Dominant defense is the backbone of the Dos Pueblos High flag football team, and the Chargers leaned on that side of the ball to defeat rival San Marcos 14-6 on Tuesday night at Warkentin Stadium.
The Chargers built a 14-0 halftime lead and withstood a late San Marcos rally to secure the win and keep their Channel League title hopes alive.
“Our goals are still in front of us, but we have to win out to win the Channel League, and this was a big first step,” said Dos Pueblos coach Doug Caines. “We gave up one play the whole game, and unfortunately, it cost us there, but we were able to weather that storm.”
An interception off a tipped pass by Tabby Weller set up the first Dos Pueblos touchdown, as the Chargers converted the turnover into points with a five-yard pass from Ruby Streatfeild to Brooklyn Hedricks. Streatfeild ran in the ensuing extra point to give Dos Pueblos a 7-0 lead.
With the clock ticking under a minute in the first half, Dos Pueblos extended its lead to 14-0 after a 28-yard touchdown pass from Streatfeild to Jane Gibson. The duo connected again on the ensuing extra point.
“Some schools have a girl with 1,800 yards or 1,700 yards (receiving), and we don’t have that. We have multiple girls over 700 yards,” said Caines of his team’s balance on offense. “I think it’s cool that we’re a balanced offense. It makes it hard. You can’t just sit here and guard Brooklyn (Hedricks) or guard Kindah (Ahmad-Reda).”
The Royals found a spark on offense in the fourth quarter. San Marcos junior quarterback Victoria Aldana led a long scoring drive that ended with a 19-yard touchdown pass to sophomore Piper Kittle on fourth-and-goal. The failed extra point left San Marcos trailing 14-6.
Kittle went up in the air and made a spectacular catch over a Dos Pueblos defender in the corner of the end zone.
“We felt like the deep ball was something we had in our back pocket in both games, really. We were waiting for the right time to call it,” said San Marcos coach Walter Bazylewicz. “Honestly, that fourth-and-long was probably too predictable, but we just figured we’d give it a shot.”
Dos Pueblos threatened to extend its lead on the ensuing possession but was stopped on fourth down at the San Marcos 5-yard line. The Royals then had one final opportunity to tie the game, but the Chargers’ defense recorded four consecutive stops to secure the victory.
The Chargers improved to 17-3 overall and 6-1 in league play, while the Royals dropped to 12-9 and 1-5 after their third straight league loss. Dos Pueblos will have a bye Thursday before facing Rio Mesa next Tuesday, with a victory securing at least a share of the league championship.
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