The Dos Pueblos High flag football team proved it belonged on the big stage of the CIF-SS Division 1 semifinals.
The Chargers went toe-to-toe with top-seeded and unbeaten JSerra during a scoreless first half before running out of gas in the second half of a 20-0 loss on Saturday night at Scott O’Leary Stadium.
“That first half — a couple of inches here or there — and that’s a completely different football game. That’s sports; it’s a game of inches,” said Dos Pueblos coach Doug Caines. “There hasn’t been one football game that we didn’t have a legitimate chance to win, and this was no exception.”
The first half was a defensive slugfest, as both teams showcased impressive preparation and execution on that side of the ball.
Kindah Ahmad-Reda came up big for Dos Pueblos with an interception on JSerra’s first drive of the game. The Chargers took over at the Lions’ 16-yard line but moved the ball forward only three yards on four plays before turning it over on downs.
JSerra marched the ball down the field on its ensuing drive but stalled in the red zone after a clutch sack by Zenia Potter.
The Chargers drove into the red zone again on their next possession after a 28-yard pass from Kacey Hurley to Brooklyn Hedricks and a 10-yard run by Ruby Streatfield, aided by an illegal contact penalty. However, the JSerra defense stood tall, and an interception by freshman Tessa Russell thwarted the scoring opportunity with 32 seconds remaining in the first quarter.
Carly Letendre ended the next JSerra drive with an interception of a long pass with 10:18 remaining in the second quarter.
In the second half, the Lions avoided turnovers and got on the board at the 6:49 mark of the third quarter on a seven-yard pass from freshman Kate Meier to Russell.
“This is the first class that we’ve had at JSerra where they are flag football players as their primary sport. Everybody else is playing soccer, lacrosse, or softball,” said JSerra coach Brian Ong. “This freshman class — we are fortunate to have three girls who play on the national team, and we have a fourth, Sterling Flores, who I’m sure will make the national team this year for 15U.”
After the two teams traded punts, Russell intercepted a Dos Pueblos pass and returned it for a touchdown, increasing JSerra’s lead to 13-0.
Another interception, this time by freshman Sterling Flores, set up the Lions with excellent field position. On the first play of the next drive, Meier connected with Ava Irwin on an 18-yard touchdown pass with 11:49 remaining in the fourth quarter to give JSerra a 20-0 lead.
“Hats off to Dos Pueblos — they are a heck of a football team, as good as advertised, and their defense is solid,” Ong said of the scoreless first half. “It was just a matter of figuring out what they were doing and putting the girls in the right spot to succeed.”
The Chargers conclude a historic season with a 24-3 overall record and a share of the Channel League title.
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