The flag football team crushed the Alisal Trojans, 40-7, in CCS quarterfinals on Monday night.
The Bears started with the ball, but struggled to gain traction early on. Miscommunication on offense stifled M-A’s opening drive. Defensively, senior linebacker Juliana Pandolfo covered the field, halting the punt return and swatting away pass attempts. Senior cornerback Aryn Roodman strapped Alisal’s receiver, preventing the Trojans from advancing.
Senior running back Mo’Rhai Balinton carried this momentum, breaking through several Alisal defenders to gain 20 yards. However, a series of incomplete passes led to a turnover on downs, leaving the game scoreless with 3:06 remaining in the quarter.
Back on defense, senior rusher Isabelle Habibi put immense pressure on the Trojans, forcing erratic throws, and junior linebacker Cassidy Thomas made key tackles to prevent long advances. As the quarter neared the end, M-A pushed Alisal back to a third-and-long. The Trojans then caught the Bears off guard, throwing a dime downfield to set up a drive near the end zone. That play ended the quarter, leaving both teams at 0-0.
The Bears began the second quarter with defensive tenacity. Habibi’s explosive rushes and Thomas’ cunning tackles pushed Alisal into fourth down. However, the Trojans barged through M-A’s defense for a touchdown. A swift one-point conversion gave Alisal a 7-0 lead with 9:51 remaining in the quarter.
M-A was determined to respond. Sophomore wide receiver Bella Gormsen spun around defenders to close on first downs, and Balinton darted through the middle for a 30-yard gain. Closing in on the red zone, junior quarterback Eliana Clapp found Thomas, who snagged a low grab in the corner for a touchdown.
Even with the Trojans’ heavy pressure, Clapp connected with Thomas on the conversion to even the score with Alisal at 7-7, midway through the quarter.
M-A continued the momentum, and Balinton locked down the Trojans’ receivers to force a punt. Soon after, Clapp threw a screen pass to Gormsen, who zig-zagged through traffic to reach the end zone. Junior wide receiver Olivia Roberts reeled in the extra point, giving the Bears a 14-7 lead with less than four minutes remaining.
On the first play of their drive, the Trojans caught a long ball, placing them at midfield. Even so, M-A’s defense remained disciplined. Pandolfo led the charge, snagging flags to limit Alisal’s yardage, and Habibi bolted past Alisal’s blockers for a sack. On fourth down, Roodman chained up the Trojans’ offense, returning possession to the Bears.
Balinton and Gormsen piled on pressure with smooth runs. This intensity proved to be too much for Alisal to handle, with Balinton’s catch leading to an M-A touchdown. Clapp burst past the opposition, creating a commanding 21-7 lead for the Bears with 25 seconds left. M-A clamped down for the remainder of the half, ending with a 21-7 lead.
“Our pass rush was insane,” Thomas said. “Our defense broke down every single play.”
M-A maintained this dominance into the second half, as Habibi opened with a powerful sack and Pandolfo snagged an interception. Immediately after, an interception from the Bears gave the Trojans back possession with 9:43 on the clock.
Thomas and Pandolfo continued to mount waves of pressure on Alisal, causing misfired throws and quickly regaining possession for the Bears. Roberts caught a contested ball to drive M-A upfield. Clapp connected with senior blocker Emma Loose, who blitzed through the defense for a 60-yard touchdown run. The extra point was unsuccessful, but the Bears still retained a dominant 27-7 lead over the Trojans with 5:12 remaining in the quarter.
“I think Emma’s touchdown was a really big one for us, especially because she’s a blocker,” Pandolfo said. “It really got everyone so hyped for everybody to be able to have those big moments.”
Habibi continued to dominate on defense, spinning around blockers to record a key sack. On fourth down, Balinton came from behind to swat away Alisal’s pass, giving the ball back to the Bears with 1:46 left.
Roberts bolted down the sideline on the punt return to place M-A near the red zone, and Balinton dodged defenders on both sides to pick up first downs. The third quarter ended with the Bears up 27-7 over the Trojans.
M-A controlled the game into the fourth quarter. Clapp dashed to the sideline to evade pressure and lofted a 15-yard pass to Gormsen for a touchdown. The Bears couldn’t execute the one-point conversion, but they still held a dominant 34-7 lead.
Immediately after, relentless pressure from the Bears allowed Balinton to pick off Alisal on the first play of the drive. Now deep in Trojans territory, Gormsen weaved through the defense to place M-A inches away from scoring. Clapp scrambled around the outside into the end zone for a touchdown. Loose hauled in the one-point conversion, expanding the Bears’ advantage to 40-7.
On defense, senior cornerback Aisely Burch deflected incoming passes to stop Alisal’s offense, and senior rusher Shea Watson forced a turnover on downs off an incomplete pass with less than three minutes to go.
M-A ran down the clock to win 40-7. With this victory, M-A will advance to CCS semifinals.
“I think CCS is a big thing for a relatively new program, and so I think taking a win today was really great, especially on our home field,” Loose said.
The Bears will travel to face the Salinas Cowboys on Wednesday at 7 p.m.
Eliana Clapp is a journalist for the M-A Chronicle.
