The varsity girls flag football team defeated the ICA Spartans on March 23 at Lowell. This game contributed to their third win of the season.
The first quarter started with no big plays. The Cardinals gained a total of 30 yards in their first play of the first quarter, but the Spartans moved the ball back 21 yards in their first play. On the fourth down of the Spartans’ second drive, they punted the ball to the 10-yard line, ending the first quarter 0–0.
In the second quarter, the Cardinals’ strong defense prevented the Spartans from scoring. On the Cardinals’ next drive, they were intercepted by the Spartans at the 37-yard line, but Lowell prevented ICA from gaining any significant distance. The Cardinals’ offense finally scored a touchdown during the next drive after junior wide receiver and running back Joanne Flores caught a deep pass from senior quarterback Joyce Kwan and ran the ball 40 yards to the goal line. The second quarter ended 6–0 with the Cardinals in the lead.
Neither team got close to the end zone in the third quarter, and the score remained 6–0.
“I think we all came in here a little too overconfident and we didn’t run as hard as I know we can run.”
On the Cardinals’ first play of the fourth quarter, the game picked up. The crowd cheered excitedly as sophomore center Sela Diaz caught a pass from Kwan and ran 70 yards to the goal line, scoring a touchdown for the Cardinals. The game ended with the Cardinals winning 12–0.
Although the Cardinals won the game, they didn’t feel like they played to their best abilities. “I think we all came in here a little too overconfident and we didn’t run as hard as I know we can run,” Diaz said. “I want us to come back from break and really just go hard.”
“This team comes out, they work hard, they’re a really close-knit family and they’ve made tremendous improvements,”
The Cardinals’ head and offensive coach William Woodruff acknowledges how far the team has come since the beginning of the season but also expressed wanting to see improvement. “This team comes out, they work hard, they’re a really close-knit family and they’ve made tremendous improvements,” Woodruff said. “But you know everyone else in the league improves, so we’re working hard, trying to get better.”
The Cards defeated the Mission Bears 6–4 on April 4 and defeated the Burton Pumas 12–6 on April 7. Their season record is currently 5–3, and the Cardinals currently stand in fifth place in the AAA league.
The Cardinal’s next and last home game is against the Wallenberg Bulldogs on April 10 at 4 p.m. at home.
