After Hilmar High’s flag football team earned a quarterfinal win against Liberty Ranch on Monday, head coach Anthony Leal gave one message to his team: the journey is not over.
Their opponent in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division IV semifinal was Trans-Valley League foe Orestimba High, marking the Yellowjackets’ second go-around with the Warriors. This season, Orestimba edged Hilmar by a combined eight points in two regular season games, their most recent matchup being on Oct. 20 in which the Warriors won 33-31 in overtime to claim the TVL title.
With each matchup being more significant than the other, the stakes couldn’t have been higher for the matchup’s third rendition on Wednesday night in Newman.
On second-and-11 in the second overtime period with the score knotted at 19, Orestimba quarterback Hailey Starr’s pass was intercepted by defensive back Mikayla Artega. With possession, the Yellowjackets found themselves at the 1-yard line after three plays. Despite multiple Orestimba defenders covering the middle of the field, it wasn’t enough to stop quarterback Brisa Gonzales from running into the end zone to score the game-winning touchdown to advance to Saturday’s championship game with a 25-19 victory.
The Yellowjackets will travel to Cosumnes River College to face Colfax at 10 a.m. Colfax, who won the Pioneer Valley League, advanced following a 14-7 win against Sonora on Wednesday.
Gonzales recorded three total touchdowns, none of which were greater than the one that ended Orestimba’s season. For Gonzales and the rest of the Yellowjacket players, there was extra motivation going in with how the previous two matchups ended.
“We wanted revenge. They took the TVL from us,” Gonzales said. “We want (the) section, that blue banner.”
For Leal, he knows what it's like to coach against the TVL champs. He’s seen his team lead for the majority of both games and lose in overtime. During Wednesday’s game, he went through a whirlwind of emotions.
“I might have to see a heart doctor after this game, to be honest,” Leal chuckled. “I’m very excited (and) very happy.”
While the win keeps Hilmar’s season alive, it's indicative of the program’s turnaround in its second season. After finishing 9-14 overall and near the bottom of the TVL standings in its inaugural campaign a year ago, the Yellowjackets are currently 19-6 overall and are one win away from raising the coveted blue championship banner.
Leal credits this season’s shift through change in the team’s culture, with buy in from the coaching staff and the players.
“My coaching staff are really smart coaches … giving the girls all the knowledge is huge,” he said. “I think that really helps, just my coaching staff. 100% credit to them.”
During the first half, Hilmar’s defense slowed Orestimba’s offense. That, in large part, was having double coverage on Warriors’ wide receiver Imelda Beltran and blitzing at Orestimba’s two quarterbacks, Starr and Salece Machado.
“They’re hell of a throwing team,” Leal said. “I wanted to keep pressure on (their quarterbacks).”
That gameplan worked for the Yellowjackets who led 7-0 going into halftime.
In the third quarter, Orestimba adjusted its defensive gameplan around Gonzales’ ability to run the ball. The Warriors managed to stop her from scrambling and broke up multiple pass attempts. After trailing for the majority of the match, Orestimba scored 13 unanswered points to lead by six.
Momentum shifted when Gonzales led an eight-play drive to Orestimba’s 2-yard line. She capped it off with a rushing touchdown to tie the game at 13 points heading into the fourth quarter.
After forcing an Orestimba punt, Hilmar drove down the field to Orestimba’s 5-yard line. The Yellowjackets reclaimed its lead following a rushing touchdown from Artega, making it 19-13.
In the ensuing possession, Orestimba was on fourth-and-15 at midfield. Hilmar’s defensive back Mia Westmoreland broke up a pass attempt to force a turnover on downs with six minutes left. With Orestimba without timeouts, Hilmar were ready to end the game, stationed at Yellowjackets the 5-yard line with an opportunity to extend its lead. However, things took a turn for the worse.
As Gonzales tried to leap into the end zone, she made contact with an Orestimba defender. After the play, Gonzales was issued a penalty, resulting in the ball being pushed 10 yards back and a loss of downs. The call ultimately helped Orestimba force a turnover on downs.
With less than three minutes left in regulation, Machado threw a 25-yard pass to Beltran. Moments later, she rushed to the Hilmar 10-yard line. The Warriors tied the game at 19 points after wide receiver Mariah Moreno scored a rushing touchdown off a handoff from Machado. Orestimba couldn’t capitalize on the extra point attempt after the ball slipped out of Natalie Corella’s hands.
As the Yellowjackets prepare for its most important game yet, Leal said it’s another step in their journey.
“Another team that’s in front of us, stopping us from (getting) the blue banner. We need to move them out of our way,” he said.
The Lady ‘Jackets were the last of the local flag football teams alive in the postseason.
Defending D-IV champion Hughson High lost 6-0 to Colfax on Monday in a rematch of last year’s title game.
Up in the Division I bracket, Central California Athletic League champion Turlock High was also eliminated Monday, losing 34-7 to McClatchy in the quarterfinal round. The Bulldogs had advanced after defeating Sheldon by a 25-6 score in the first round last week.
Elsewhere in the Division I bracket, Pitman High lost to Del Oro in the first round by a 7-0 score.
Huskies advance to D-4 VB final
Also making the trip to Elk Grove’s Cosumnes River College on Saturday will be the Hughson High volleyball team, who advanced to the Sac-Joaquin Section Division IV championship game with a 3-0 sweep of Sacramento’s West Campus on Tuesday evening.
In their way of a blue banner is TVL foe Sonora, who will be coming off a 3-1 win over Escalon in Tuesday’s semifinal. The championship match is set for 1 p.m. Saturday.
West Campus didn’t make things easy on Tuesday, as the Huskies trailed late in each of three sets. They trailed 23-20 in the opening set, 25-23 in the second frame, and 19-16 in the third.
The Huskies were paced by the scoring of hitting duo Addie Yarbrough and Olivia Piazza, who tallied 16 and 15 kills, respectively.
Izzy Piazza was big defensively with 11 digs, while Julia Daniels pitched in with three serving aces.
The season series between Hughson and Sonora was split, with the Wildcats sweeping the Huskies 25-17, 25-23, 25-22 in their first meeting on Sept 18 and Hughson pulling away in five sets (25-21, 25-15, 22-25, 16-25, 15-10) on Oct. 14.
Down in the Division V bracket, reigning CIF Northern California Division IV regional champion Hilmar High, another TVL force, was eliminated in the semifinal round for the second straight year, falling to Sutter in five sets (25-27, 21-25, 25-15, 25-13, 10-15).
Four Yellowjackets were in double figures in the scoring column, led by Emily Barroso and her 13 kills. Not far behind was Emma Gomes with 11 kills, while Alyssa Colston and Reese Ahlem had 10 each. Barroso also tied with Stella Pires for a team-high five aces. Pires totaled 42 assists on the evening.
Despite the loss, Hilmar’s appearance in the semifinal round automatically qualified them to the regional tournament, allowing an opportunity to defend their championship from a year ago.
In terms of the regional tournament, the Pitman High team learned this week that they have received an at-large berth to NorCals.
The Pride were eliminated in the quarterfinal of this year’s Division I playoffs on Oct. 30, as they were swept by St. Mary’s. Nevertheless, with a 27-10 overall record, including a fourth straight undefeated CCAL campaign, their overall section ranking of 15 keeps them in the conversation as one the region’s top teams.
The CIF NorCal brackets will be released Sunday, while the first games of the tournament will take place Tuesday.
— Journal reporter Christoopher Correa contributed to this report.
