The growing pains continue for the inaugural girls’ varsity flag football team with a 22-12 loss to Troy High School on Sept. 25, dropping their North Hills League record to 1-3, and overall record to 3-5.
Troy, who entered Wildcat Stadium with seven wins, has a roster consisting entirely of juniors and seniors. That experience was evident early as the Trojans raced out to back-to-back scores and a 22-0 halftime lead against the Wildcats.
In the first half, the Wildcats struggled to find momentum due to dropped passes and missed flags.
So with little to lose, the Wildcats “just went for it” in the second half, according to Anjali Adhvaryu (’27). “We got ahold of the game in the second half. We started to read how they played,” Adhvaryu said.
The Wildcats mounted a comeback, led by quarterback Gianna Tuso (’26) and receiver Emma Farias (’25), who connected for two touchdowns, closing the gap to 22-12.
The Wildcats defense also contributed to the comeback, shutting out Troy in the second half, with safety DeLaney Walkins (’25) snagging three interceptions.
Despite the loss, the Wildcats are pleased with the progress of their inaugural season, considering the steep learning and competitive curves of starting a varsity sports program from scratch.
“There’s a huge difference while playing established teams. It’s only our first season playing, while other high schools already have experience,” running back Hanee Park (’27) said.
“For most of us, it’s our first year playing [flag football],” Tuso said.
Despite the team’s inexperience — the varsity roster includes three freshmen and two sophomores — they possess a competitive advantage against their opponents: speed.
“We have really fast girls, and even the girls who aren’t our fastest are very athletic and coachable,” Tuso said. “We learn and adapt quickly [and] we’re good at working together and reading the other team’s offense and defense.”
The team is also motivated by their graduating seniors and the bonds they’ve created.
“This is our seniors’ first and last season so that’s a big motivation for [us]: — to win for them,” Tuso said. “When we’re all having fun on the field and the energy is high, we play better and have each other’s backs.”
The Wildcats have another reason to be optimistic: their coach.
Head coach Feargus McTeggart knows a few things about winning programs: McTeggart has led BOHS’s wrestling program for 33 years.
McTeggart tells his athletes, “If you play for your own team, you’re playing for yourself; don’t play for the other team. You either play for the home team, away team, or your own team.”
“We’re our own biggest critics, but also our teammate’s critics,” Tuso said. “When [Coach McTeggart] mentions playing for the away team, it gives us the realization that we don’t want to be the one person who’s only playing for themselves.”
Next up for the first-year program is a rematch against La Habra High School, whom the Wildcats lost to, 18-12, on Sept. 11.
As the girls steadily improve from game-to-game, they’re optimistic that emerge as victors against the visiting Highlanders.
Game time is at 3:15 p.m. in Wildcat Stadium on Sept. 30.
