It was a night for the history books. Encinal High Flag Football defeated Alameda High 8-6 at Thompson Field on October 12 in the sport’s first-ever Island Bowl. The Jets victory handed the Hornets their first loss of the season.
With the clock winding down and the game on the line, the Hornets completed a series of passes to get within the 5-yard line. With seconds remaining, Alameda’s Lei’yan Molina completed a pass. However, Encinal’s Jazzy Alcantar tackled the receiver at the 1-yard line, sealing the win for the Jets. As time expired, Encinal fans rushed the field in jubilation.
“I know my team and I were super excited and happy about our win,” junior Jazzy Alcanter said. “It was a well-earned win and we played really well as a whole. It felt nice to do what everyone else made seem like the impossible.”
Alameda (4-1) opened the scoring with a shifty 30-yard catch and run by junior Elsa Chin to give the Hornets a 6-0 lead.
Encinal (3-2) tried to respond but was thwarted by a Jennalyn Apodaca interception. It looked as if Alameda would increase its lead, but the Jets stopped the Hornets in the red zone.
Encinal then marched down the field, capping the drive with a 40-yard touchdown from sophomore Lauren Martson. A two-point conversion gave the Jets the lead going into halftime.
“I’m very proud of my team for going into the game with a winning and locked-in mindset, so we managed to get the job done and it’s been fulfilling to know our hard work is paying off,” said Encinal quarterback Reagan Caoili, who threw her team’s only touchdown pass.
The second half was a defensive battle, with both teams coming up with timely interceptions and key stops.
Encinal sophomore Nyah Williams Brown picked off a pass near the end zone with 15:23 left in the game, which resulted in her being mobbed by her teammates on the sideline. However, with the Jets threatening to score, Elsa Chin grabbed an interception with 12:24 left to keep the game close.
As the game neared its climactic ending, things started to get chippy. It started with a roughing the passer penalty on Encinal. Later, with 4:35 left, the Jets appeared to have converted a fourth down. When the refs reversed the call, both Alameda’s and Encinal’s coach gathered at midfield to have a discussion.
At the 3:06 mark, the Hornets appeared to take the lead on a long touchdown run. However, the play was called back due to a whistle before the play.
“Even though there were some uncertainties from the refs, overall, we were still able to pull through with our EHS crowd boosting our energy,” said junior Isabelle Lu.
The loss dropped Alameda to second place in the Western Alameda County Conference (WACC) league. The Hornets play Mt. Eden on October 19. The win moved Encinal into a tie for third place. The Jets play Hayward on October 19.
Joshua Linville is an English teacher and Journalism advisor at Encinal Junior/Senior High School.
