La Habra girls flag football team defeats Villa Park for first victory of season

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

Sophomore Audrey Flores threw a touchdown pass and scored a touchdown to lead the La Habra girls flag football team to a 12-2 non-league victory over Villa Park Monday afternoon at La Habra. 

The Highlanders (1-4) earned their first win of the season. The Spartans fell to 3-4.

After a scoreless first half, Villa Park took a 2-0 lead midway through the third quarter when La Habra hiked the ball over the quarterback’s head. The ball rolled into the end zone and was ruled a safety.  

Moments later, Highlanders linebacker Kylie Agnew stepped in front of a Villa Park pass and returned it 38 yards to the Spartans 22-yard line. Agnew’s interception turned the tide of the game. 

“We were in man defense and I was covering my girl and I just reached out and grabbed the ball and kept running,” said Agnew a senior center and linebacker. “It means so much to win. It was a whole team effort. I missed half of the season last year with an injury and this is my last year, so it means so much to all of us to win.”

Two plays following Agnew’s interception, Flores tossed a 7-yard TD pass to freshmen Kaitlin Cauley and La Habra took a 6-2 lead with 3:31 left in the third quarter.

“It means a lot to us to get our first win,” said Cauley, who rushed for 40 yards, completed five passes for 24 yards and caught three passes for 23 yards. “We came out with a great attitude and we kept pushing each other and cheering each other on throughout the game.”

Following a long punt return by Flores late in the third quarter, the Highlanders were on the move again. Flores capped off a four-play scoring drive with a 1-yard touchdown run on the second play of the fourth quarter, upping La Habra’s lead to 12-2.

“The team worked together well and it was fun today,” said Flores, who also rushed for 25 yards, caught four passes and had an 32-yard interception return to the Spartans 5-yard line late in the first half.  

The Highlanders defense, behind three interceptions by Agnew, Layla Bartosik and Gisselle Virgen, foiled multiple Villa Park drives, including stopping the Spartans on a fourth-down play when Flores broke up a pass in the end zone midway through the third quarter.

La Habra also got a strong game, offensively and defensively, from freshman Hayden Carson and a second half boost from senior quarterback Presley Cannon. 

“Our defense and our pressure were the difference today,” said La Habra Coach Robert Atanay. “We made them get rid of the ball faster and as a result, we had four picks. Even though we were 0-4 coming into this game, the girls have never stopped playing hard.”