LOOMIS, Calif. – St. Francis senior Elizabeth Barger, senior Sophia Fahey and sophomore Abbey Pavelchik each picked off passes, but Del Oro escaped with a 7-0 win in overtime to cap a Sierra Foothill League varsity flag football thriller Thursday night.
The Troubadours slip to 4-9 overall and 2-7 in SFL play. The Golden Eagles improve to 13-2 for the year and remain the only undefeated team in league at 9-0. Thursday's game also marks just the third time an SFL opponent held Del Oro to a single touchdown, joining Rocklin's 6-0 overtime loss on September 5 and Granite Bay's 7-0 squeaker one week ago.
The varsity thriller followed a 32-0 shutout by Del Oro's junior varsity, helped by five interceptions, including a "pick six."
St. Francis generally managed to move the ball well with numerous fourth-down conversions, says head coach Melissa Triebwasser, but DO locked down the red zone each time. Such an occasion came in the final moments of regulation: after the defensive forced the Eagles to punt at the two-minute warning, the Troubies marched their way to the DO 15-yard line. With a fourth-and-goal and no time left in regulation, Emma Karamanoukian's pass to Caitlin Hafenstein fell just short, forcing the extra frames.
The CIF flag football overtime rules call for each team to trade first-and-goal situations from the opponent's 20. Del Oro scored its go-ahead on a fourth down, and added the one-point conversion. St. Francis had three incomplete passes before the Golden Eagles intercepted the fourth down shot at the end zone, sealing the win.
Triebwasser described the contest as an "unbelievable game and effort," with Del Oro's quarterback getting rattled from the very first series.
"[The defense] was great rushing the passer, and DO really only had one scoring opportunity," she said. "The offense moved the ball well but couldn't quite get the explosive play to get into the end zone. A super fun game that was a total bummer to lose but also we played really well overall."
In contrast to their older sisters, the St. Francis jayvees fell into a 26-0 halftime hole before the Golden Eagles eased off the throttle, scoring just once after the break. Freshman Ellie Rivera scored three touchdowns for DO, including the interception return.
St. Francis JV drops to 3-5 for the year. Both Troubie teams return to action for an SFL road doubleheader at Granite Bay, then the jayvees play their season finale as their only home game: a 4:30 game against West Park on October 11.
