JSerra players present their championship plaque to cheering fans in the stands. (Photos courtesy John Luciano, For OC Sports Zone).
It seemed fitting that a classic CIF Division 1 girls flag football championship game between Trinity League powers JSerra and Orange Lutheran would come down to the final play.
But that’s exactly what happened as the nation’s No. 2-ranked team according to Maxpreps, stopped Orange Lutheran’s attempt to move ahead and held on for a thrilling 25-20 victory in front of an enthusiastic gathering of fans at Fred Kelly Stadium on the El Modena campus Saturday night.
To see the slide show, click on the first photo:
After taking possession with under a minute left, Orange Lutheran (24-3) drove the ball all the way to the JSerra 2-yard line with six seconds left in the game had three chances to score. On the final play, a pass fell incomplete and JSerra (28-0) poured out onto the field and celebrated its first CIF title in the sport.
Orange Lutheran was the defending CIF Division 1 champion.
“It was a phenomenal game, I think you had the two best teams in the country going head to head,” said JSerra Coach Brian Ong, shortly after leading his team in a prayer. “It was back and forth and both teams deserve a lot of credit for getting here and for the heart they showed on the field.”
JSerra led 19-13 after three quarters following a 12-yard TD catch by Kai Berry late in the third quarter.
But Orange Lutheran battled back and took a 20-19 lead with 6:53 left in the game when quarterback Makena Cook connected with Capriano Cuneo on a 1-yard TD pass. Ruby Fuamatu hauled in a 1-point conversion.
However, JSerra rallied and took a 25-20 lead on a 6-yard TD run by Katherine Meier, who rotated with Ava Van Heerde at quarterback, with one minute remaining. The Lions were unable to make the conversion.
“We looked at the clock and we said, ‘there’s enough time for us, we got down here and it was fourth and 10’ …. and we just kept going, we had a belief in each other and there’s faith in each other that nobody has to do it themselves,” Ong said. “We said, ‘let’s just go down and take as much time off the clock as we can and have fun doing it.’
“Orange Lutheran is a phenomenal team and we love going to battle with them. It feels good for our girls to come out on the right side for the third time, it’s really tough to beat a team three times. And they got down, but they never got defeated, they never gave up and stuck together as a team and we pulled it out on the goal-line three downs in a row.”
Orange Lutheran Coach Kristen Sherman said she was proud of her squad’s effort.
“I feel like we battled,” she said. “I feel like they gave everything they could on the field today, I’m super proud of their effort and super proud of how hard they played and how they played for each other. It was not the result that we wanted, we just got to find a way to finish.
“That drive at the end of the game was pretty impressive, not being able to punch it in is obviously super disappointing. I thought Capriano Cuneo was unbelievable on both sides of the football and Julia Oberholtzer was all over the place on defense.
“We had five seniors who were really special and a close group so just proud to be able to battle through this with them and I think that even though the result wasn’t the same as last year, they raised the bar about what it means to play OLu football and I feel proud to have done it with them.”
After JSerra took the opening lead, Orange Lutheran responded with two touchdowns when Cook connected with Ava Harrison (42 yards) and Fuamatu (1 yard) to take a 13-7 lead.
However, JSerra tied the game 13-13 when Ava Irwin hauled in a 32-yard TD pass (her second of the game) in the third quarter, setting up an exciting final quarter.
JSerra had strong efforts at quarterback from Meier, a freshman, who had two TD passes and Van Heerde, a sophomore, who had some key completions, including one on the Lions’ final drive that set up the eventual game-winner.
“We have two of the best quarterbacks in the nation, along with Makena Cook (Orange Lutheran) and I trust them and they trust each other and root for each other, we’ve never had a quarterback competition, they did a really good job today,” Ong said.
JSerra’s defense was solid, recording three interceptions.
The game could serve as another boost for the sport, which wrapped up its third year and the second with CIF sanctioned playoffs.
“I hope someone sees that and sees the athleticism and the sheer impressiveness of these girls playing flag football right now and sees how amazing this sport is for the girls and their confidence and their competitiveness and it just continues to grow,” Sherman, the OLu coach said.
“This is my third season and there has been a lot of growth,” said Ong, the JSerra coach. “We were 0-8 in the Trinity League in year one and then last year we were co-champions with Orange Lutheran and then this year we won it outright.”
JSerra defeated Orange Lutheran twice in Trinity League play this season, 18-7 and 21-20.
Orange Lutheran defeated Newport Harbor 20-18 to win the Division 1 title last season.
—Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone; timburt@ocsportszone.com
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