The Sacred Heart Cathedral Flag Football team opened league play on Wednesday afternoon at historic Kezar Stadium, and in front of a great crowd of family, friends, teachers and Go Big Green, they captured the win in an overtime thriller 20-14 over St. Ignatius.
The first points on the scoreboard came from an Irish touchdown pass from Isabella Guzman '25 to Sydney Endo '25. The Irish made the two point conversion and the score was 8-0. In the final minutes of the first half, the Wildcats answered with a touchdown of their own and missing the two point conversion, the Irish led 8-6 at the half.
The Wildcats were first to score in the second half and made the 2 point conversion, taking the lead 14-8. The Irish battled but were unable to score on a couple of offensive drives and the clock was running down.
St. Ignatius were close to scoring again in the final two minutes of the game when Carolynn Alapati '25 intercepted a pass and kept Irish hopes alive. The Irish offense moved the ball down the field and with 45 seconds on the clock, Kei'yanii Dawson '27 ran it in to tie the game 14-14. The Irish missed the 2 point conversion and the game remained tied with a little more than 40 seconds remaining. The Irish defense, led by Isabel Murray '26 and Alapati, held the Wildcat offense and the two teams headed to overtime.
In overtime, each team gets the ball on the 20 yard line and has an opportunity to score. The Wildcats were up first and the Irish defense went to work once more. Zianna Hernandez '27 came up huge with an interception for SHC and the Irish had a chance to win the game. A long Guzman pass to Endo in the endzone secured the come from behind victory for the Irish.
Coach Kristin Ray shared her thoughts after the game. "I was happy with the win, but even more thrilled about how the team played. When we fell behind and it looked grim, the team kept fighting and found a way through. The sideline was amazing and helped keep the team going when they got down. I am really proud of how tough the team played and how they battled with real heart. They did it together."
SHC President Dr. Melinda Skrade watched the game from the booth and stated, "There's nothing more exciting than witnessing the Irish strength on both sides of the ball!"
The Irish travel to the Cowboy Up Tournament hosted by Salinas High School on Saturday and are on the road against Menlo on Monday at Notre Dame Belmont.
GO IRISH!!
