SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Sophomore Monet Zauner picked off three passes, senior Abbey Pavelchik added two more, while junior Natalia Zitelli ran for two touchdowns, leading St. Francis to a 15-6 win over Hiram Johnson in non-league flag football action Thursday night.

The Troubadours improve to 8-0 for the season.

Zitelli broke up the scoreless tie with a 12-yard rushing TD at the 8:51 mark in the first quarter, then hit Nevaeh Gavino for the one-point conversion. Zitelli later tacked on a key score from 21 yards out in the 5:39, establishing a two-possession game down the stretch.

Zauner bagged her first interception on a Warrior red-zone chance at the midpoint of the first quarter. Pavelchik hurried quarterback Anissa Zavala on the third-and-10, helping force the errant throw. Zauner's second pick culminated what had been a Johnson first-and-5 on the Troubie 25. Colleen Medina and Piper Bates broke up the previous attempts, with Anastacia Uniza hurrying Zavala in the process. Finally, on fourth-and-5, Zavala underthrew a pass to Lilian Phyapakdy. Zauner opted to intercept and gamble for the additional yards, ultimately getting SF to the original line of scrimmage.

Pavelchik's first INT came shortly after the two-minute mark in the first half after St. Francis had gone three-and-out. The Troubies failed on downs on the ensuing possession, but it left the Warriors on their own 10-yard line with a mere 14 seconds remaining before the break. On the first play, the snap sailed over the head of Zavala and into the end zone for a safety, bumping the lead to 9-0.

On Johnson's first series after halftime, Uniza batted down two passes but ran into the Warrior quarterback on the second effort. This resulted in a penalty and an automatic first down for the Johnson, but on the next play, Pavelchik won the equivalent of a basketball jump ball against Warrior junior Nala Wysinger. The Troubies did not convert the takeaway to points, but they still protected their lead.

The Warriors finally got on the board with 70 seconds left in the third quarter. St. Francis turned the ball over on downs to give its host field position on the Johnson 30. Zavala handed off to Wysinger, who weaved her way down the field for a 50-yard touchdown. Uniza's pass rush forced a failed conversion, but the Warriors now trailed by a single score.

With 8:37 left in the contest, the Troubies took over on downs on their own 30. Sophomore quarterback Lola Fox connected with Gavino and Tayli Paeu-Lindgren to move across midfield into Johnson territory. Another Fox pass found Annie Swanson just beyond the 20-yard line. With second-and-one, Zitelli easily picked up the first down, then continued to run unabated to the Warrior end zone. SF now held a 15-6 lead, looking to continue holding off Johnson for the remaining 5:39.

Zavala picked up the initial first down on a keeper, then receiver Shylia Vang got behind the SF secondary for an open shot at a touchdown. Zavala's bomb sailed out of reach. However, Johnson suffered another wild snap out of the reach of the junior quarterback, resulting in a third-and-27. Zavala again went long to Vang, only to have Zauner jump the route and make a leaping grab for her third interception of the game and ninth of the year.

The five total picks raises St. Francis' team total to 31. Zauner matched Medina with five stops, while Uniza finished with three sacks. Offensively, Zitelli's two rushing touchdowns contributed toward her larger totals of 7-for-62 on the ground. Paeu-Lindgren caught six passes in the game with Gavino adding another four.

St. Francis returns to action on Tuesday at Pleasant Grove for a 5 p.m. varsity-only home date.