The San Marcos High flag football team refused to give up on its season, rallying for a 13-12 victory over Ventura in a tiebreaker game Wednesday night to earn the third and final automatic playoff berth out of the Channel League.
Trailing 12-0, the Royals came storming back to defeat the visiting Cougars for the second time in a 24-hour span. San Marcos also beat Ventura on the road Tuesday night to force the de facto play-in game.
“We knew we’ve been really close all year long. I told the girls that they have a high ceiling,” said San Marcos coach Walter Bazylewicz. “They are going to just keep getting better. They’re starting to learn how to win some of these close games.”
With the victory, San Marcos (15-9 overall, 4-5 Channel League) has now won three straight games heading into the playoffs.
Ventura came out firing early in the game. Quarterback Mya Rodriguez launched a deep ball to freshman Piper Limauro for a 47-yard touchdown pass with 3:04 remaining in the first quarter.
The Cougars missed the ensuing extra point and had to settle for a 6-0 lead.
After a quick three-and-out by San Marcos, Ventura took advantage of a short field and extended its lead. Rodriguez found Kaylee Leblanc for a touchdown on fourth-and-goal from the 7-yard line, increasing the Cougars’ lead to 12-0 with 9:32 left in the second quarter.
“It was a little bit of adversity because they jumped on us. The first half was exactly the opposite of what it was last night,” Bazylewicz said. “Our defense dug in and our offense found a way to put some drives together.”
With momentum firmly in Ventura’s corner, San Marcos mounted a 12-play drive that was capped by a 1-yard touchdown pass from Victoria Aldana to Piper Kittle with 3:03 remaining in the second quarter. The Royals cut their deficit to 12-7 after Aldana successfully ran in the one-point conversion.
Midway through the third quarter, San Marcos struck again, with Aldana finding sophomore Maya Llewellan on a 27-yard pass to the 8-yard line. Two plays later, Aldana connected with Llewellan again for a 4-yard touchdown with 7:32 remaining in the third quarter, giving the Royals a 13-12 lead.
Both defenses held firm for the remainder of the game, but Ventura refused to quit and moved the ball to the San Marcos 19-yard line. However, an interception by Scarlett Holian on the final play ended the threat.
Ventura also had a 19-yard touchdown run by Rodriguez called back because of an illegal block during its final drive.
San Marcos will learn its playoff matchup on Friday, October 16.
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