Makena Cook keeps the Orange Lutheran Flag Football team undefeated

In a highly anticipated matchup of Southland’s top quarterbacks, Makena Cook threw three touchdown passes to help the Orange Lutheran football team remain undefeated with a 20-13 victory over Trinity League rival Santa Margarita on Tuesday night.

Cook completed nine of 11 throws in the first half, including touchdown runs of 21 and 53 yards to receiver Julia Oberholtzer. There are over two minutes left until the break.

“Makena and I have been practicing this game over and over again and tonight we were locked in,” said Oberholtzer, who also plays lacrosse. “I opened up, she found me.”

Cook and the offense won the game, but the Lancers’ defense defended it, stripping three passes from Santa Margarita quarterback Madi Lam, the last one by cornerback Josie Anderson in the end zone for a touchback with 33 seconds left.

“It was a stressful game defensively,” Anderson said. “I was nervous because I knew how good Santa Margarita was. On this last play, I saw both their shortstops and outside receivers play long, so I knew I had to play center. The throw wasn’t as strong as it could have been, I broke the ball and it was perfect timing.

Cook completed five of six passes on Orange Lutheran’s first drive of the second half, and found Brooklyn Vanderkallen on a five-yard scoring kick for a key one-point conversion to give the Lancers a seven-point lead with 19 minutes left.

The Eagles (11-3, 1-1) had two first downs on the next series when Anderson intercepted a thrown ball at the one-yard line.

Lam completed four straight passes to receiver Mackenzie Young and two more to Megan Zimmerman to move the ball to the Orange Lutheran five-yard line, but linebacker AJ Hendrix intercepted the pass at the goal line, helping the Lancers finish first in the Southern Section and state rankings. in front with 4:50 left.

Orange Lutheran scored on fourth down and three at its own 37 with 1:16 left in the game, but Cook found himself under pressure and Young intercepted the pass and returned it to the Lancers’ 26. Lam ran six yards to the Eagles’ score. first game, preparing Anderson’s sealed takeaway.

Lam found Fiona Agius over center on fourth down and scored from the 10 to give Santa Margarita a 7-0 lead, then ran to her right to throw a dart to Avery Finneran in the corner of the end zone from five yards out for a 13- 13 four seconds before the end of the first half.

“Both teams played really well and we’ll face them at home again, so hopefully we can win it,” Young said. “Madi is really good on her feet, she can extend plays, and when she came here, she took the time to get to know all her receivers.”

A sophomore sensation at Esperanza last fall, Lam handed Cook and the Lancers an overtime loss in their final contest — a loss that has fueled Orange Lutheran in its quest for perfection this season. Lam transferred to Santa Margarita on August 20 and made her debut in the Eagles’ fifth match against Tesoro on September 16. She threw 26 touchdowns and just one interception in her first seven games at her new school, but on Saturday, Santa Margarita suffered back-to-back losses to Corona del Mar and Huntington Beach in the El Toro tournament, dropping to eighth in the section and 10th in California.

Santa Margarita will host JSerra on Thursday; Orange Lutheran goes to Mater Dei.

“Today’s flag hoisting wasn’t great, but I was proud of the way the girls gave it their all when they needed it,” said Orange Lutheran coach Kristen Sherman. “It was bent, but not broken. Our league has improved significantly this year; They are a good team with a good quarterback who made us better.