San Marcos flag football outlasted Santa Ynez High in a defensive battle for a 13-6 win on Tuesday at Warkentin Stadium.
The Royals’ and Pirates’ defenses took center stage in the opening half, exchanging stops and keeping the game knotted at 0-0 through three full quarters.
Santa Ynez broke the tie on the first play of the fourth quarter with a rushing touchdown. A failed extra-point attempt left the lead at 6-0 for the visitors.
San Marcos answered back on the ensuing possession, when Victoria Aldana led the offense down the field and found Piper Kittle for a 7-yard touchdown pass to even the score at 6-6.
The Royals defense forced a punt on the next drive, setting the stage for Aldana to lead another scoring drive and connect with Kittle for another touchdown, this one an 11-yard score to grab the late one-score lead.
San Marcos then made one final stand, keeping the Pirates from crossing midfield and securing the win.
While Aldana finished the day with 81 rushing yards, Nora Leonardi recorded a pair of sacks and both Scarlett Holian and Bella Bazylewicz hauled in interceptions.
The Royals (4-2) will be on the road against Hart High on Thursday.
Santa Barbara High 27, Simi Valley 12
The Dons remained undefeated on the young season with a road win over Simi Valley on Tuesday.
“It feels good to get the first road victory in the books,” Santa Barbara High head coach Travis Manach said. “It can be a challenge to travel that far and wait for a late kickoff, but our girls stepped up and played a great game.”
The Dons opened the scoring on a 22-yard touchdown pass from Laila Hernandez to Shea Gannon. After a Vanessa Esparza interception on the next possession, Hernandez punched in a rushing score and Oaklee Johnston caught the extra point to extend the lead to 13-0.
That score held for the majority of the first half before Simi Valley found the end zone, making it a 13-6 game at halftime.
Camila Salcedo opened the second-half scoring with a bang for the Dons, ripping off a 41-yard touchdown run. Shea Gannon scored the extra point to give Santa Barbara a 20-6 advantage.
Simi Valley closed the gap again with another touchdown, but the Dons’ defense held strong from there and Salcedo put the game away for good with a 56-yard touchdown catch-and-run in the fourth.
Esparza was a leader on the defensive end with two interceptions and several flag pulls, while Alexandra Arnold also had an interception and Eva Hervouet stood out on both sides of the ball.
Santa Barbara High (3-0) has a road matchup with Cabrillo High on Thursday at 4 p.m.
