When the ball was thrown her way and a championship was on the line, Avery Olson was ready. There was no time on the clock as junior cornerback JayCerra ran stride-for-stride with Orange Lutheran wide receiver Josie Anderson, who dove but failed to reach the end zone in a thrilling finish to the Southern Division 1 girls flag football final Saturday night at Fred Kelly Stadium in Orange.
The first-place Lions capped off a perfect season by kicking two goals inside the two-yard line in the final six seconds – a goal-line stand that summed up everything the team had been doing since the start of the season: defense first – to claim a 25-20 victory over their Trinity League rivals, who won their first Division 1 title last fall.
JayCerra's pass forced quarterback Makena Cook to rush a throw into the corner of the end zone that fell incomplete on third down, and the Lions began celebrating, thinking the game was over. However, the referee quickly raised two fingers to signal that two seconds remained.
Ava Irwin (2) celebrates with her teammates after catching two touchdown passes in JayCerra's 25-20 win over Orange Lutheran on Saturday to capture the Division 1 title.
(Steve Galluzzo/For The Times)
“That was the hardest thing, knowing they were so close to the goal line and we had to go out there one last time with everything on the line,” Olson said. “We expected Happy to get the bouncing ball. [Dubois] or someone who can can go up and take it, but they came up with a whip route, something shorter, and I didn't expect that. I saw her hips turn and said to myself, “I have to take control of this.” We knew it would be a dogfight. O Lou is a great team!”
Although the Lions' defense saved the game, the offense won. When freshman quarterback Kate Meyer couldn't find anyone open, she sprinted toward the goal line and flew straight inside the pylon from six yards out to give JayCerra the lead with exactly one minute remaining.
“I just took what I was given,” said Meyer, known as the team's Brett Favre and who scored the game-winning touchdown in a similar scrimmage in the teams' first league meeting. “There was a huge hole there. I saw a big hole open up and I think I went in.”
JSerra defensive end Keith Meyer leaps into the arms of teammate Kai Beary after running for the game-winning touchdown with one minute left against Orange Lutheran.
(Steve Galluzzo/For The Times)
However, the Orange Lutherans marched from their own 14 to the Lions' two to set up a wild finish.
Cook used her legs to buy time in the pocket before finding Capri Cuneo in the middle of the end zone for a touchdown that tied the game with 6:53 left, then throwing to Ruby Fuamata for the one-point conversion that put Orange Lutheran ahead 20-19.
JayCerra intercepted four passes from Cook to win the Sept. 30 contest, 18-7, and followed it up with a 21-20 home win to capture the league crown nine days later. They intercepted three more passes from Cook on Saturday, two of them from Kai Beery, including the most critical one with 27 seconds left in the first half and the Lancers inside the JSerra 10.
“I was in a hurry with G.G. With the Pike, we felt the pressure and were able to take it off,” said Beary, who also caught a pass from Meyer. “It was such a fun season. It's sad that it's over.”
JayCerra (28-0) entered the game ranked No. 1 in California and No. 2 in the nation by MaxPreps. The Lions defeated 12 opponents and handed the No. 2 team in the state, Orange Lutheran, just three losses. When asked if his team deserved to be number 1 in the country, JSerra coach Brian Ong didn't seem to care.
“We beat every team we played and no one managed to win the CIF undefeated — these girls are the first to do it,” Ong said. “I don’t think there’s another team in the country that could beat Orange Lutheran three times in a row.”
