Some key matchups dotted the SDSSAA Girls Flag Football schedules right across the board the past week or two as we begin to get a feel for where the strength lies in the fall of 2023.
Monday afternoon, Ava Massimiliano racked up three touchdowns and an equal number of converts in leading the St Charles College Cardinals to a 27-7 win over the Bishop Carter Gators.
Improving their season mark to 3-0, the Cards also received a touchdown from Kayden Francoeur after Sierra Boyuk opened the scoring for the Gators, with Kaleigh Hamilton sailing the point after attempt through the uprights.
The Lasalle Lancers kept pace with SCC in the race for top spot in the Senior Division A ranks with a 23-7 win over the Horizon Aigles as Angel Allonce, Caitlin Slivinski and Isabelle Roy all recorded majors and Kaylee Vaillancourt chipped in with a field goal and a pair of PATs.
Fannie Gauthier reached the end zone for the Aigles, her TD followed by a seventh point courtesy of place kicker Emily Winsor.
In Senior Division B action, the Marymount Regals pulled into a first place tie with the St Benedict Bears this week at 3-0, but had to survive their stiffest test yet, blanking the much-improved Sudbury Secondary School North Stars 7-0 as Mya Massimiliano was featured in all of the scoring in this encounter, adding the point after following her own touchdown.
The race is still wide open however as the Collège Notre-Dame Alouettes, Champlain Requins and the afore-mentioned North Stars are all sitting at 2-1 with plenty of football still ahead in the nine team loop.
The junior Cardinals seem intent on following in the footsteps of their senior schoolmates, also making it three for three this year with a 14-6 triumph over the Lo-Ellen Park Knights as Olivia Carriere finished with two TDs, with Bryn Hobson registering the convert on both.
Alyssa Amadio picked up the six point score for the Knights.
The SCC girls are deadlocked with the Horizon Junior Eagles, also boasting a 3-0 mark after defeating the Lockerby Vikings 26-12 this week. Touchdowns for the winners came from Alexis Brabant, with two, as well as Ellie Renaud and Avery Nelson, with Brabant also making good on a pair of PATs.
All of the Lockerby scoring would be handled by Lorelai van Drunen who sprinted her way across the goal line on two separate occasions.
The four team Junior Division B loop has the Marymount Regals (3-0) showing the way, stopping the Lively Hawks 20-2 as speedster Leah Serré (2 TDs), Mina McCoshen (TD) and Kate Bouchard (2 pt PAT) all got on the scoresheet for the Academy.
After scoring on both a pick six and a punt return one week earlier in a 23-0 win over the Hawks, the St Benedict Bears struggled to find the end zone in a 14-3 setback suffered at the hands of the Champlain Requins.
Both Ava Woods and Caileigh Ryan returned punts a long, long way in the St Benedict win, with the latter providing her keys to successful special teams play.
"You have to call the ball so that no one bumps into you," said Ryan. "And you have to make sure you have your gloves on; then it's a lot easier to catch. And when you're running, move your hips a lot - move your hips and make cuts."
As is the case with several of her teammates, Ryan also suited up with the Bears girls tackle football team last spring, noting that there are some adjustments needed when the flag season rolls around in the fall.
"It is a really different sport - it's hard to compare," said the 15 year-old grade 10 student now competing in flag for the second time in her high-school career. "I love them both a lot. In flag, when I am going to grab someone's flag, I can't tackle them."
"You get a penalty if you do that, so I have to watch myself."
