Plus, scores from around the Foothill League in flag football
Although Canyon remained in fifth place of the flag football Foothill League standings following a come-from-behind 18-13 win over West Ranch, the Cowboys kept their at-large playoff bid hopes alive following Maribel Winkler’s three-touchdown performance on Thursday.
With the win, the Cowboys (8-6, 5-6) are guaranteed to finish above .500 in overall play for the first time in program history.
Although the team still has one more game left to play, Canyon head coach Thomas Bambrick spoke on the accomplishment and hard work his players have displayed throughout the season.
“West Ranch has a great coach and great discipline, and this was a hard-fought battle,” Bambrick said. “These girls really earned it; it’s been an up-and-down season to start 4-0 but then go 6-6. So, to see them persevere … it really shows their character.”
Winkler tossed for three touchdowns on Thursday and leads the Foothill League in passing yards.
As for Canyon’s defense, the Cowboys held the Wildcats to three goal-line stands. And when it mattered most, Canyon’s Isabella Ramos tipped the quarterback’s pass and forced West Ranch’s offense to commit a turnover on downs 5 yards from the end zone in the game’s final moments.
“With the win, it’s the first time in program history we have had a positive record. This game was massive,” Bambrick said. “We told the girls coming in that is do or die and we’re very proud of them.”
With the Cowboys finishing the season above .500, an at-large playoff bid remains in play for Canyon should the California Interscholastic Federation Southern Section award it.
The Cowboys will look to end the season with another win on Tuesday in a home matchup against the Hart Hawks at 3:30 p.m.
As for West Ranch, the loss dropped the Wildcats to 6-9 for the season but they remained fourth in the Foothill League standings for an automatic berth into the playoffs with a 5-5 record.
The Wildcats will look to bounce back on Tuesday in a home matchup against the Valencia Vikings at West Ranch High School at 5:30 p.m.
After Thursday’s games, here are scores from around the Foothill League:
Hart 14, Saugus 0: After a shutout over West Ranch on Tuesday, the Hart Hawks (14-10, 8-3) followed up their performance with a road win over the Saugus Centurions (8-10, 4-8) on Thursday.
Hart’s Shelbie Ratzlaff tossed for two touchdowns and 199 yards in the win over Saugus.
With the win, the Hawks remained second in the flag football Foothill League standings with an 8-3 record.
A share of the Foothill League title isn’t completely out of the picture for Hart, but should the Coyotes win one of their final two Foothill League games, the Hawks will stay second in the standings.
Outside of the Foothill League title picture, the Hawks will look to end the season on a high note in the team’s final game of the season on Tuesday at Canyon High School against the Cowboys at 3:30 p.m.
As for Saugus, the loss dropped the Centurions to 4-8 in the Foothill League and two games below .500 overall with an 8-10 record.
The Centurions ended the season with a four-game losing streak.
Valencia 40, Golden Valley 0: After four straight winless games, the Valencia Vikings (10-11-3, 7-4) bounced back with a home win over the Golden Valley Grizzlies (5-16, 0-11) on Tuesday.
With the win, the Vikings recorded their first win in the month of October and remained in third in the Foothill League standings.
The Vikings will look to end the year with a win as the team plays its final game of the season on Tuesday at West Ranch High School against the Wildcats at 5:30 p.m.
As for Golden Valley, the Grizzlies remain winless in Foothill League following Thursdays’ loss and will look to bounce back on Tuesday against the Coyotes at Golden Valley High School at 6:30 p.m.
