This Monday night at Yorba Linda High School, excitement filled the air as the Mustangs girls’ flag football team pulled off an exhilarating win against rivals Villa Park Spartans! And as if the night couldn’t get any better, they won in style–on senior night, making this win an unforgettable memory. This eventful night began with Sydney Hendrie (12) singing her beautiful rendition of the National Anthem. After the anthem touched everyone’s hearts, the spotlight shifted to six outstanding seniors – Maddie Maurer, Sophia Simpson, Avery Clark, Maddie Jeanblanc, Karly ErkenBrack, and Sydney Hendrie – who were all honored with flowers in this bittersweet ceremony. Looking back on this special moment, Maddie Maurer (12) shares her thoughts: “It was super fun, but it was kind of weird being a senior walking out on the field because I remember being an underclassman watching the seniors, so it was bittersweet.”
Right from the start, the game was heated with both teams fighting fiercely for the ball, unwilling to give up. The energy radiating off the Yorba Linda Mustangs was so electric that it didn’t take long for them to score. In a crazy and resilient play, freshman Maddie Baez bulldozed through the defense to score the first touchdown, causing the crowd to go into a frenzy. To put the icing on the cake, junior Cienna Olsen slipped past the defense and scored an extra point, leaving the Villa Park Spartans seven points behind the Mustangs.
But Cienna wasn’t done scoring yet. With about 1 minute and 40 seconds left in the first half, Cienna made a tremendous defensive play by intercepting a pass and taking off like a rocket. She ran so fast that no other Spartan could keep up with her. She blazed down the field, scoring her first touchdown and making a more noticeable gap in the points. Because of this, the crowd went absolutely wild, making the Mustang’s lead much sweeter. And her streak didn’t stop there. Just as the Spartans were going to get their extra point after scoring a touchdown, Cienna got yet another interception, sprinting down the field and scoring another touchdown with just three seconds left in the first half. Again, the crowd went crazy as the Mustangs’ score kept increasing.
As the second half of the game began, there was a lot of back and forth. No one really scored until the Spartans got their hands on the ball and broke through the Mustang’s defense, scoring a touchdown and an extra point with 8 minutes and 50 seconds left in the game. But the Mustangs would not let that go so easily. Sophomore Bella Silvestri took that as a personal challenge and maneuvered through the defense, scoring a touchdown and securing the Mustang’s victory. The final score was 21-13, a solid win for the Mustangs and a memorable way to end senior night.