AURORA | It was a historic, but not high-scoring debut for girls flag football in the city Saturday at sun-drenched Legacy Stadium.
Less than four months after the Colorado High School Activities Association approved it as a sanctioned sport, Regis Jesuit and Grandview squared off on the scorching hot turf in the first official contest for area teams.
One big play made the difference in a defensive contest, as Regis Jesuit senior Catherine Eure navigated a gauntlet of defenders after catching a pass from senior Naala Barnes early in the fourth quarter as the Raiders topped the Wolves 6-0.
“Last year, I had a problem where I would stop running before I made it to the end zone, so I’m trying to work on that,” said Eure, who played last season when the sport was still in its pilot phase. “Honestly, I didn’t know it was going to me, so I’m just glad I caught it and kept running.”
After coach Ben Danecki’s Regis Jesuit team — which was ranked No. 9 in CHSAA’s preseason coaches poll — got on the scoreboard after the teams played 39 scoreless minutes, Eure and senior Ariel Sandoval-Reed both came up with interceptions to keep the Wolves at bay.
Among the highlights for coach Mark Fisher’s Grandview team was an interception from sophomore Brooke Sullivan.
What turned out to be the winning series for Regis Jesuit came to start the fourth quarter on a third-down play when senior blocker Alexiah Toval took the snap and ran towards the sideline and pitched to Barnes, who heaved it to an open Eure.
Eure then evaded the attempts of two Grandview defenders and made it to the end zone as her flag belt came loose and started to slide off. She was mobbed in the end zone by jubilant teammates.
“I felt like we needed a jolt on offense,” Danecki said. “We called that play earlier and watched what the defense was doing, then we just tweaked one thing when we called it again. …We just had to get creative and once we got that play, the energy picked up.”
The score definitely ramped up the urgency in the contest, especially since the clock doesn’t stop, except in the last two minutes.
Led by senior quarterback Ivy Daniel, Grandview — which got several good plays in open space on passes to senior Kenzie Dodd — had two solid drives as it sought a tying touchdown. But harassed by freshmen rusher Jasmine Lugo and others, Daniel’s pass for Dodd was intercepted by Eure.
Fisher deftly used all three of Grandview’s time outs on Regis Jesuit’s subsequent possession to get the ball back with just one a minute remaining, but Sandoval-Reed snared a ball intended for senior Tierra Goodgain. The Raiders then ran out the clock.
“Our defense played really good, so that’s a real positive,” Danecki said. “Our offense was moving the ball, we just had trouble finishing drives. We’ll have to tweak some things, but I’m pleased with how we looked for a first game and we’ll try to carry that momentum forward.”
Eure — who finished with three catches for 60 yards as the leading receiver, while freshman Kaitlyn Buhler caught four passes for 42 yards as Barnes (17-for-30 for 131 yards spread the ball around — was encouraged by the growth she said.
She expects the Raiders will be better when they visit Highlands Ranch on Aug. 21.
“A lot of these games will be difficult, but that’s the process of learning,” Eure said. “When we learn, we go through hardships. That’s normal and that’s OK, we just have to remind ourselves that we’ll bounce back. …I expect us to win a lot of games this season.”
Grandview has a quick turnaround as it plays host to Legacy at 6 p.m. Monday.
“It was tough having a game that quick and jumping right in, but the girls are getting better at what we’re doing,” Fisher said. “It was good for us to see things and learn from it. …I think it was two evenly matched teams and they got us on the one trick play, but it was a lot of fun and it was great for the girls to have a game in the stadium in a good atmosphere.”
Courtney Oakes is Aurora Sentinel Sports Editor. Reach him at sports@aurorasentinel.com. Twitter/X: @aurorasports. IG: Sentinel Prep Sports
REGIS JESUIT 6, GRANDVIEW 0
Score by quarters:
Regis Jesuit 0 0 0 6 — 6
Grandview 0 0 0 0 — 0
SCORING
Fourth quarter
Regis Jesuit — Catherine Eure 35 yard pass from Naala Barnes (run failed), 9:02
