STOCKTON, Calif. – Senior Elizabeth Barger posted two interceptions and three total pass breakups, senior receiver Caitlin Hafenstein scored two touchdowns and senior Emma Karamanoukian completed nine of her first 11 passes as St. Francis briefly held an 18-14 lead, but No. 5-seeded St. Mary scored a go-ahead touchdown five minutes into the second half en route to a 36-18 win over the 12th-seeded Troubadours in the first round of the inaugural Sac-Joaquin Section Division II girls' flag football tournament at Sanguinetti Field Tuesday night.
SF wraps its first flag football season with a 6-11 overall record. The Rams improve to 14-3 for the year, and will travel to No. 4 Del Campo for the quarterfinal round on Thursday.
Despite the loss, the Troubadours became just the third team to score three or more touchdowns against St. Mary's this season, joining Tracy (20 points on Sept. 12) and Tokay (21 on Sept. 26).
Hafenstein scored her first on a fourth-down conversion, benefiting from a collision with a Ram defender just three plays earlier. The play resulted in an automatic first down and a move from the SM 17 -yard line to the 9. When three passes from Karamanoukian missed their marks, that left SF with a fourth-and-goal. Hafenstein hauled what was effectively a jump ball in the left corner of the end zone, cutting into the Rams' initial 8-0 lead.
Sophomore Annie Swanson had the Troubies' second strike, albeit in a ball not intended for her. Karamanoukian sailed a pass slightly out of reach of Hafenstein near the goal line, and St. Mary's nearly intercepted the pass. Instead, Swanson was underneath the deflected ball with her back to her quarterback. She pulled down the pass with less than a minute remaining in the first half to propel the Troubies to a 12-8 lead.
St. Mary's reclaimed the lead on the next possession, although Barger prevented any further damage with her PBU on the ensuing two-point conversion. The Rams held a 14-12 lead at halftime.
The Troubies struck again on the opening series after the break. Tayli Paeu-Lindgren led off the half with a 14-yard reception to the SF 34-yard line. On the next play, Hafenstein wrapped up a quick screen to the left sideline, then sprinted untouched down to the opposite end zone. This restored the St. Francis lead to 18-12.
The Rams regained the lead on the next possession, with freshman Gelanna Gonzalez getting behind the SF secondary for a touchdown at the 14:55 mark. But the Troubies were unable to alter the scoreboard the rest of the way, failing on downs on their next two series followed by two SM interceptions. Barger's presence did delay the Rams' final outburst, forcing the hosts to give up the ball on downs. She broke up a pass while her coverage resulted in a dropped pass on a fourth-down chance. Sophomore Colleen Medina also aided in that series with her hurry on the first play from scrimmage.
Still, the quick three-and-out and the interception on a fourth-and-20 try gave the Rams two more opportunities to extend their lead. SF looked to score a fourth TD in the final 90 seconds, with Karamanoukian hitting Hafenstein, Brooklynn Kann and Sarah Bashore on short passes. Still, the Rams ended that final scoring bid with their second pick of the half, taking over with one second left.
Karamanoukian finished the game with 26 completions on 43 total attempts, not counting conversion attempts. She is one of 10 seniors who helped launch the SF flag football program this year, along with Hafenstein, Barger, Eva Karamanoukian, Alesandra Stahl, Sophia Fahey, Caroline Phillips, Natalie Vigil, team manager AJ Castellano and student assistant coach May Conlin.
Hafenstein finished her first and only flag football season with a team-leading 13 touchdowns while Barger led the Troubie defense with 14 total interceptions. Impressively, the two posted those numbers despite missing several games early in the season due to school commitments.
