As sophomore Violet Yap raced into the endzone, the crowd exploded in cheer. Yap had just pulled off a 30 yard pick-6, leading Encinal varsity flag football to their first victory of the season, a 6-0 win against Berkeley on Sept. 23, 2025.
“The score was 0-0, both teams playing great defense, and it was the last two minutes of the game,” said Yap. “We were lining up and I was really trying to lock in because we needed a turnover. I saw the ball go up and I thought I could get it, and I grabbed it around the 40 yard mark and ran it all the way into the endzone.”
Now the Jets are 4-3, winning four games in a row.
Encinal had a rough start to the season. Freshman quarterback Leiloa Lyons believes that the team will start getting some wins as they get more comfortable playing with each other.
“We’ve had a tough start to the season,” said Lyons. “I think right now it’s just because it’s a lot, it’s a combination of people who’ve had a lot of experience and people who’ve never played before, so we are still learning how to mesh together.”
The Jets lost a lot of seniors last year after a 8-1 season and a deep playoff run. The biggest change senior Lauren Marston saw in the team was the new players, such as sophomore Lana Song or Lyons. Lyons sees her first year on varsity as a challenge to prove herself in the flag football community, despite only playing for a short amount of time.
“It’s really exciting, but at the same time, it’s really nerve wracking,” said Lyons. “A lot of these people have been playing for quite some time. I’ve only been playing for about a year.”
Players are preparing themselves for games in a variety of ways. They try to calm their nerves before going out onto the field.
“Mentally, I’ve been meditating a lot, and I feel that gets me physically ready for the game,” senior running back Lauren Marston said. “We put in a lot of practice and when I meditate, I’m able to have a good mindset.”
Encinal’s first game was on Sept. 11 against Castro Valley, where they lost 19-6. They played James Logan on Sept. 26, losing 20-0, and then played Alameda High on Sept. 18, losing 14-0. The win against Berkeley finally brought Encinal some momentum, as they won the next three games as well. They beat Redwood 30-0 on Sept. 25, and Piedmont 31-0 on Sept. 30. Most recently, they beat San Leandro on Oct. 2, 26-0.
The varsity players continue to progress in their team chemistry and performance every practice, striving to hold onto their winning streak in the second half of the season.
