La Habra scores TD in final minute for non-league victory over Bishop Amat

La Habra players and coaches after Wednesday’s victory. (PHOTO: Tom Connolly, For OC Sports Zone).

Presley Cannon fired an 8-yard TD pass to Audrey Flores with 31 seconds remaining to give La Habra a 6-0 victory over Bishop Amat Wednesday afternoon in a non-league girls flag football game at La Habra.  

Following a Lancers punt with under two minutes to play in the game, the Highlanders (2-6) took possession of the ball at their own 46-yard line.

La Habra moved the ball to the Lancers 33-yard line but were faced with a fourth-down play. Cannon then completed a crucial pass to Flores, who made a difficult catch for a first down.

On the play, Bishop Amat was assessed a penalty, giving the Highlanders the ball at the 8-yard line with under 40 seconds to play. On the next play, Cannon completed a short pass to Flores, who eluded several defenders and slipped into the end zone for the touchdown, the only score of the game. 

“I was a little nervous and excited at the same time, but I knew I had to be locked in on the our final play,” said Cannon, a senior quarterback who completed 12 passes for 101 yards and a touchdown in the game and eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark in passing for the season. “It was a good game for us and we kept a high level of energy.”  

Flores also noted she was a bit nervous on the final play.

“The last play was nerve racking, because I knew the ball was coming to me,” said Flores, a sophomore, who caught two passes in the game and added 20 yards rushing. “It was a whole team effort to get this win and it was a lot of fun.”

The Lancers (7-5) tried to make a desperate comeback bid in the final seconds but defensive lineman Kylie Agnew recorded a sack and then La Habra defensive back Kaitlin Cauley intercepted a Bishop Amat pass on the games’ final play near midfield, securing the win for the Highlanders.

Cauley, a freshman, had an outstanding game with four receptions. She completed 6 of 7 passes for 45 yards, rushed for 25 yards, as well as hauling in an interception on the game’s final play.  

“Obviously, it was great defensive game,” said La Habra Coach Robert Atanay. “We worked hard on pulling flags in practice and the girls did a good job at that today. We had four starters out today for various reasons and our defense and the girls off the bench stepped up. I think Gisselle Virgen had a terrific game on both ides of the ball. Now, we need to keep this momentum going as we get into league lay.“

Virgen, Eliana Corona, Cauley, and Flores combined to catch 15 passes for 141 yards and a touchdown for the Highlanders. La Habra’s defense, led by Journee Costello and Hayden Carson, held the Lancers to 33 yards through the air in the game. Senior running back Alexandria Garcia led the Lancers with 75 yards rushing.