It was a battle of the national titans in Southern California Tuesday night – and when all was said and done, absolutely no doubt was left about who can call themselves the top team in the nation.
No. 1 JSerra wiped out No. 2 Orange Lutheran 38-0 at home, seemingly answering the question of ‘Can anyone beat JSerra?’ Don’t count on it.
At the helm for the Lions, standout quarterback Kate Meier was as solid as one can always count on her to be. The sophomore threw for 267 yards and two touchdowns and got an additional one on the ground, while Kai Beary led the receiving corps with 64 yards. The Lions' depth was on full display Tuesday night, with GG Szczuka and Sterling Flores both hauling in receiving TDs and star Tessa Russell catching for 57
yards and two interceptions. Abby VanderWeerd anchored the defense with seven flag pulls.
This win bumps JSerra to an 18-0 record, still perfect, with a win list that reads like a who’s who of California flag.
Orange Lutheran, for their part, is still a strong team by any metric. Junior Alyssa McClure has stepped up at quarterback after they lost star Makena Cook to Sierra Canyon this summer, and is averaging nearly 170 passing yards per game. They’ve seemed to be pretty invincible against anyone except JSerra – their only two losses this season have come at the hands of the Lions, and they’ve tallied wins over powerhouse programs like former No. 1 Central (AL).
The Lancers are 62-6 over the past three seasons, with five of those six losses coming at the hands of JSerra.
Next up for the Lions is a matchup with The Menlo School (CA) Thursday, and next up for the Lancers will be a hopeful rebound against Mater Dei (CA).
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: JSerra dominates in No. 1 vs. No. 2 high school flag football matchup
