On Thursday, November 5th, the Rangers fell to the Bakersfield Christian Eagles in the first-ever Division 1 Central Section Championship game in a double overtime classic, bringing an end to a historic season for the Rangers.

By Fabian Anguiano

In the regular season, both teams faced each other, and both teams were able to find each other’s kryptonite. 

The Rangers took down the Eagles first at home in the 7th game of the season in a highly defensive 20-6 victory. The Eagles’ victory over the Rangers came in a tournament just five days later, 24-19

The first-ever Central Section Championship game would become the tiebreaker.

The Eagles won the toss and elected to defer, giving the Rangers the first look on offense.

Quarter-By-Quarter Analysis

First Quarter

The Rangers started off the Central Section Championship game with quarterback Emma Crisp ‘30, dropping back and finding receiver Jaelyn Bruce ’28, for a gain of four; Crisp followed up by throwing the ball straight to an Eagles defender for a costly early turnover.

After an incomplete pass to start the drive, quarterback Isabella Soliz’s ‘29, pass went just through the hands of a receiver, bringing up 2nd and goal; Soliz followed up with another incomplete pass.

On a crucial 3rd and 6, Soliz’s pass fell short, intended for Mia Martin ‘30,  bringing up a crucial 4th down.

Soliz followed up by finding receiver Tia Nichols ‘27, who head-tapped a receiver on a fade route for six; the extra point was tipped, giving the Eagles the early score, 6-0.

Looking to bounce back from the interception, Crisp found receiver Apple Espino ‘30, on a crosser, moving the sticks for the Rangers, making it 1st and 7.

With a fresh set of downs, receiver Adriana-Soria-Rosales ‘27, hauled in the screen and pitched it to running back Blake Duncan ‘28, for a hook-and-ladder and another fresh set of downs; Crisp followed up by finding receiver Analizah Balderas ‘28, on a screen, making it 2nd and 4.

After an incomplete pass, now facing a 3rd and 4, Duncan caught the dump pass and did the rest herself, moving the sticks once again deep into the red zone.

Now at the 13, Crisp dumped the ball to Duncan once again for a minimal gain. Crisp followed up, completing a pass to Rosales but was past the line when the pass was made, meaning an illegal forward pass, backing the Rangers up five yards.

Now 3rd and 17, Crisp threw a dangerous pass that could have been intercepted but fell incomplete.

Now facing 4th and 17, Crisp got sacked right as she threw an interception, resulting in a turnover on downs.

With the Eagles back on offense, rusher and linebacker Tori Ochoa ’27, jumped offsides, giving the Eagles an additional five yards.

Soliz found Abby Elizalde ‘27, on a moon ball all the way to the Rangers’ 19-yard line to build more momentum for the Eagles.

Now facing 2nd and 19 after an incomplete pass, Soliz found Elizalde for a decent gain, making it 3rd and 11.

On 3rd down, the ball went through Elizalde’s hands, almost being intercepted, forcing a 4th and 11.

On 4th and 11, Nichols got her name called again on another headtop touchdown; Soliz was able to find a receiver for the extra point, extending the Eagles’ lead to 13-0.

With the Rangers looking for their first points of the game, Duncan caught the edge, picking up a first down; Crisp followed up by throwing yet another interception to an Eagles defender.

This concluded the first quarter.

Second Quarter

With the Eagles looking to add on to their lead, Soliz’s pass went over the head of Nichols, bringing up 2nd and 17 for the Eagles. Soliz followed up, finding Jayla McCracken ‘28, for a solid gain, bringing up 3rd and 7, where Soliz threw an incomplete pass.

Now facing 4th and 7, Soliz threw the ball up for Nichols that fell incomplete, but an offsides call on the Rangers gave the Eagles another chance on 4th down and an additional three yards.

On 4th and 4, Soliz’s pass intended for Nichols fell incomplete due to a physical pass breakup by a Ranger defender, resulting in a turnover on downs.

Crisp started off with a QB option, losing yardage on the play; Crisp followed up with a pass to Rosales, bringing up 3rd and 9.

On 3rd down, a hook-and-ladder to Crisp led to her making cuts and finding the edge to take it all the way for a house-call touchdown; the extra point fell incomplete, and the Rangers decreased their deficit to 13-6.

Looking to take back momentum, Soliz nearly made a big play on blown coverage, downfield, though the ball slipped through Elizaldes’s falling incomplete.

After a nice gain to get first down, defensive back Camila Esquivias ‘28 forced an incompletion on a high pass; Espino followed up with another pass break-up, forcing a lengthy 3rd and 17.

On 3rd down, physical coverage by defensive back Evelyn Kausen ‘28, forced a 4th and 17 and the first punt of the night.

With the Rangers looking for a game-tying score, a Crisp pass tipped off the fingertips of Rosales on a high pass led to another interception and another crucial turnover.

Soliz started off the drive finding Nichols for a nice gain, bringing up 2nd and 7; after a modest gain by an Eagles receiver, they faced 3rd and 6.

On 3rd down, the pass fell right through the hands of an Eagles receiver, bringing up 4th and 6.

On 4th down, a pass was completed just barely, picking up a first down by inches.

Now with a fresh set of downs, Soliz found Nichols in the middle of traffic right at the one-yard line, bringing up first and goal.

The Eagles put the exclamation point on the drive with Martin running right through the middle for six; the extra point fell incomplete, making the score 19-6.

After a catch-and-run by Miranda Ortiz ‘28, for a modest gain, Crisp found Balderas on a corner route for a moment, though the pass fell through Balderas’s hands; the following pass tipped off Duncan’s hands for the 4th interception of the night for the Eagles’ defense.

After a forced incomplete pass, Nichols got locked up at the goal line on a physical play, forcing a 3rd and 16.

After a short catch by Nichols, the Eagles faced a 4th and 8 with 16 seconds left in the first half.

On 4th down, a Soliz pass fell right through the hands of a receiver, resulting in a turnover on downs with 12 seconds left.

Crisp kept it moving herself, then pitched the ball to Duncan on another hook-and-ladder, getting up to their 44 with three seconds left in the half.

The half ended with a fumbled end-around, which resulted in a dead ball.

This concluded the first half.

Third Quarter

The Eagles got the first look on offense, and Soliz started off with a dangerous throw almost being picked off by defensive back Jema Serrato ‘27, bringing up 2nd and 6. Soliz followed up with another incomplete pass forced by Ranger pressure.

Facing 3rd and 6, a deep Soliz pass went through the hands of Elizalde, forcing a punt on 4th down.

Starting at the 49, Crisp pitched to Bruce, who pitched to Rosales for a loss of yardage; Crisp followed up with a pass to Rosales on a corner route for a gain of 15, bringing up 3rd and 6.

On 4th down, Crisp found Espino, who was just short of the sticks, resulting in a turnover on downs. The Rangers got the ball right back after Soliz threw the ball right to Espino on a deep pass, returning all the way inside the 40; a penalty for holding on the Eagles brought them deeper into the red zone.

Crisp started off finding Rosales for a nice gain, moving the sticks and making it 1st and goal at the Eagles’ 19.

After a shanked pitch to Duncan by Rosales, the Rangers faced 2nd and 15; the Eagles’ defense followed up with a big sack, forcing a very lengthy 3rd and 20.

The Rangers hit pay dirt facing 3rd and 20, with Rosales finding the ball in the middle of defenders and walking into the end zone for six; Crisp found Rosales on the extra point, making the score 19-13.

After a dropped pass by Elizalde, the Eagles found Nichols on a stick route, which was just enough for an Eagles first down; they called the same play again, this time bringing up 2nd and 11.

On an intended pass for  Addilyn Prestdridge ‘27, the pass fell incomplete, forcing a 3rd and 11. A big catch by Elizalde got the Eagles to the Ranger 30, moving the ball well beyond the sticks.

The Eagles kept the momentum going with a first-down run by Martin; the Eagles followed up with a hook-and-ladder to Martin once again, bringing up 2nd and 15.

The pass hit the ground while Soliz attempted to throw on the run, which brought up 3rd and 15.

This concluded the 3rd quarter.

Fourth Quarter

On 3rd down, Nichols added another touchdown to her stat line, towering over a defender in the back of the end zone; the extra point fell incomplete, extending the Eagles’ lead to 25-13.

Looking to build momentum, Crisp kept it herself up the middle for a solid gain, bringing up 2nd and 2. Crisp followed up with an incomplete pass intended for Duncan on a dump pass, bringing up 3rd and 2.

Crisp found Rosales, who had just gotten the first down, to move the sticks; Rosales got her name called again, bringing up 2nd and 14. After an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on one of the Redwood coaches, it brought up 3rd and 14.

On 4th and 21, after a big loss of yardage, the Rangers elected to punt.

With the Eagles starting at the 33, Kausen used her physicality to her advantage, breaking up the pass.

On 2nd and 16, Soliz found Nichols for a gain of 4, bringing up 3rd and 13. Soliz’s pass fell incomplete due to Ochoa’s relentless pressure, forcing a punt.

After a solid return, the ball got brought up even more after a holding penalty to the 45-yard line.

After a throw to Rosales for a modest gain, Crisp found Duncan on a dump pass for a nice gain, moving the sticks. 

After a dangerous downfield pass by Crisp, she found Bruce for a minimal gain of three; Crisp followed up by finding Duncan, who made cuts and sped her way past defenders for a first and goal at the Eagles’ 12.

After a modest run by Crisp and an incomplete pass, the Rangers faced a 3rd down, where Crisp found Rosales, who was just short of the end zone, bringing up a pivotal 4th and goal.

On 4th down, Crisp kept it herself right up the middle for six; after a false start, it backed the two-point conversion five yards, and the ball went through Rosales’s hands in the middle of coverage, making the score 25-19 with around three minutes left.

The Ranger defense set the tone with Serrato tackling the running back right at the line of scrimmage, bringing up 2nd and 7; a wide-open Nichols followed up, dropping the ball, making it a pivotal 3rd and 7.

On 3rd down, the pass fell incomplete, forcing the Eagles to punt for the second time on the night.

The punt got returned by Balderas, who found a gaping hole down the middle; when she was at around the 40, she pitched back to Ortiz, who took it all the way for six, tying up the game. The extra point fell incomplete, leaving the game tied 25-25 with about two minutes left in regulation.

With it tied 25-25, Soliz found Nichols for a first down on a solid gain of eight to move the sticks. Soliz followed up, looking for a receiver in traffic; flags flew, giving the Eagles additional yardage with a pass interference call on the Rangers.

Soliz then found a receiver for a solid gain, bringing up 2nd and 10 with less than a minute left in regulation. Soliz looked for a receiver downfield, and the pass fell incomplete with 40 seconds left in the game, bringing 3rd and 10.

On 3rd down, Soliz found Nichols for a short gain, bringing up a 4th and 9, and Soliz threw the ball upfield, which was batted down by numerous Ranger defenders, and pass interference was called on the Rangers, giving the Eagles a fresh set of downs.

With three seconds left, Soliz threw the ball up into the end zone, and it fell incomplete putting an end regulation, and presented overtime in which both teams start at their opponents 25 yard line.

The Rangers won the toss and elected to have their offense on the field first.

First Overtime

Crisp began the drive, tossing the ball to Crisp for a solid gain, getting to about the four-yard line. Crisp followed up, keeping it herself and spinning past defenders for six; the extra point was fumbled at the line of scrimmage on an awkward handoff, resulting in a dead ball, giving the Rangers the early lead in overtime, 31-25.

Soliz threw an incomplete pass in the end zone to start the drive, though a penalty on the Rangers gave them another shot at a first down. Soliz threw an interception in the end zone, but yet another penalty wiped it out, as the pass breakup was too physical, resulting in pass interference on the Rangers, bringing them a bit closer inside the red zone once again.

Soliz looked for Nichols on a stick route at the three-yard line, but it was broken up by numerous Rangers in a physical play, bringing up second down for the Eagles.

After a catch-and-run by Nichols, it brought up a crucial 3rd and 2 for the Eagles, in which Elizalde received the direct snap and walked in for the touchdown. On an extra point to possibly win the game, the pass fell incomplete in the middle of coverage, keeping the Rangers alive.

This concluded the first overtime and took us to the second overtime.

Double Overtime

Soliz started off with an incomplete pass, then with a pass to Nichols over the middle, bringing up 3rd and 2, in which Elizalde received the direct snap once again and reached out for the pile on just enough for six. Soliz threw the ball up for Nichols on the extra point, which got deflected and hauled in by Elizalde, making the score 38-31 in favor of the Eagles.

The Rangers started off their drive with a short run by Duncan, which got stuffed at the line of scrimmage. Crisp followed up handing the ball off to Duncan, who pitched the ball to Rosales, who was just short of the goal line.

Now 2nd and goal from the two, Crisp rolled out to her right and found Balderas for the touchdown. The Rangers lined up for the extra point to either tie the game and continue, or lose the game if they do not convert.

On the extra point, Crisp rolled out to her right, threw the ball in traffic, which got deflected, and the ball fell to the ground incomplete; the Eagles won 38-37.

For head coach Michael Wright II, though they fell short, he believes the players on the team throughout the season gained a lot of, “Experience, I am so proud of them, so grateful for them and everything they put into it in a really short amount of time. It’s a special group; this is one of those seasons that you remember forever, regardless of the outcome.”

Head coach Michael Wright II

Throughout the season, Wright believes the team did best with their coachability; their willingness to learn is something Wright is very grateful for.

From the team being able to adapt and progress in a new sport in such a short amount of time makes Wright, “Super proud, I think it just shows their ability. They’re so amazing. I just got to be better for them, and I’ll work all off season,” said Wright. 

Wright had more to say, “Sorry, girls. I love them; they did a great job. They should not hang their heads down, and good luck to all of them in their next sport.”

Fabian Anguiano
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Fabian Anguiano '28,is a VERY passionate sportswriter and editor for the Redwood Gigantea. He is entering his third year with the Gigantea, and he likes motivating others and being involved in everything sports related. If you would like to reach him, just email him at [email protected]

 

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