Florin take on Monterey Trail in Pre-season Scrtimmages August 30, 2024
The Lady Panther Flag Football team has been practicing all summer and were eager to go against someone different. The Panthers got what they wished for and received positive feedback moving forward.
The Lady Panthers would take on the Monterey Trail Mustangs in two consecutive days. The scrimmages should act as a barometer for the 2024 fall season.
The Lady Panthers passed the test.
In a scrimmage, it is always unfair to determine who won the contest. Coaches tend to play everyone, it was a running clock in which both teams had ten minutes to score, but the Panthers left Monterey Trail feeling victorious.
Gametime
Florin surprised the DI Mustangs on a windy day evening at Marc Macres Stadium scoring on a number of explosive plays. Florin was stingy on defense, pulling flags, preventing yards after the catch, while the Mustangs sat in man coverage the entire game, exposing themselves to big plays.
The Mustangs grabbed the ball first and took the entire 10 minutes to score.
Florin, in contrast, was getting big chunks of yards on each play, scoring within the first two minutes on a 5 yard TD sweep to the left side by halfback Janiya Brister. The sophomore two way starter would later add another TD during the scrimmage on a similar run.
Play from Scrimmage
But then on other plays, the Panthers couldn’t get out of their own way: dropping the snap, jumping offsides and forgetting assignments.
The Scrimmage was highlighted offensively by a 30 yard scoring strike from Florin QB Jayda Lewis to receiver Zavanna Payne down the sideline. Later in the period, Erin Foster on a perfectly executed JET sweep went 40 yards for a touchdown as she put a ‘dirty ‘move on an MT linebacker then slithered down the sideline for an electric touchdown. Aneesa Perkins also scored on the day.
Coach Harris noted, “When we execute we are very good. When we are in our own heads, let in outside noise, invent stuff out there, we are not very good.”
Defensively, the Panthers had interceptions from Linebacker A’yahna Phillips and two way player Zavanna Payne, who also plays safety. Linebacker Kat Doonan stood out as the leader of the defense, getting everyone lined up and locked in. CornerbackKatelyn Chan showed that she will be a force on the edge playing cornerback, playing solid in zone defense and coming up pulling flags relentlessly.
Play from Scrimmage
At the end of the scrimmage the Panthers scored 5 times while the Mustangs scored 4.
Determined to fare better, the Mustangs wanted to ‘run it back’. Florin was playing their first home game at Panther Park. The music was jamming, the scoreboard was not.
The Mustangs grabbed the ball first and couldn’t get a first down for 9 minutes and 30 seconds, but on the last play of the period, the Florin Defense lapsed and handed the Mustangs a cheap Touchdown in a broken coverage.
The Panthers bounced back. Florin grabbed the ball next and on the first play, Aneesa Perkins ran a wheel down the sidelines. Jayda Lewis threw a strike and Perkins was flying toward the end zone. An MT player made a TD saving pull at the 10 yard line.
Unfortunately, the very next play Lewis threw an interception and the momentum began to shift towards the Mustangs.
Harris said, “We were too up and down. We have to do better at staying in the now. Turn the page and focus on the next play.”
The Panthers left six touchdowns on the field. Dropped passes or underthrown passes led to missed opportunities and interceptions that began to wear on the Panthers psyche.
Halftime Florin Panthers Dancers
Coach Harris added, “In life and football, we have to play comfortable, while being uncomfortable. We didn’t do a great job of that”
One player who made the most of her opportunities was linebacker, Archana Singh who came up with a great interception as Coach Marquez called a zone blitz placing Singh right in the passing lane.
“It was great to see Arch get a pick. That’s what girls flag football is all about”, Coach Marquez said.
With only one Touchdown during the contest, MT began to find their way. Going into the final 5 minute running clock period, when the ball was placed at the 10 yard line, The Mustangs scored 3 times. The Florin defense began to deflate due to broken coverages and a lack of execution in the red zone. The Panthers unraveled.
“We were in our own heads”, Coach Marquez said. “We allowed one mental mistake to spiral into additional mistakes. We have to be stronger mentally during adverse times”
During the Timeout Coach Harris encouraged his players to ‘flush’ the previous period and to finish. The Lady Panthers did just that.
With the ball on the 10 yard line, Coach Harris pulled out his bag of tricks and called a reverse pass. Payne took the ball from Brister and threw a ball into the wind to a wide open Aneesa Perkins and the Panthers were starting to feel it again.
After a couple of dropped touchdown passes. Lewis finally hit Brister on a corner route and the Panthers left the night knowing one thing.
“We are good when we do the right thing.” Captain Jayda Lewis said. “We can’t be stopped.”
Coach Harris during the post game said, “MT gave us a good look defensively, especially the 2nd day. We don’t run a whole lot of man schemes in practice. They were in (cover) zero daring us to push the ball downfield. The previous day they sat in a 1 high man scheme. They did a better job today against our run. We left six touchdowns out there. Too many dropped balls and underthrown passes. If we connect on those, we win big. We left too many points out there.”
After two straight scrimmages against the Mustangs, a DI school with a 2,300 enrollment and a 40 woman roster, the Lady Panthers proved they can compete with anyone when they EXECUTE.
The Lady Panthers will take on the Cosumnes Oaks Wolfpack, another DI Delta League foe in the opener Tuesday, August 27th in the first ever night football game played at Panther Park @ Florin HS.
