By Rick Assad
So far this season, the Burroughs High girls’ flag football team has registered three shutouts.
The most recent shutout came against Thousand Oaks which failed to score during a 6-0 triumph by the hosts on Wednesday at Memorial Field.
The Bears (3-2) intercepted three passes with senior wide receiver/defensive back Geneva Kiefer picking off two and senior wide receiver/defensive back Isabella Estrada getting one.
Burroughs also had two sacks including a key play on the first play of the fourth quarter from senior wide receiver/linebacker Lillian Graham, and senior wide receiver/defensive back Lily Indefenzo also had a sack.
The only touchdown of the game came on the initial play of the second quarter and came from senior quarterback/wide receiver/linebacker Sabrina Coto (four of seven for 80 yards) to Kiefer (five catches for 102 yards) that covered 72 yards with 11:40 left before halftime.
Under the guidance of Thousand Oaks junior quarterback Shelby Kaiser, who picked up 11 yards on a run and then completed a seven-yard pass to junior wide receiver/defensive back Lucca Belmontes, the Lancers (4-2) were threatening.
When junior wide receiver/defensive back Elliette Belmontes added a five-yard run, Thousand Oaks drew within 15 yards of tying the score and a win with the conversion, but time ran out.
Burroughs head coach Keith Knoop was impressed by Kaiser.
“She could throw the ball well but her receivers dropped some balls in key situations and we did what we had to do to score points and pull off that game,” he said.
The defensive effort by his team also stood out for Knoop.
“Our defense is stellar right now,” he said. “We’ve given up or we’ve had three shutouts. I think we played some really good teams that we’ve shut out.”
The Bears had the ball five times in the first half and began with a six-play march that picked up 44 yards.
The second possession resulted in the only score and the third time Burroughs had the ball it used four plays and gained nine yards.
On the Bears’ fourth drive of the game it consumed four plays and a punt and it picked up four yards.
The fifth possession by Burroughs was a five-play march that gained 11 yards.
During the second half the Bears had the football four times and the first of the second half was a three-play, five-yard trek.
The second possession of the 24-minute second half for Burroughs resulted in 12 yards and consumed three plays and a punt.
The third march was three plays and three yards and a punt. The Bears’ final drive was a two-yarder and resulted in a punt.
“I’m impressed with our progress. We’ve just got to keep getting better and we have some time until next week’s game,” Knoop said of the contest against visiting South Pasadena on September 9 at 5 p.m.
Katie Taix is an assistant coach on Knoop’s staff and knows the defense is developing into a well-oiled machine.
“I’ve seen a lot of good adjustments made in the last three games with our offense and defense,” she said. “Coach Knoop has done a fantastic job preparing them for each game by watching film and going over drawn up plays at practice.”
Taix added: “What caught my attention tonight was just seeing the adjustments continuing to be made and getting better one game at a time,” she offered. “More flag pulling, girls staying more focused in the game and overall, just buying into Coach Knoop’s culture.”
