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Girls’ flag football hosted their first home game of the season, and the first in Burlingame’s history, on Wednesday, Sept. 20. Coming off a tough loss to Woodside High School in their first game, the Panthers certainly did not disappoint, bringing renewed energy to the field in a 15-6 victory over Sequoia High School.
The excitement was felt on the home field, with band students playing and large crowds of students and families cheering on the team.
Senior slot receiver Kaylee Ng started off the game strong by catching a pass from quarterback Miranda Sibley and systematically weaving her way through the defense. However, Ng’s touchdown was called back on an illegal flag guarding call.
It would be the first Panther penalty of many throughout the contest.
“Unfortunately, the penalties did catch up to us,” Ng said. “It took away a lot of potential points, but I think overall, we really stepped up.”
However, quarterback Miranda Sibley quickly made up for it, scoring on the ground. Junior Giana Johnson carried the energy into the next play, hauling in a pass for a two point conversion.
That sent the Panthers into halftime leading 8-0 and confident they could close out the game.
Senior Kaylee Ng bolts pass Sequoia’s defense in an attempt to make a touchdown for the Panthers.
Coach Nicole Carter gives advice to the defense in the last minute of the game. The Panthers defense was impenetrable against Sequoia, allowing just one touchdown.
Freshman rusher Madeline Koo played a vital role in Burlingame’s excellent defense.
The Panthers celebrate their first win of the season at a home game on Sept. 20 against the Ravens.
Entering the second half, Sequoia picked up their defense, intercepting multiple passes from Burlingame and slowing down the Panthers’ offensive attack. But the Panthers stayed patient, and Sibley found Johnson for the second touchdown of the game. On the ensuing play, Ng caught the pass for a successful one-point conversion, putting the Panthers up 15-0.
“I could just look at them and see that they were locked in, they just wanted to win. They set the tone from the beginning,” head coach Denise Burch said.
Learning from the mistakes of their last loss, Burch worked on maintaining a more cohesive defense. Captain Naomi Leslie and freshman Madeline Koo were especially effective, playing major roles in the Panthers seemingly invincible defense unit.
“We developed a couple more zone defenses to cover the gaps down [on] the sidelines and through the middle,” Burch said. “The girls covered the field really well and that stopped Sequoia from scoring.”
Sequoia managed to secure a touchdown as the clock wound down, but the Panthers executed offensively to seal the victory.
The 15-6 win was the first league victory for Burlingame. Both players and coaches were impressed by the energy, attributing part of their success to the ecstatic crowd, which roared with excitement as the team celebrated their maiden win.
“No one else has a band like this, no one else has a football team coming out like that,” Ng said. “The whole community is willing to come out in a new sport like this, and it really improved our performance.”
