Dos Pueblos Flag Football Remains Unbeaten After 19-8 Victory Over Oxnard

A matchup with Oxnard represented the toughest test of the season thus far for the undefeated Dos Pueblos High girls’ flag football team, but the Chargers rose to the occasion and captured a 19-8 victory on Thursday night at Scott O’Leary Stadium.

The Chargers were dominant defensively, holding an explosive Oxnard offense without a touchdown. Linebacker Katie Peterson displayed a knack for finding the football and finished with three interceptions.

“We spent a lot of time watching film and I think going into this game mentally we had to stay really strong and know our plays,” Peterson said. “On defense we found our grass, stayed in our position, read the quarterback and we got the job done.”

Dos Pueblos quarterback Gianna Nichols and wide receiver Maddie Jones flashed excellent chemistry on the Chargers’ first scoring drive. Nichols connected on a long pass to Jones down to the 16-yard line and on the next play the two connected on a six-yard touchdown pass to give the Chargers a 7-0 lead with just over eight minutes remaining in the first half.

Dos Pueblos extended its lead to 13-0 on an interception return for a touchdown by freshman Brooklyn Hedricks with 1:47 remaining in the first half. 

“For me this was the flag football game of the year in our area,” said Dos Pueblos coach Doug Caines. “I knew it was going to be tight and I did not expect us to stymie them as much as we did.”

The Chargers’ momentum extended into the second half as freshman Ruby Streatfeild slashed through the defense for an eight-yard touchdown run with 15 minutes remaining in the game, which increased the Dos Pueblos lead to 19-0.

After the Dos Pueblos defense forced an Oxnard three-and-out, The Chargers made their first major mistake of the game as Azaela Kubic stepped in front of Nichols pass and returned it to the end zone. 

The Yellowjackets converted the ensuing two-point conversion to cut their deficit to 19-8 with just over 12 minutes remaining. 

Peterson put an exclamation point on the Dos Pueblos victory with just under two minutes remaining with her third interception of the game, which allowed the Chargers to run out the clock.

With the Victory Dos Pueblos improved to 9-0 overall. Oxnard dropped to 11-2. The Chargers will host San Marcos for the first time ever on Thursday Oct. 12.