The girls flag football team secured a decisive 20-6 victory over the Hillsdale Knights for senior night on Monday evening.
Before the game, the team celebrated its 13 seniors with posters and cheers.
“I really appreciate all the effort the team put in, and I think that also made the experience so much more special because we were all just really wanting to win for each other,” senior linebacker Juliana Pandolfo said.
Senior Mo’Rhai Balinton walks with her family. 
Senior Natalie Knitter walks with her family. 
Senior Juliana Pandolfo walks with her family. 
Senior Atessa Gholamy walks with her family. 
Senior Shea Watson walks with her family. 
Senior Alexandra Jones walks with her family. 
Senior Iliana Narvaez walks with her family. 
Senior Bella Recendez walks with her family. 
Senior Aryn Roodman walks with her family. 
Senior Isabelle Habibi walks with her family. 
Senior Aisley Burch walks with her family.
The Bears started the game on defense, but just two minutes in, senior middle linebacker Atessa Gholamy intercepted a pass to obtain possession. Junior quarterback Eliana Clapp facilitated the offense with well-placed passes to attempt to gain momentum. However, M-A couldn’t get into a rhythm, and their drive ended with a punt.
Back on defense, M-A forced mistakes from Hillsdale early. Senior defensive back Aisley Burch and Pandolfo facilitated the pressure, pulling three flags in a row.
With just over six minutes left, the Bears regained the ball from a turnover on downs. Despite this, their possession was short-lived, ending abruptly after a quick run by sophomore wide receiver Bella Gormsen.
The Knights struggled to advance against the Bears’ rock-solid defense. Senior rusher Alex Jones sacked the Hillsdale quarterback, and senior rusher Shea Watson followed by forcing an incomplete pass on the next play.
The second quarter began with a punt from Hillsdale, which Clapp returned. After two incomplete passes, M-A recovered with a catch by Pandolfo to secure a first down, and Clapp delivered another clean pass to Gormsen.
The Knights intercepted the ball, and the Bears shifted their intensity towards defense. Pandolfo pulled another flag, which was quickly followed by high pressure on the quarterback from Burch and senior rusher Miya Yu. The Bears’ hard work paid off, allowing senior cornerback Aryn Roodman to snatch an interception.
Senior wide receiver Mo’Rhai Balinton led the Bears’ offense with an excellent run to gain yards. Clapp then sent a perfect ball to Gormsen to take the lead. M-A got the one-point conversion off a rush by Clapp to go up 7-0 with six minutes left in the half.
Burch locked down the Knights, pulling multiple flags and blocking Hillsdale’s passes. M-A pressured the Knights’ offense with Balinton, Watson, and Gormsen fighting hard to get the ball back.
“At the start, it was a little rough, but then we were able to connect and do well,” Roberts said.
After a turnover, Clapp ran the ball to gain a first down for the Bears. M-A worked their way up the field, but Clapp’s pass landed just wide of the sideline, and the half ended with the Bears in the lead 7-0.
The Bears started the second half with the ball. M-A continually connected their passes, with Clapp throwing the ball to her teammates, with a direct pass to Gormsen, who gained 10 yards. The Bears attempted to continue to advance down the field, but were unable to continue their previous success, turning over the ball on downs.
Hillsdale was able to move past M-A’s defense. However, the energy shifted when Balinton caught the Knights’ punt and passed it to Roodman, who managed to get past Hillsdale’s defense, gaining 20 yards for M-A.
The Bears kept up the energy with a stellar pass from Clapp to junior wide receiver Olivia Roberts, who ran half the length of the field for a touchdown, extending the lead to 13-0. On defense, Jones forced an incomplete pass by pressuring the Knights’ quarterback, and Hillsdale was unable to score before the third quarter ended with the Bears still leading 13-0.
M-A began the fourth quarter with fierce offense thanks to long passes from Clapp. The Bears received a five-yard penalty for a false start, but recovered quickly with two passes to Gormsen, bringing M-A closer to the end zone.
Gormsen converted on the opportunity, receiving a pass and running for a touchdown. Roberts followed, scoring the extra point to raise the total to 20-0.
The Bears kept up its defensive intensity by crowding the Hillsdale quarterback. Still, the Knights managed to get by for a touchdown, shrinking M-A’s lead to 20-6.
This attempt proved insufficient, however, and the Bears maintained their advantage for the rest of the game, ending with a final score of 20-6.
“Our defense was really strong this game. We barely let them get the ball,” Roodman said.
“It took a while for our offense to pick up, but then once we scored, I feel like we got more comfortable and relaxed, and then it was a good momentum throughout the rest of the game,” Gormsen said.
The Bears will travel to face the Mills Vikings on Wednesday at 4:30 p.m.
Eliana Clapp and Miya Yu are journalists for the M-A Chronicle.
