The Dons solid season and march towards the playoffs continued this week with two road games. First up was the Ygnacio Valley Wolves at their beautiful home field with stunning vistas of Mount Diablo in the background.
Highlights for the game included two touchdowns by junior tailback Isabelle Agnost, one rushing and one receiving. Star receiver Ines Coyne added an 11 yard touchdown reception and two receptions on successful point after attempts. Senior quarterback Stella Beuchotte had herself a night on both sides of the ball. In addition to her two touchdown passes, Beuchotte had touchdown runs of 1 yd and 18 yards. As if running and throwing touchdowns were not enough, on defense, Beuchotte intercepted a pass deep in Wolves territory and raced into the endzone for the pick 6.
The defense also contributed numerous stellar plays. Safety Leah Roth had a tip drill interception which she returned across midfield to the YV 30 yard line to help set up a Dons score. Senior stud linebacker, Avery DeMent chipped in with a pick that she returned 25 yards all the way down to the YV 1 yard line leading to another Dons touchdown. Pash rusher Stella Mason and Coyne had flag pulls for losses. Overall, it was an excellent all around performance by the Dons against a much improved Ygnacio Valley squad.
The biggest highlight of the game, however, might have been the lights turning off at halftime leaving the field in total darkness for 15 to 20 minutes. With cell phones aglow, the Acalanes parents broke into an amazing rendition of Sweet Caroline to entertain the crowd while waiting for the game to resume.
On Wednesday, the Dons faced the Clayton Valley Ugly Eagles, currently the #7 ranked team in the NCS. The Dons had a great showing with a ton of explosive plays but ultimately came up short against a team that has one of the best quarterbacks in all of the Bay Area. The Dons got off to a fast start, scoring on the first drive of the game. Beuchotte came out hot, firing multiple completions to Coyne and DeMent. Agnost chipped in with her legs to move the Dons into scoring position. Beuchotte then found DeMent in the endzone to put the Dons up 6-0.
The Dons would get a taste of just how good the Clayton Valley quarterback is. Behind strong accurate passes and excellent timing, the Eagles responded with a touchdown drive of their own. A successful PAT put the Eagles up 7-6. Clayton Valley dominated the time of possession in the first half scoring one more time to make the score 14-6 at the midway point of the game. The Eagles got the ball coming out of the half and again marched slowly but methodically down the field to go up 20-6. By the start of the 4th quarter the Eagles lead had grown to 27-6 but the Dons were not finished. With one of the most beautiful throws of the season, Beuchotte found DeMent on a deep wheel route along the visitors sideline for a highlight reel 40 yard touchdown to make the game 27-12.
After forcing a punt, the Dons responded again with another touchdown drive. Beuchotte found Prime Time June Natal on a deep out the Natal turned into a 30+ yard gain. Beuchotte called her own number and ran the ball into the endzone to bring the score to 27-18. On their next drive, Clayton Valley was able to run out the clock to secure the win. In this intrepid reporter’s opinion the offense looked fantastic this game. Beuchotte was successful both running and passing all night. The Clayton Valley quarterback had the best game throwing the ball this reporter has ever seen and that was what it took to beat the Dons. The experience gained from this game will serve the Dons well as they march towards the playoffs. Next up for the Dons in an away game against the Benicia Panthers. See you in the stands!
