GRANITE BAY, Calif. – Monet Zauner and Alexa Randall each broke up three passes while sophomore quarterback Lola Fox completed 18 passes, but St. Francis was held to just a safety for the second straight game in falling at Granite Bay, 31-2, in the varsity nightcap of Thursday's Sierra Foothill League flag football doubleheader.
The Troubadours slip to 13-3 for the year and even their league record to 2-2, marking the first time in the program's brief history that SF did not score a touchdown in consecutive games.
Fox managed to deliver longer passes to Annie Swanson (28 yards) and Tayli Paeu-Lindgren (18) but the Grizzlies managed to stifle their guest's run game to seven plays for a loss.
Defensively, Randall and Zauner posted their crooked numbers on pass coverage while Paeu-Lindgren stepped in as a pass rusher to record four sacks. In fact, two of the five GB touchdowns came on interception returns, meaning the Troubie defense was not on the field for more than a third of the Grizzly scoring.
In the junior varsity opener, Julia Tipton hauled in a touchdown pass and had one of the two Troubie interceptions, but St. Francis surrendered two fourth-quarter touchdowns to settle for a 13-13 tie against Granite Bay. Freshman Hope Sperber made her first start at quarterback, finding Tipton for a 15-yard TD early in the second then a 65-yarder to Victoria Tateishi with 1:30 prior to halftime. Sperber also found Kaili Heeb on a one-point conversion, a successful try that proved crucial later in the contest after GB's comeback.
Tipton, Elizabeth McNearney and Angie Weston each had five passes defensed: Tipton and Weston with a pick and a pass breakup each, with McNearney recording a pair of PBUs.
With less than two minutes left and now facing a 13-13 tie, SF managed one last potential scoring drive. With no time remaining, the Troubies seemed to score that game-winner, only for the play to get called back on an illegal forward pass: Sperber wandered across the line of scrimmage before delivering the would-be TD.
The St. Francis jayvees move to 7-1-1 for the year with a 2-0-1 SFL record.
Both teams return to action on Tuesday at Del Oro for a 6:15/7:30 p.m. doubleheader.
