Plus, scores from around the Foothill League in flag football
After a shutout loss to West Ranch in the team’s last Foothill League contest, the Valencia flag football team was eyeing to start the second half of league play on the right track.
Following a 19-7 win over the Hart Hawks, the Vikings bounced back and improved to a 5-2 record in Foothill League play behind senior Camila Quintero’s standout performance.
Quintero, who’s a two-way standout, led Valencia (7-6-2, 5-2) on offense with two touchdowns and two interceptions on defense, including a pick-six in the second half that iced the game for the Vikings.
“It’s just rewarding. I know we worked hard, the team worked hard, and coaches worked hard,” Quintero said afterward. “It was all or nothing. It was either go big or go home.”
Valencia head coach Cedric McCalister spoke on the win and how the game plan for Tuesday was reliant on how Valencia’s defense responded to Hart’s (9-7, 5-2) offense.
“Seeing that we got beat 34-0 the first time we played Hart, we feel good about this one,” McCalister said. “All we had to do was game plan on defense. We knew if we could stop them on defense, we were going to score on offense.”
Defensively, the Vikings held the Hawks to a scoreless first half, including multiple turnovers on downs for Hart’s offense. And in the second half, Valencia’s defense kept up the pressure and picked off Hart quarterback Shelbie Ratzlaff twice.
In the third quarter, Quintero picked off Ratzlaff and returned it to the end zone for a pick-six that put the Vikings out of reach for the Hawks.
With the win, the Vikings improved to 5-2 in Foothill League play and tied for second in the standings.
The Vikings will look to build upon their momentum on Thursday at Canyon High School against the Cowboys with the game set to begin at 6:30 p.m.
As for Hart, the Hawks remain tied for second in the Foothill League with the Vikings with a 5-2 record.
The Hawks will look to bounce back on Thursday at Hart High School against the visiting Castaic Coyotes with the game scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
For more on Quintero’s performance, watch her postgame interview here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=PpjFB92yLCk.
After Tuesday’s games, here are scores from around the Foothill League:
Castaic 25, West Ranch 13: After a record-breaking win over Golden Valley last week, the Coyotes (9-3, 5-1) followed up their performance with a comeback victory over the West Ranch Wildcats (4-6, 3-3) on Tuesday.
With four minutes remaining in the game, the Coyotes trailed 13-6 to the Wildcats and responded with a 19-point comeback and improved to 5-1 in Foothill League play.
With the win, the Coyotes took hold of first in the flag football Foothill League standings. The Coyotes will look to keep up their momentum with a road matchup Thursday against the Hawks at Hart High School with the game scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m.
As for West Ranch, the Wildcats dropped their sixth game of the season but remain at .500 with a 3-3 record in Foothill League play.
The Wildcats will look to bounce back in their next Foothill League contest on Tuesday against the Grizzlies at Golden Valley High School at 6:30 p.m.
Saugus 18, Canyon 6: Following a shutout loss to Hart, the Saugus Centurions (7-6, 3-4) bounced back with a home win over the Canyon Cowboys (5-5, 2-5) on Tuesday.
With the win, the Centurions improved their overall record to above .500 but remain below in Foothill League play with a 3-4 record.
The Centurions remain in fifth place in the Foothill League standings and will look to build upon the win with a road matchup against the Grizzlies at Golden Valley High School on Thursday, with the game scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m.
As for Canyon, the loss dropped the Cowboys to sixth in the Foothill League standings with a 2-5 record.
The Cowboys will look to bounce back on Thursday at Canyon High School against the visiting Valencia Vikings with the game set to begin at 6:30 p.m.
