Pirates Win Three of Four at Flag Football Tourney

The VC flag football team won three of four games Friday at the Bobcat Bowl Tournament at Saddleback College. The Pirates were 2-1 in pool play, defeating MiraCosta and Golden West before besting East Los Angeles to claim third place on the day. Honest Watson had an outstanding day on offense and defense Smitty Smith and Ava Ortman also played well. Sophia Moran and Tanaya Moreno stood out on both sides of the ball for Ventura (4-2).

In the first game of the day, VC defeated MiraCosta 23-19. April Luna tossed three scoring strikes and Watson had a two-point interception return on a PAT attempt by the Spartans to make the difference in the game.

The Pirates fell to Cypress 13-7 in the second contest. The Pirates were intercepted in the end zone in the final minute to seal the setback.

VC rebounded to pound Golden West 35-19 to close pool play. Ortman had touchdown passes to Watson, Smith and Moreno in the game. Sibella Donnelly had a pair of successful 2-point conversions and Ahtziry Mendoza-Mendez had a long touchdown run.

In the third-place game, VC jumped on East Los Angeles early with Ortman connecting with Smith on a 66-yard bomb on the first play of the game. Ortman also had a rushing touchdown and Smith had a pair of pass break-ups on defense. Watson also had another outstanding game on both sides of the ball as Ventura posted a 19-12 win over the Huskies.

Ventura will take on the Huskies in a back-to-back game on Tuesday Feb. 24 at East Los Angeles. The game is scheduled to begin at 11:30 am.