Despite the end of their regular season, the girls flag football team hit the field again in the hopes of having a successful performance at this year’s Districts competitions. Practicing almost every day, the Lady Cavaliers prepared for the District Qualifiers against Doral Academy, hoping to soon hang their very own banner in the gymnasium, proudly announcing them as their district’s champions.
The game was held April 11 at 4 p.m., with bleachers flooded with people anticipating what team was going to carry on into the District Qualifiers. Excitement filled the air as the teams clashed on the field, each vying for a chance to advance in the tournament and prove themselves on the road to victory.
“I have been on the team for two seasons, my freshman and sophomore year, and I feel we really stepped up this year. Getting to districts was a big goal that we worked towards, with this game meaning a lot to us. We wanted to really do our best and keep our season going, so everything was on the line,” sophomore Jasmin Abu said.
Starting off the first quarter, the Lady Cavaliers ran the ball for their first play. Creating space by running hooks, the team allowed quarterback sophomore Hannah Pascul-Florez to run through the middle and advance seven yards. The Lady Cavaliers held Doral back with their defense, blocking the quarterback and passing them to make the first touchdown of the game. With this point, everyone in the crowd jumped up with excitement, as there was hope in their game and their goal was almost accomplished.
In the second quarter, Doral made a double pass and the Lady Cavaliers were able to quickly snatch the flag away, not allowing the other team to make their touchdown. Outside receiver junior Valentina Tomas sacked the other team’s quarterback, moving the opposing team back five yards. Doral, however, moved up quickly, scoring a touchdown and heightening the tension between the teams as the game progressed.
“I guess that when we saw them make some good plays we got nervous. That’s what our mistake was, and what we will work to improve upon,” sophomore Mariana Iglesias said.
Leading into the third quarter, safety sophomore Jasmin Abu turned the tide with an interception. Sophomore Ava Rios ran through the field after being thrown a pinpoint pass to make the touchdown. Despite the Lady Cavaliers’ efforts, the other team was able to more touchdowns and gained momentum for the rest of the quarter.
“We tried to get the ball back pretty much with all the tricks and skills that we had learned to that point, but in the end it was just not enough to win this big game,” sophomore Rios said.
Kicking off the fourth quarter, the other team made another touchdown on the Lady Cavaliers. Abu was able to catch another interception, giving Gables a chance to make a comeback. But with a few minutes left on the clock, it was not enough time left for the team to bounce back. In the end, the last play was intercepted by the other team, putting an end to Gables’ season.
“This year I had to deal with a leg injury, which sucked because, honestly, coming back wasn’t easy, but our team was practicing every day. Everyone wanted to do good in districts [and] prove to ourselves that our work payed off,” sophomore Iglesias said.Even though the Districts game did not go as wanted for Gables, their work and determination was shown through their playing time. Their efforts towards the District Qualifiers were not in vain, with many lessons learned in the process. The Lady Cavaliers look towards the future, using their experience at their final game to prepare themselves for the upcoming season.
