Nov. 8, 2024

Morgan Bleakley was all over the field Wednesday night – scoring two touchdowns and catching two conversion passes on offense while batting down two conversion attempts, making a sack and intercepting a pass on defense – as Hughson’s girls flag football team knocked off Orestimba 21-18 to reach the championship game of the Sac-Joaquin Section Division 4 tournament.

Quarterback Leah Hobby overcame the flu to throw three TDs and three one-point conversions for the Huskies (16-6), who will face No. 1 seed Colfax (15-0) in the finals. Colfax defeated Escalon 20-6 in the other semifinal.

The title game will be played Saturday at Consumnes River College in Sacramento. Kickoff is at 11:30 a.m.

Wednesday’s showdown was the third meeting of the season between Hughson and Orestimba, which shared the Trans-Valley League title with Escalon. All three schools finished with 8-2 league records after splitting their games will each other. Orestimba was seeded third in the playoffs, Escalon fifth and Hughson seventh based on power ratings by MaxPreps.

The seedings meant Hughson had to play in Newman, which wasn’t a bad thing for the Huskies, who now have won eight games in a row on the road.

“We’ve been tremendous (away from home),” said Hughson Coach Charly Garza. “When we lost our two league games, they were both at home. I don’t know what it is, but we’ve played well on the road.”

The Huskies’ chances perked up when Hobby shook off the flu bug that hit her and her family early in the week. She missed school Tuesday but made it through four classes Wednesday. She wasn’t sure until moments before the game she would be able to play. Even then, Garza had her backup warming up.

“I don’t know how she made it through the game. She looked terrible,” Garza said. “She threw two interceptions, but she also had three touchdowns and made some great decisions. She spent last night in the hospital with an IV because she was dehydrated and cramping up. … She really gutted it out.”

None of Hobby’s throws were more important than her pass to Bleakley with about three minutes left in the game. The Huskies – trailing 18-14 -- were faced with a third down on the Orestimba 20-yard line. In flag football, teams can only get a first down every 20 yards. In this case, Hughson basically had two downs to reach the end zone.

Hobby took the snap and looked left for Bleakley, who was running down the sideline. Hobby lofted the ball over the defender and Bleakley hauled it in. Rather than go for Bleakley’s flag, the Orestimba defender shoved her out of bounds on the 4-yard line, drawing a penalty for unnecessary roughness – and earning Hughson an automatic first down. Two plays later, Hobby hit Raegan Barstow for the game-winning touchdown, then connected with Presley Wells on the conversion to take a 21-18 lead with about two minutes to play.

Orestimba was flagged for another personal foul on the conversion, forcing the Warriors to start their next drive on the 10-yard line. On the third play, Peyton Avila intercepted a pass to clinch Hughson’s victory.

“We kept our composure and it really helped,” said Garza of the frantic finish.

Both teams scored three TDs, but the difference was Hughson making all three of its one-point conversions on passes from Hobby while Orestimba failed to convert any of its attempts. Bleakley – who seemed to be in the middle of every big play – knocked down two of the Warriors’ conversion passes.

“Morgan was the MVP. She played the game of her life,” Garza said.

The game opened with a bang as Orestimba scored on the third play. Hughson responded immediately with a nice drive that ended with Bleakley catching a 12-yard TD from Hobby, putting the Huskies ahead 7-6.

Orestimba scored again on its next possession, but Bleakley foiled the conversion. The scored remained 12-7 at halftime, but Bleakley and Hobby hooked up again early in the second half to lift Hughson to a 14-12 lead.

Orestimba then scored on a 40-yard pass play to take an 18-14 lead and set up the scintillating final few minutes.

“I can’t say enough about what these girls did -- on the road, in a hostile environment – every time they took the lead, we came back,” Garza said. “That pass to Morgan on third-and-20 was the key.”

Next up is unbeaten Colfax with a blue banner signifying a Section championship at stake.

“They look good. I’ve watched them on film. They’re well-coached, disciplined,” Garza said. “They’ve got some fast girls. … They’ve blown a lot of people out, but we’ve done well on the road. It should be fun.”