By Reese Meister
The Fountain Valley High School (FVHS) Barons girls’ varsity flag football team struggled to work past the Edison High School (EHS) Chargers’ trick plays and skilled defense on the night of Wednesday, Oct. 11, losing in a final score of 0-33. Despite a series of injuries affecting the team, they were still able to find some successful moments throughout the game.
“Flag football is a really rough sport — it’s physically and mentally demanding — and we’ve had a lot of injuries this season,” co-captain, senior Riley Bridges said. “We had a lot of players who had to step up into positions … new quarterbacks, new corners, new everything, basically … the players that have stepped up are doing a really good job.”
Junior Natalie Loftis started as the Barons’ quarterback, handing the ball off to senior Sannah Dhamija for a small run to start the game. However, an incomplete pass on third down after a quick run by senior Adrianna Gordon prompted them to hand possession over to the Chargers rather than risking an unsuccessful fourth down.
The Barons’ defense held their opponents to zero points, with junior Reese Zarzana blocking and nearly intercepting the ball in two consecutive plays. FVHS began to make progress as they regained possession of the ball.
Loftis completed an impressively long pass to sophomore Sophie Hsieh. In the next play, Loftis’ precision resulted in another completed throw, this time to senior Savannah Ramirez. The Barons were just shy of the first down marker and chose to risk a fourth down attempt. Loftis made yet another accurate pass, but the receiver was unable to secure the catch, forcing the team to turn possession back to the Chargers around half-field.
While the FVHS defense, led by co-captains Bridges and junior Lola Korhonen, continued to pull flags, they struggled to completely hinder the Chargers’ progress. By the fourth play of their drive, the EHS quarterback launched a successful pass into the back of the end zone. After they completed the extra point attempt, the Chargers led 0-7.
The next possessions for the Barons and Chargers did not result in any gains for either team, despite a few standout plays by both sides. EHS achieved the first interception of the night, but the Barons countered with their impressive defensive stops.
After another unsuccessful fourth down attempt by FVHS, the Chargers gained possession with around five minutes left in the first half. One of EHS’s standout running backs sprinted to earn another first down on the first play of their drive, helping the team gain momentum. Despite more defensive stops by Bridges and pressure from Korhonen, the Chargers came within a few yards of the end zone with the help of a penalty flag. On their third down play, the EHS quarterback threw a short pass into the endzone and followed up with a completed extra point play, bringing the score to 0-14.
FVHS continued to struggle on offense, unable to gain a first down after a series of incomplete passes. However, when the Chargers regained possession Hsieh initiated one of the most exciting plays of the game, reaching up to tip the Chargers’ pass. When Hsieh’s fingertips redirected the ball, junior Jaelyn Mallette successfully intercepted the ball for the Barons. Bridges later commended Hsieh and Mallette for their impressive defense throughout the game.
Almost immediately after, the Chargers nearly mimicked the play when an EHS defender tipped Loftis’ pass; however, Bridges was able to catch the ball and continue running to gain a first down. Later, though, the Chargers successfully intercepted a pass, but the first half came to a close before they could reach the end zone.
The Chargers continued to dominate in the second half, taking advantage of an inventory of complicated plays involving fake passes and backward tosses. Their tricky strategy proved successful as they steadily progressed down the field in their first possession. A short distance from the end zone, the quarterback was positioned for a longer throw but quickly tossed the ball back to her teammate who sprinted for a touchdown, securing a 0-21 for EHS after earning the extra point.
The frustration of the Barons began to show as they struggled to complete any passes under the pressure from the Chargers’ defenders, giving up yet another possession after failing to reach the first down marker. The Chargers only gained motivation from their defensive stops, bringing even more energy into their offensive drive.
After a series of more trick plays and skillful runs by one of their star players, EHS quickly made their way across the field. On a third down play a few yards from the end zone, the Chargers’ quarterback assessed her options but kept the ball as she sprinted into the end zone for her team’s fourth touchdown of the game. However, she threw an incomplete pass in the extra point play, making the score 0-27.
The remaining eight minutes seemed to rush by. While the Barons started well with an impactful run by sophomore Alyssa Stuplin and a long pass to Zarzana, they soon found themselves hindered by more incomplete passes and were forced to turn over possession after an unsuccessful fourth down attempt.
With under five minutes left, the Chargers executed a few consecutive runs that covered the majority of the remaining yards before the end zone. This put them in an optimal position to score a short-distance touchdown before time ran out. While EHS could not secure the extra point, they led by 0-33 with little time on the clock.
FVHS did not have enough time to complete their next possession, finalizing their loss to the Chargers. Fortunately for the Barons, though, head coach Jacob Morado sees positive potential based on their response to a difficult situation.
“I know it’s been a tough season — we’ve lost a lot of key players — but the players that are here are still grinding … I’m really proud of them for that,” Morado said. “We had a brand new quarterback in — [she] got her first full game — and I think she surprised a lot of us with how she delivered the ball, and I think it’s something that we can build with … we’re going to try to keep her going.”
At the same time, Bridges and Morado agree that the team can continue to work on maintaining their spirit throughout tough games.
“I think something we need to take into future games is more of a positive attitude,” Bridges said. “I think we’ve been a little beaten down this season because of injuries and because of losses. But I think if we continue to work with each other that we can keep going.”
Outside of their athletic talent, Morado is impressed by his players’ dedication and their ownership of this new program at FVHS.
“Me and the coaching staff are there, but the players kind of lead most of the stuff from stretches to fundraisers to team activities. They really take it upon themselves to make this team their own,” Morado said. “That’s a really cool thing … this is going to be their program, and I expect great things from these girls now and then when they go off to become adults.”
