The girls flag football team defeated the Aragon Dons 34-13 on Wednesday afternoon.
The Bears began the game with shaky defense, with the Dons gaining 40 yards on their first down. However, M-A quickly tightened their guard with senior cornerback Aryn Roodman intercepting Aragon’s throw for a prompt turnover.
On offense, the Bears struggled again. After a missed attempt at a touchdown, the ball was given back to Aragon for their second possession. This time, the Dons surged ahead, scoring a touchdown despite M-A’s valiant fight to block them. Aragon effectively completed a one-point conversion, raising the score to 7-0 and giving them the lead to conclude the first quarter.
Despite this early setback, the Bears continued to fight. After sophomore center Hannah Priest received junior quarterback Eliana Clapp’s* swift throw, she raced the ball to the end zone, putting the Bears on the board, and senior blocker Juliana Pandolfo determinedly attained the extra point, tying the score at 7-7.
M-A’s momentum kept building. On the Bears’ first down, Clapp made an immaculate handoff to senior running back Mo Rhai Balinton, who tore down the field with the ball. Balinton darted swiftly between defenders until she broke through Aragon’s defensive line and into the end zone, securing another touchdown to put the Bears in the lead 14-7.
With the clock at 42 seconds, Aragon briefly regained the ball. After failing to advance, they attempted a punt, only to be masterfully intercepted by Balinton. Balinton forged ahead, earning the Bears considerable yardage as they began their next play with only 29 seconds remaining in the first half.
M-A momentarily lost its impetus, receiving a penalty when Clapp didn’t snap the ball on time. The Bears were unable to score before halftime, going into the second half up 14-7.
In the third quarter, M-A furthered its advantage, swiftly gaining yardage. Clapp connected with senior running back Isabelle Habibi to score another touchdown for the Bears, extending their lead to 21-7.
Back on offense, M-A made several unsuccessful attempts at running the ball to the end zone. However, only yards away from the end zone, sophomore wide receiver Bella Gormsen maneuvered her way into a touchdown on fourth down for the Bears, setting the score at 28-7.
M-A spent a fleeting moment on defense until sophomore safety Effi Lee captured the Dons’ 25-yard pass, putting power back into the Bears’ hands.
M-A capitalized on this, as senior wide receiver Natalie Knitter cleanly caught a pass and shot across the end zone line, scoring the first touchdown of her flag football career and bringing the Bears’ score up to 34-7.
“This is my third year playing. I’m just so grateful that I got the chance to score a touchdown,” Knitter said.
Even with M-A solidly in the lead, the Dons made a last effort to score. After a handoff, Aragon sprinted the entire field with the ball, giving them their second touchdown of the game, 34-13.
In the remaining minutes of the game, Roodman made determined attempts to lead her team to another touchdown. The clock ran out before they could score again, and the Bears cheered after the final score settled at 34-13, securing their win.
“I’m really proud of our team and how we bounced back. They scored a touchdown early on, but then everyone contributed and helped on defense, and offensively we played really well,” Gormsen said.
“I think just the team was super hyped to be able to rally around [Knitter] and around these fun plays that we had,” Pandolfo said.
The Bears will face the San Mateo Bearcats away on Tuesday at 6 p.m.
*Eliana Clapp is a journalist for the M-A Chronicle.
