SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Senior Emma Karamanoukian completed 16 of 26 passes, with touchdown connections to Caitlin Hafenstein, Annie Swanson and Eva Karamanoukian, while Zia Smith and Sophia Fahey highlighted key defensive stops in the second half, as St. Francis overcame a 14-6 halftime deficit to claim a 21-14 win over Granite Bay in the school's inaugural flag football contest Tuesday night.

The Troubadours open their season at 1-0, less than two weeks after finalizing their rosters. In comparison, the Grizzlies had played five previous games, falling to 4-2 overall. 

The win also served as a birthday present for SF head coach Melissa Triebwasser, who coincidentally coached for Granite Bay early in her career as a basketball mentor.

St. Francis drew first blood in the contest, with Emma Karamanoukian connecting with Hafenstein on a fourth-down conversion just three minutes into the game. The Troubies missed on the ensuing two-point conversion, but forced GB to punt on the next series, with Lucia Vicio and Smith posting key break-ups on defense. 

However, the Grizzlies later scored two unanswered touchdowns before the end of the half. After an Elizabeth Barger PBU forced a fourth-and-goal, Elizabeth Jones delivered the equalizer with 3:36 remaining. Barger kept the board at 6-6 by deflagging the GB runner just shy of the goal line on the conversion try.

On the next Grizzly possession, a reverse to Lillian McDaniel resulted in a long bomb to Alyssa Poehlman in the back of the end zone, putting GB up by a 12-6 margin. Maddie Bell then found Jones for the two-point conversion, extending her team's lead to 14-6 with less than a minute left in the half.

St. Francis shut down its guest after the break, with Granite Bay giving up possession on downs twice and opting to punt once. Barger had three stops and nearly intercepted Bell on the first series in the second half, then Zia Smith's quick hands led to two short gains by Brooklyn Blom before the Grizzlies ceded the ball on their second series.

In the meantime, Emma Karamanoukian moved the ball quickly down the field on the first Troubie possession. She ran for a first down, then hit Hafenstein for another to move into GB territory. After a sack by Poehlman, Emma hit her twin sister Eva for a short gain on second down, then SF freshman running back Natalia Zitelli advance to roughly the five-yard line on a third-and-goal attempt. Karamanoukian then delivered to Swanson in traffic with 11:30 remaining for the second SF touchdown. Hafenstein collected a pass and scampered in for the two-point conversion, tying the contest at 14-14.

After Smith's two deflags resulted in the Granite Bay three-and-out, St. Francis took over on its 20. Lauren Herbelin made the first move, producing some yards after catch to make it third and short. Hafenstein collected her third reception for a fresh set of downs. The Troubies appeared to stall when Eva Karamanoukian's catch left her a yard shy of the next first-down marker. But a key defensive holding penalty by Granite Bay moved the Troubies into the red zone. The Karamanoukian sisters connected on the go-ahead with three minutes left in the contest, and Tayli Paeu-Lindgren tacked on the one-point conversion for the 21-14 lead.

With likely their final chance, the Grizzlies failed to advance past the 40-yard midline. Bell failed to complete three passes, including one under pressure from Medina, bringing a fourth-down chance with a minute to go. GB again attempted to McDaniel pass, and the junior completed her throw to Olivia Noel. Noel eluded the first defender, but Fahey snared the flag just before the receiver could reach the 40.

Senior quarterback Natalie Vigil, who stepped in late in the first half, had the honors of running the final offensive series before time expired. She finished 4-for-5 for the game, with all four completions going to Zitelli.

Tuesday's win begins the new era for St. Francis, which announced the addition of flag football last May, then officially hired the popular Triebwasser as its first head coach in July. Quincy Cooper joined the program as the top assistant, while Joseph Poggi – another beloved member of the Troubadour staff – serves as a volunteer assistant.

The Troubies return to action in two days with the flag football version of the Holy Bowl at Christian Brothers on Thursday. Kickoff is 7 p.m. at Bollinger Stadium.