The girls’ flag football team crushed the BCC Barons 18-6 on Monday, Sept. 29, picking up a major win at home against a big rival and moving their record to 4-1. Overall, WJ was in control for most of the game, making strong runs and passes.

Senior Lucy Sher was first to put points on the board with a touchdown. As the game progressed, BCC’s defense took over for a few drives, stopping the offense from getting more downs. But as the half came to a close, a switch flipped. Senior defender Sonia Pegoue had an interception, which led to a touchdown. 

In the second half they kept up the same energy, but allowed BCC to score one touchdown. Quarterback sophomore Ruby Bonior was throwing darts to her teammates, creating more opportunities for WJ to score. For most of the game, the ball was in the hands of a black and green Wildcat jersey, with their teammates on the sideline keeping the spirits high and the cheers loud. 

In the end, the girls worked together on both offense and defense to hold the Barons down and keep the lead until the final whistle.

Overall, the team’s well-roundedness has been a recipe for their success, as they have worked hard during practices and games in order to gain a winning record. 

“It’s a big team,” senior Julianna Cabanillas said.  “It takes a lot of time and effort to get everyone to work cohesively as a team, but I think we’ve done a really good job and we all have really good relationships.”

On Tuesday, Sept. 16, the Wildcats went head-to-head with Quince Orchard in a rainy, cold home game. Despite the weather conditions, they managed to push until the final whistle to win by a comfortable lead of 12-6. This wasn’t an easy win, according to Pegoue, one of the team’s senior captains and key players. 

“It was intense,” Pegoue said. “I got the first touchdown, but QO came back almost immediately. They were a pretty tough team, and we had a lot of stoppages due to injuries.” 

Even with some minor challenges along the way, they still stuck together and fought until the end of the game, focusing on executing their individual roles on all parts of the field. 

“Our defense is very strong,” senior captain Evalyn Grocki said. “We started off the game on defense, and we shut them down pretty quickly. Overall, we’re getting a lot better at completing passes and making more runs.” 

The Wildcats only loss of the season was a 27-0 defeat against Whitman. Blocking out the Whitman loss, the team will prepare for games against opponents like Churchill, Magruder and Blair.