By Chris Pfaff, Xavier Sportswriter

Xavier Flag Football beat Sandra Day O’Connor 27-24 on Friday, September 20, 2024, after what turned out to be a tense 4th quarter. The Gators are 1-1 for the season because of losing to Hamilton on Tuesday the 17th.

Xavier built up a 13-6 half-time lead and a 20-6 advantage in the 2nd half. However, with 4:27 left to play in the game, the Gators began an important drive in their own territory following a SDO punt, down 20-24.

With 1:55 remaining, Xavier had worked their way to 2nd down and goal, seventeen yards away from a go-ahead touchdown. Quarterback Ana Matuz Moran got the ball from the center and spent five seconds (seemed like eternity) searching intently for an open receiver.

She found Gigi Bulkley, who had snuck past the O’Connor defenders and pulled in her second touchdown catch of the night. Now begins Sandra Day O’Connor’s last-chance attempt to reclaim the lead.

Lo and behold, Xavier’s defense came up huge during O’Connor’s last-ditch effort to win the game. On fourth down and five near midfield, the Gators smothered the O’Connor receivers, forcing their quarterback to run.

However, junior Isa Ady maintained a laser focus on the quarterback, tracked her down, and pulled her flags at the line of scrimmage. Watch this play in the highlight videos below.

Other Xavier highlights:

• two interceptions in the first half by Cooper Hidalgo
• two field goals (36 and 38 yards) by Hidalgo, also in the first half
• a ten-yard touchdown run, sneaking just inside the left goal-line pylon, by quarterback Joie Ramos in the 2nd quarter
• a forty-yard touchdown pass on the first drive of the 2nd half from Ramos to Gigi Bulkley
• the defense stopping O’Connor on all four of the their 2-point conversion attempts

The Gators showed determination and character, fighting back after giving up several interceptions (including a pick-six) and losing a 14-point second-half lead.

You can see the above-mentioned highlights in the two videos below. When you watch the defensive stop on O’Connor’s last play, be sure to watch #5, Isa Ady, in the middle of the field the whole time as she zeros in on the O’Connor quarterback.