The girls flag football team was defeated by the Menlo Knights 26-12 in the second round of CCS on Wednesday afternoon.
After winning the coin toss, the Bears opted to start with the ball. Senior quarterback Mae Kunihiro found sophomore wide receiver Cassidy Thomas cutting through Menlo’s defense for a quick first down. Kunihiro carried the ball, gaining several yards for M-A. However, numerous incomplete passes by the Bears forced them to punt.
On the punt return, Menlo was halted by senior linebacker Ryland Caelius. Utilizing this momentum, senior linebacker Elise Koo managed to snag an aggressive pull off a Knights catch. The Bears remained rock solid on defense, with a dominant sack by senior defensive back Sammy Ruiz sending Menlo back. A diving pull by junior defensive back Juliana Pandolfo followed a series of Menlo passes, forcing fourth down and goal for the Knights.
With the pressure on for both teams, Ruiz executed another critical sack to regain possession for M-A. Back on offense, Kunihiro connected with junior wide receiver Aisley Burch for a 10-yard gain, pushing the Bears closer to the end zone. However, M-A was unable to convert on offense because of Menlo’s swarming defense, and they were once again forced to punt the ball.
The Bears’ defensive efforts remained suffocating, with powerful pulls by Burch and Caelius. Pandolfo knocked down a long throw ahead by the Knights, but soon after, Menlo was able to land a pass in the end zone to gain a 6-0 lead with 2:22 remaining.
In an attempt to bounce back, senior center Bailee Van Loben Sels cut through the middle, advancing the ball seven yards for M-A. Kunihiro then linked a pass to Pandolfo for a short gain, which was followed by a forceful carry also by Kunihiro. Unfortunately, another pass to Koo wasn’t enough for a first down, ending the quarter with a punt to return possession to Menlo.
Kicking off the second quarter, Pandolfo halted a run by the Knights down the sideline. Back-to-back penalties on Menlo pushed the Knights further back, resulting in their touchdown attempt falling incomplete. The Knights moved forward with a pass, but Pandolfo was able to get the stop immediately. Following a Menlo timeout, the Knights attempted a pass to the end zone, but senior safety Alex Alvarado swooped in for an interception, sparking energy from the bench and the stands.
The Bears were unable to complete their passes on offense, leading to yet another punt by Alvarado. M-A’s defense proved inadequate in stopping Menlo, as a run by the Knights landed them in the end zone with 4:24 left. A successful extra point stretched their lead to 13-0.
Another empty possession for the Bears due to a series of incomplete passes landed the ball back in Menlo’s hands, whose run was quickly contained by Caelius. The Knights attempted a long throw ahead, which was shut down by junior cornerback Aryn Roodman, who snagged the pass for an interception.
With less than two minutes left, M-A had regained possession of the ball and newfound momentum. Kunihiro found a seam in the defense, gaining 15 yards for the Bears. Caelius received back-to-back passes from Kunihiro, moving M-A closer to the end zone as they reached a first down. Kunihiro capitalized on this run, weaving her way into the end zone to get the Bears on the board—13-6—with 0:34 left in the half.
A Menlo run through the middle was shut down by Pandolfo, ending the half with the ball in the hands of the Knights.
“I’m really proud of how close we’ve gotten and how we just keep pushing. We’re definitely a second half team,” Kunihiro said. “Unfortunately, we couldn’t do it this game, but usually we just push through, and even if we’re losing, we just work as a team, and we just keep going.”
The Bears began the third quarter on defense with multiple diving pulls by Pandolfo and Caelius. However, M-A’s defensive line was unable to fend off Menlo, as they converted on a pass down the sideline, pulling out a 20-6 lead with eight minutes remaining.
Despite the discouragement, the Bears remained unfazed, and Kunihiro managed to connect with Van Loben Sels and Koo for a 10-yard gain. Kunihiro found her way through the middle of the field two consecutive times, as M-A moved closer to a touchdown. A deep throw landed in the hands of Caelius, gaining almost 40 yards for the Bears, and placing them at the goal line. Koo found space in the end zone, receiving Kunihiro’s pass to chip away at Menlo’s lead, 20-12, with 3:41 left.
Aggressive pulls by junior defensive back Mo’Rhai Balinton and Ruiz hindered Menlo’s offense, as they were unable to score to end the quarter.
Starting the fourth quarter, the Knights possessed the ball only a few yards away from M-A’s goal line. In an attempt to convert on fourth down, Menlo launched the ball into the end zone, but Roodman picked off the pass once again.
However, Menlo retaliated with an interception on a Bears pass, obtaining possession once again. M-A remained solid on defense, getting numerous pulls to force fourth down for the Knights. The end zone pass fell incomplete thanks to tight defense by Roodman, returning the ball to the Bears once again.
M-A’s offense showed its strength, with Kunihiro stringing passes to Pandolfo, Koo, and Thomas. However, Menlo snatched another interception on a pass intended for Koo, cutting their run short. Not long after, the Knights’ offense proved to be too dominant, scoring another touchdown on a deep throw to gain a 26-12 lead in the last three minutes.
A Hail Mary pass for the Bears was intercepted by the Knights, who were quickly halted by Koo. Junior defensive back Atessa Gholamy snagged three consecutive pulls for M-A to end the game with a final score of 26-12.
“We were really in it, and then I think we still played really well, but we got in our heads a little bit at the end, so they took the game,” Caelius said.
“I think we played well. It’s a disappointing result, but we know we play as a team and put everything in,” Roodman said.
This concluded the season for the Bears, ending with a 13-3 record and a league championship.
