The girls flag football team lost against Mills Vikings 19-0 on Wednesday night.
The Vikings started with the ball and were forced to punt because of pressure from the Bears’ defensive plays. Junior quarterback Mae Kunihiro made multiple check-downs, yet the Vikings showed off their solid defense, preventing M-A from making any significant advances down the field.
Mills penetrated the Bears’ defense using tricky handoffs and took the ball all the way to the Bears’ end zone. However, Bears were able to stop the Vikings’ extra point conversion, making the score 6-0 for Mills with 11:29 remaining on the clock.
The Bears’ returning drive started strong with Kunihiro’s short passes to junior wide receiver Samantha Ruiz, but on a tipped pass the Vikings were able to get their first interception of the game.
The Vikings capitalized on the Bears’ miscue, resulting in a 20-yard touchdown pass on fourth down to increase Mills’ lead. This time, the Vikings made an extra point, adding to their lead with 6:55 remaining in the half.
Although the Bears’ offense continued to struggle, the defense did their part: sophomore linebackers Atessa Gholamy and Isabelle Habibi both played a significant role with multiple flag pulls.
The Bears got the ball back with a minute left in the half, but their difficulties on offense persisted. A huge run by Habibi put them in range for a Hail Mary, and with the clock hitting zeros, Kunihiro’s pass was dropped, sending the Bears into halftime down 13-0.
Starting the second half, M-A began with the ball and put together a quality drive, with impressive passes from Kunihiro and significant receptions from Ruiz. However, the Vikings’ defense was still able to force the Bears to punt.
A mixture of runs and passes from the Bears’ put the Vikings’ defense on the tip of their toes. But a miscommunication between M-A gave Mills another interception at 19:01 in the half.
The Vikings took the ball all the way down to the two-yard line, but the Bears’ defense kept the game in reach. On fourth down, sophomore safety Miya Yu had a pass deflection, preventing the Vikings from another touchdown and forcing a turnover.
The Bears started their drive with a big play from junior receiver Elise Koo, but the Vikings took advantage of another interception and touchdown, increasing their lead 19-0 with 6:59 left in the half.
The Bears failed to get into the endzone on their final drive, and the Vikings ran the clock to win the game 19-0.
“The offense was a bit rocky, but we were doing really well pulling flags,” Ruiz said, reflecting on the game.
“We’re really close. It’s a great environment, and we bond so it helps us on the field,” junior receiver Bailee Van Loben Sels added.
“We had good yardage, and a lot of good defensive plays,” Kunihiro said.
The Bears will face the Carlmont Scots away next Wednesday at 5:00 p.m.
