Boom! Historic start for flag football

The Saddleback women's flag football team played its first real game on Sunday at Claremont Mudd-Scripps Colleges in Claremont.  The Bobcats won 34-0 in what was the first game ever played by a California community college.

Although the California Community College Athletic Association (3C2A) has yet to recognize flag football as a new sport at the statewide level, it appears it will be just a matter of time given the surge of athletes looking to play.  The sport has been picking up steam at the high school level with the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) now recognizing it and the NCAA giving a recommendation in February to add women's flag football as an emerging sport. 

Saddleback is one of three schools at the community college level in California to start a program this spring and the Bobcats have created a 12-game schedule playing the two other programs and a handful of four-year schools.  Sunday's game was at Claremont Mudd-Scripps College, a four-year school that plays the rest of its sports at the NCAA DIII level. 

Saddleback dominated from start-to-finish, with Isabelle Whittaker scoring a pair of touchdowns and earning 1-of-2 game balls.  The other game ball went to Olivia Green, who had a touchdown catch and a pair of extra points. 

The Bobcats led 7-0 at the half after Green reeled in a 10-yard pass from Kirra Clavijo for the opening score of the game in the first quarter.  The Bobcats scored four more times in the second half to blow the game open, including a 40-yard interception return from Mackenzie Smith to close out the scoring.  

Clavijo finished 7-for-14 with 130 yards passing and two touchdowns at quarterback.  Whittaker led the team with 72 yards rushing on seven carries while Green led the team with five catches for 30 yards. 

With the win, Saddleback becomes the first community college program to win a regulation flag football game.

Saddleback will play again on March 21 at the University of Redlands.

BOX SCORE:

1Q: Olivia Green 10-yard pass from Clavijo (Whittaker PAT) 7-0
3Q: Isabelle Whittaker 15-yard pass from Clavijo (Green PAT) 14-0
3Q: Breanna Sandmark 3-yard pass from Leilani De Leon (Green PAT) 21-0
4Q: Isabelle Whittaker 32-yard run (Val Amaro PAT) 28-0
4Q: Mackenzie Smith 40-yard interception return (PAT no good) 34-0