This past Saturday, Eastside Catholic’s flag football team traveled to Memorial Stadium in Seattle to go head-to-head against Garfield and Roosevelt. This was the season opener for all of the competing teams and gave insight into what teams are likely to become powerhouses in the season ahead.
The first game of the day kicked off at 1pm showcasing Eastside vs. Garfield. The Bulldogs quarterback, Sarah Lessig, a 6’4″ a 4-star standout athlete posed a threat to the Crusaders early on.
From kickoff, Garfield went in aggressive. Getting deep passes into the endzone and putting Eastside under pressure. EC fought back though, and they were able to get some point on the board and make movement with runs thanks their well-trained running backs.
Going into second half, Garfield held a strong lead, consistently keeping Eastside out of the running for a win. The Crusaders defense held strong to the end despite the unencouraging game, with Caleigh Gregorios stacking up tackles and working to keep Garfield’s attack to a minimum. Against all efforts, Garfield’s offense was too overpowering, resulting in a 28 -7 win in the Bulldogs’ favor.
With no time to spare following their loss, the Crusaders took on Roosevelt at 2pm. The game was projected to be another unfortunate faceoff on EC’s record. Roosevelt’s quarter back, Sam Lerer, was extremely quick and shifty, finding long throws and getting the Roughriders into the endzone early on.
At half, Roosevelt led at 18-0. Determined to turn the weekend around, the Crusaders didn’t back down. Kate D’Ambrosio had an insane tackle keeping them in the game. Then, once again, Eastside’s running backs showed up and showed out. Junior Molly Hamilton ran in for a touchdown, along with senior Maddie Brandt running in two more. Against all odds, the Crusaders were able to come back and win 31-24, setting a balanced foundation for the season ahead.
