San Marcos High quarterback Victoria Aldana sprinted toward the pylon with time winding down in the fourth quarter, but her desperation stretch for the end zone came up a yard short.
When the dust settled, Dos Pueblos defender Kindah Ahmad-Reda emerged with the game-clinching flag pull, and the Chargers held on for a 15-14 victory on Thursday night at Warkentin Stadium.
“What I love about this game is we’re letting people know that the 805 [area code] can play,” said Dos Pueblos coach Doug Caines. “We just don’t get a lot of coverage, a lot of press. A lot of girls down south are getting more offers because they’re just getting more spotlight.”
In a matchup between the top two flag football teams in Santa Barbara County — and perhaps the best public school teams in all of the CIF Southern Section — both squads made spectacular plays throughout the game to create a championship atmosphere.
The Chargers landed an early haymaker on the second play from scrimmage, as a short pass from Kacey Hurley to Ruby Streatfeild on the sideline turned into a 59-yard touchdown. Streatfeild made a couple of slick moves in the open field to evade San Marcos defenders.
Dos Pueblos converted the ensuing two-point conversion on a pass from Hurley to Taylor Grant to take an 8-0 lead with 11:40 remaining in the first quarter.
After the early score from Dos Pueblos, both defenses took over. There were a combined seven punts in the first half and two turnovers on downs, as outstanding play in the secondary on both sides eliminated the downfield passing game. The Chargers took their 8-0 lead into the halftime break.
“This was an incredible game. We knew it was going to be a grudge match, and they just battled through it. I feel like our girls kept their heads in it. They started off a little rocky, but then they just clicked back in,” said San Marcos co-head coach Jaylon Letendre. “That was a defensive battle for most of the game.”
Late in the third quarter, San Marcos found traction on offense. Aldana connected with Rio Chesluk for a 13-yard gain on fourth-and-six from the 26-yard line.
Two plays later, Peyton Sperling scampered into the end zone from two yards out, and Aldana added the two-point conversion on a quarterback scramble to even the score at 8-8 with 2:28 remaining in the third quarter.
After forcing a Dos Pueblos punt, San Marcos put together an 11-play, 66-yard scoring drive. Chesluk came down with a tipped ball in the end zone off a pass from Aldana to give the Royals a 14-8 lead with 6:22 remaining in the fourth quarter. The ensuing extra point was no good.
After being held scoreless since its first drive of the game, the Dos Pueblos offense came alive with the game on the line.
A pass from Hurley to Ahmad-Reda for a 15-yard gain gave the Chargers first-and-15 from the San Marcos 35, but they were called for an illegal forward pass that pushed them back to the 39-yard line.
On third-and-18 from the 38-yard line, San Marcos was called for roughing the passer, which gave the Chargers an automatic first down.
On third-and-goal from the 15-yard line, Kacey Hurley delivered the play of the game — a beautiful pass to the back of the end zone to a leaping Brooklyn Hedricks for a touchdown. The Chargers were successful on the ensuing one-point conversion, as Streatfeild connected with Ahmad-Reda to take a 15-14 lead with 1:20 remaining in the game.
The Royals (11-3 overall, 2-1 Channel League) drove back down the field but were stopped at the one-yard line as time expired.
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