#9 Gilbert Holds Off #8 O'Connor 14-10 for First Playoff Win in Program History
North Phoenix, Ariz. -- 4 seasons as a program, 4 playoff appearances, but it took until November 10th of 2026 for Gilbert girls flag football to get their first playoff win in program history.
The Tigers relied on late-game heroics to come through with a 14-10 win over the O’Connor Eagles.
Gilbert head coach J. D. Guererro said he told his team to be ready to rumble.
“I told them at the beginning, let’s get ready to rumble,” Guererro said. “We’re going to battle every time we are out there.”
Kicking off the game, the Eagles marched down the field on their opening drive and looked like they were going to score.
On the drive, the Eagles leaned on their star wide receiver to move the chains.
2030 athlete Charlie McTheny was dominant on the drive and caught multiple passes to move the chains.
The drive was ultimately cut short after the Tigers' defense was able to get a crucial goal-line stop.
On 4th and goal, Gilbert was able to force a pass out of the back of the end zone to get the turnover on downs.
Starting from their own 5-yard line, the Tigers were able to capitalize on the defensive stop and find the end zone.
2027 quarterback Lilah Barton was the star of the drive as she connected with multiple wide receivers to get down the field.
Capping off the long drive, Barton fired a pass to 2027 wide receiver Janeah Huynh for a 20-yard touchdown.
The score from Gilbert ended up being the only touchdown of the half, and heading into halftime, Gilbert led 7-0.
Feeding off the momentum from the first half, Gilbert put together another methodical drive to extend their lead in the second half.
For her second passing touchdown of the game, Barton lofted a pass over to 2027 center Jasmine Guererro for an 18-yard score.
While the Tigers led 14-0, O’Connor was able to respond in the third quarter and get on the board.
Late in the fourth quarter, the Eagles rattled off the biggest play of the game.
2027 quarterback Kylie Pruitt launched a deep bomb to 2030 wide receiver Eva Herrera for a 40-yard touchdown.
Suddenly, the Eagles made it a close game and started to gain momentum.
O’Connor’s defense proceeded to get another stop and give their offense a chance to get back on the board.
Early in the fourth quarter, the Eagles were able to get into field goal range to cut into the deficit.
O’Connor 2030 kicker Katalena Chavez nailed a 27-yard field goal to make the score 14-10.
As time dwindled, both defenses would come through to make it an interesting finish.
With two minutes left in the game, O’Connor gained possession back but was unable to get down the field.
On fourth down, Gilbert 2030 athlete Brooklyn Travis made a huge play when she broke up a pass to turn the ball over on downs.
Even though it seemed like the game was over, the Eagles' defense made one last huge play to get the ball back.
With under a minute in the game, 2028 defensive back Kyleigh Adams snagged an interception for her team.
The season for both teams now came down to one last drive.
It would be Gilbert who came out on top as their elite defensive unit made one last crucial play.
After getting the PBU on the drive before, Travis snagged an interception on the Eagles' last drive and ultimately sealed the game for Gilbert.
When the ball was in the air, Travis said she had to act as if that ball belonged to her.
“I had a lot of adrenaline going,” Travis said. “When the ball is in the air, you have to act like it’s yours.”
With the 14-10 win, Gilbert is finally able to get past the first round and secure their first playoff win in program history.
At the end of the day, Gilbert is happy they won their first playoff game and are ready to regroup and prepare when they face off at Highland on Saturday.
“I’m so excited for the girls,” Guererro said. “They worked so hard this season. One thing after another, just battling back.”
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