herself quite a game. To say that Natal picked up right where she left off would be an understatement. When the dust settled and the lights went out in Piedmont, Natal had tied the Acalanes single game record for touchdowns with 4, set four years ago in the program’s inaugural season. The most spectacular was on the first play from scrimmage of the second half. Dons quarterback Ines Coyne took the snap and rolled to her right. Natal, who had lined up as a slot receiver, ran a short out before cutting up the field on a double move. With a defender bearing down, Coyne launched an arcing spiral, hitting Natal in stride 30 yards down the field along the near side line. Natal made the over the shoulder catch look easy and turned on the jets, outracing the helpless Piedmont defenders all the way to the endzone for the highlight reel, 66 yard score. The cherry on the cake was Junior Varsity Coach Greg Orr yelling, “Oh, what a throw! Oh, what a throw!” before Natal even made the catch. The play also tied the Acalanes record for the longest touchdown in program history set last year by runningback Isabelle Agnost against Berean Christian. Coyne finished her night with 3 touchdowns passing and ran for another giving her 4 total touchdowns on the night. A fitting start for one of the Bay Area’s best players. Coyne was replaced by backup quarterback Stella Beuchotte late in the second half. Beuchotte was able to find Natal for her 4th touchdown catch of the game and Beuchotte’s first touchdown pass of the season.
On defense the Dons were stifling, continuing last year’s trend of shutting out opponents. Guess who, Prime Time Natal, chipped in with an interception to add to her already ridiculous stat line and Beuchotte added an interception to go with her touchdown pass. Freshman, Catherine Hattersley, in her first varsity game, recorded a sack giving opponents a taste of what they can expect over the next 4 years. Overall, it was a solid start for the Dons who looked explosive on offense and stout on defense. Stay tuned for an update with more detailed statistics for both offense and defense. Next up for the Dons is an away game at Freedom High School in Oakley on Monday. Go Dons!
