On Oct. 23, the Bonita Vista High (BVH) varsity girls’ flag football team warmed up in preparation for their matchup against the Grossmont High School (GHS) Foothillers. Earlier this season, the Foothillers handed the Barons their first and only loss of the season with a score of 19-13. This had the Barons on edge, fueling their 12-6 season closing victory.
“We wanted to win, we wanted to show them what we were made of and to let them know why we are here,” Co-Head flag football coach Tristan Lamb said.
The game kicked off with the Foothillers on offense, and with the fired up spirit from the crowd, the Lady Barons were able to force a fourth down play. The Lady Barons quickly pressured the Foothillers on their last down, and around the edge came defensive back, wide receiver and senior Jacqueline McPherson (4) for the drive-ending flag pull. McPherson’s fourth down play showcased the Lady Barons’ willingness to throw everything that they had at their opponents.
“We go into the game without a goofy mindset, we go in the game seriously. Once we break after our warmups it’s go time,” defensive back, wide receiver and senior Shania White (3) said.
The first half continued with GHS defense playing at a platinum level, preventing BVH from entering their endzone. Struggling to move the ball forward, BVH called a timeout to try and figure out a new approach. After this timeout, BVH came out with a new plan, a deep pass play. BVH quarterback and senior Malyna Castillo (6) threw the ball to her receiver, which was caught by wide receiver and freshman Layla Schoen (2). The Barons remained with possession, and after an incomplete pass from Castillo, the ball was turned over to the Foothillers—which the Lady Barons’ defense would shut down. Wanting redemption for her previous lackluster performance, Castillo sought coach Lamb, who pushed her to make important passes down the stretch.
“Lamb is a really good coach. I have been playing with him since I was in fifth grade, so we have a lot of chemistry together. He pushes everyone to do their best no matter how long you have known him,” White said.
The last few minutes before the first half of the game ended, the Lady Barons got a glimmer of hope when White intercepted a pass from GHS quarterback and sophomore Marissa Farace (22). After the interception, BVH was once again forced to turn the ball over after the Foothillers defense stopped their drive. The Foothillers marched down the field with one minute left in the half, and on their last down GHS safety, wide receiver and senior Dahlia Blake (1) caught a pass in traffic for thirty yards. The 6-0 score looked promising for the Foothillers, but their offense was trampled by the Lady Barons’ defense in the final seconds of the half.
“We felt good at the half because they gave us everything they got but only got six points out of it. We knew we controlled our own destiny,” Lamb said.
The second half opened with the Lady Barons defense bolstering their dominant performance and getting a three and out, and giving their offense the ball. The Lady Barons offense looked unstoppable on their drive until GHS defensive back, running back and sophomore Kaci Brownsberger (7) sacked Castillo to force a turnover, giving the Lady Barons defense a chance to step up once more.
“We have not played our best football yet. Once we play our best football, we will bring it together,” Lamb said.
After a series of plays, BVH linebacker and senior Alejandra Hernandez (12) intercepted Farace’s pass and gave the offense a chance to drive down the field. The Lady Barons’ offense was looking promising once again as soon as they got into the redzone. On the five yard line, the Lady Barons’ hopes came crashing down when Castillo threw her first interception of the night to GHS safety, quarterback and junior Xairah Gromus (11) ending the chance of a touchdown.
“Our team was not on the same page, but we managed to come together and secure the win,” Castillo said
The second half continued as the clock ticked down. The Foothillers used the clock and the interception to their advantage, getting into the Lady Barons’ heads by stopping them on every drive. However, when all hope looked lost, the Foothillers threw an interception, giving the Lady Barons offense yet another chance to try and score.
“[Amidst our hardships, we realized that] we just have to settle down, bring the girls together and play our game. We are not going to play their game, we are going to play our game,” Lamb said.
The offense did choose not to disappoint on this drive as Castillo threw the ball way down field hoping for the best. All was answered when running back, linebacker and senior Tatiana Colon (1) caught the forty yard deep ball to set the offense up in the red zone yet again. This time, the Lady barons punched it in the endzone with a pass from Castillo to wide receiver, defensive back and senior Mahliya Wilson (11). Thus tying the game with less than three minutes to play. The Lady Barons attempted a pass play for the one point conversion but came up short on the one yard line.
“I am really proud of [Wilson], I threw a little low on the touchdown pass and she dove for it and that shows the hunger that we have,” Castillo said.
With the game coming down to the wire in the last two minutes, the Lady Barons knew they had to step up against this determined Foothillers offense. The game was in the Foothillers’ hands until White sacked Farace, thus forcing the Foothillers to give the Lady Barons another chance to prove their worth of the league title. With less than one minute left in the game, the Lady Barons were on their third down. With Castillo under pressure in the pocket, she threw the ball up into the endzone, and White came down with the ball, scoring six more points—and the title for the Lady Barons.
“This win is big, it secured the league for us. Being the first league champs ever for this sport feels really good,” Castillo said.
