SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Three touchdowns of more than 50 yards – a run from junior Natalia Zitelli, a reception by senior Annie Swanson, and a punt return courtesy of Alexa Randall – propelled St. Francis to a 26-6 win over Whitney in the varsity nightcap of a Sierra Foothill League girls' flag football doubleheader Thursday night.

The Troubadours improve to 12-1 for the year and remain undefeated in SFL play at 2-0. The Wildcats drop their third straight in falling to 5-3 overall and 0-2 in league games.

Zitelli put St. Francis on the board with 2:11 remaining in the first following a Tayli Paeu-Lindgren punt return to her team's 24-yard line. Zitelli ran up the left sideline, crossed all the way across the field toward the Whitney bench, then turned upfield along the right sideline to the end zone.

The Wildcats equalized late in the second quarter when sophomore quarterback Lulu Im found Gianna De Santis on a flag route from five yards out with 4:08 before the half. However, on the next Troubie series, after Lola Fox's screen pass to Abalateo set up a first-and-19 on the SF 21, Fox found Swanson over the middle. The senior captain then ran the ball another 41 yards for a 59-yard reception. Zitelli delivered to Paeu-Lindgren for the conversion, giving SF a 13-6 lead.

Whitney marched deep into Troubie territory in the waning minutes before halftime, threatening to equalize for a second time. Instead, Holland Sperber came up with a quick flag pull against Whitney junior Elyse Sutton, setting up a fourth-and-short on the Troubie 25. The Wildcats went for a deep ball as the final seconds ticked away, overthrowing all players except for Randall, who made a leaping interception. Her momentum nearly pulled her into her own end zone for potential safety, but instead, she evaded four Whitney players before getting shoved out of bounds in front of her own bench.

Overall, Randall finished with three pass break-ups in addition to that lone pick on defense. Then in the fourth, a pair of bad snaps forced Whitney to punt. Randall collected the kick near her own 25-yard line, then proceeded to run straight up the middle of the field for a 55-yard touchdown return.  
St. Francis tacked on one additional score just before the two-minute warning. Abalateo lunged across the goal line for a four-yard rushing TD, with Fox finding Swanson for the additional point.

The varsity win followed the Troubie junior varsity's first loss of the year, a 14-7 setback to the Wildcats. St. Francis scored its lone touchdown on something of a gadget play: Chloe Hoertsch hit Anna Votaw in the flat, then Votaw lateraled to Bridget Beard, who amassed 53 receiving yards without a catch. Hoertsch connected with Hope Sperber for the extra point, tying the contest at 7-7.

Whitney broke the tie on its first series, converting a fourth-and-10 on a Julia Ralls reception. Another Maddie Byard pass to Gia Schiftar brought the Wildcats into the red zone, with a roughing the pass penalty resetting the downs. Byard and Schiftar connected yet again for the go-ahead TD with 3:27 left in the third.

In the fourth quarter, Anna Votaw – normally known for her offense – stepped in as a pass rusher and halted Byard to a pair of sacks, the second of which gave SF the ball on its own 38 with 2:20 left. Hoertsch came up with key passes to Victoria Tateishi, Gillian Hamm, then Tateishi again, marching the ball to the Whitney red zone with a minute remaining. A defensive holding penalty halved the distance to just four yards, but the final fourth-and-goal run came up short.

The Whitney doubleheader serves as a prelude for one of the most anticipated games on the schedule, Friday's "Holy Flags" rivalry game with Christian Brothers. This marks the first time St. Francis will host the contest, with Jesuit High serving as the venue. Kickoff times are 5 p.m. for JV, 6:15 p.m. for varsity. Tickets are sold online or at the gate via GoFan.