Plus, scores from around the Foothill League in flag football
Following a 27-12 win over the Canyon Cowboys, the Hart flag football team extended its winning streak to four games in a row highlighted by Shelbie Ratzlaff’s two-touchdown performance in Thursday’svictory.
“We knew going into this game [Canyon] is a dangerous team. They put together some wins, and we knew to have our guard up,” Hart head coach Josh Masmela said. “We have to be at our best, moving forward in all league games. The whole league is out to get each other, so, we just want to make sure we’re on our A-game every game. “
In Thursday’s win, Hart’s (9-6, 5-1) Ratzlaff, who’s a sophomore, tossed for 223 yards and completed 16 for 26 pass attempts. Junior receiver Natalie Williams caught both touchdowns from her sophomore quarterback and ended the day with three receptions and 47 yards.
After the game, Masmela spoke on the connection between Ratzlaff and Williams and the growth he’s seen out of both players throughout the season.
“Natalie is awesome. She is a returning all-league player for us,” Masmela said. “And Shelbie is really putting herself into the quarterback position. She’s trying to get the mix of what it is to be a good quarterback. And I thought she was very efficient.”
With the win, the Hawks ended the first half of the Foothill League season 5-1 and hold the top spot in the league’s flag football standings.
As the Hawks enter the second stage of the Foothill League season, Masmela is looking to close the year out strong and prepare for what will be a tough stretch on Hart’s upcoming schedule as the team faces Valencia and Castaic in its next two games.
“Those are tough games,” Masmela said. “They beat us before. So, the whole mantra is we want to be trending in the right time going into playoffs … and I think we’re starting that, so we just got to make sure we work hard in practice and keep this going.”
The Hawks play again on Tuesday against the Vikings at Valencia High School with the game set to begin at 6:30 p.m.
As for Canyon (5-4, 2-4), the loss dropped the Cowboys to 2-4 in Foothill League play, while staying above .500 overall at 5-4.
The Cowboys will look to bounce back on Tuesday at Saugus High School in a matchup against the Centurions with the game set to begin at 6:30 p.m.
After Thursday’s games, here are scores from around the Foothill League:
West Ranch 21, Valencia 0: After two straight Foothill League losses, the West Ranch Wildcats (4-5, 3-2) bounced back with back-back wins, including a shutout over the Valencia Vikings on Thursday.
With the win, the Wildcats are above .500 in the Foothill League for the first time this season with a 3-2 record.
The Wildcats will look to keep up their winning momentum with a matchup on Tuesday against the Coyotes at Castaic High School at 3 p.m.
As for Valencia, the loss dropped the Vikings to a 4-2 Foothill League record and they will look to rebound with a Tuesday matchup against the Hart Hawks at Valencia High School with the game set to begin 6:30 p.m.
Castaic 44, Golden Valley 0: With a blowout win over the Golden Valley Grizzlies (0-6, 2-10), the Castaic Coyotes (8-3, 4-1) scored the most points in a single game in program history with 44.
With the win, the Coyotes are tied for second place in the Foothill League standings with a 4-1 record and have shut out their last two Foothill League opponents in a row.
The Coyotes will look to build upon their momentum on Tuesday at Castaic High School in a home matchup against the West Ranch Wildcats with the game set to begin at 3 p.m.
As for Golden Valley, the Grizzlies remain winless in Foothill League play and look to bounce back Thursday at Golden Valley High School against the visiting Saugus Centurions with the game set to begin at 6:30 p.m.
