Delaney Humbert's 5 Interceptions Lifts Arizona Lutheran Past Seton Catholic 8-7

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Offense was hard to come by on Tuesday night as Arizona Lutheran Academy held off Seton Catholic 8-7 to remain undefeated.

Arizona Lutheran started with the ball, but Seton Catholic’s defense prevented the Coyotes from putting points on the board.

On the Sentinels first drive, junior athlete Giovanna Di Scala made an incredible one-handed snag crossing the 50-yard line.

However, they were not able to sustain the drive.

Both defenses continued to control the beginning of the game and keep the opposing offense from creating scoring opportunities.

Later in the quarter, Arizona Lutheran's defense came up with another stop.

After entering the red zone, the Sentinels' pass was picked off by Arizona Lutheran senior athlete Delaney Humbert, who returned the interception for a pick-six with just under six minutes remaining in the quarter.

The Coyotes capitalized on the opportunity after completing the 2-point conversion and increasing their lead to 8-0.

The Sentinels continued to battle throughout the remainder of the first quarter, looking to find a way through the Coyotes’ defense and cut into the deficit.

Even though the Sentinels couldn’t score, their offense was moving down the field and putting pressure on Arizona Lutheran’s defense consistently.

However, the turnovers were game-changing, as Arizona Lutheran forced another in the second quarter.

Senior athlete Lucy Hahnke came up with the play for her team.

On the next drive, the Sentinels were able to move down the field quickly.

Pongratz found freshman wide receiver Gianna Pistilli twice for large gains.

However, the long-lasting drive ended late in the half after Hahnke and Arizona Lutheran senior athlete JJ Grams came up with pass deflections.

At halftime, Arizona Lutheran senior quarterback Reagan Indahl left the game with an apparent injury.

Arizona Lutheran head coach Jon Romsdahl mentioned that they had to throw in a quarterback who had only played the position once before.

“Our starting quarterback broke her finger in the second quarter,” Romsdahl said. “So we had a girl step in at quarterback for the second time ever.”

Seton Catholic came out of halftime with a sense of urgency.

They moved the ball down the field after sophomore athlete Madilynn Luevano had a huge gain to put the Sentinels in scoring position.

Quickly afterwards, Pongratz threw a great ball to Di Scala, who then scored the first touchdown of the night for the Sentinels.

The Sentinels did not attempt a 2-point conversion; however, they made the PAT to make it an 8-7 game early in the third quarter.

Arizona Lutheran punted on their ensuing drive.

With the momentum seeming to shift toward Seton Catholic, the Coyote defense once again became a key factor to protect their lead.

As Pongratz and the Sentinels found themselves moving down the field again, Arizona Lutheran created great pressure on a blitz, forcing Pongratz into an errant throw to Humbert for her second interception of the night.

The Coyotes looked to capitalize on another Seton Catholic turnover, but the Sentinels’ defense continued to prevent Arizona Lutheran from adding to its lead.

Seton Catholic’s offense continued to search for an answer as the third quarter was reaching its end.

But continuing to dominate, Humbert came up with her third interception of the night with just 19 seconds remaining in the quarter.

Arizona Lutheran continued to pressure Pongratz and the Sentinels’ offense, forcing Seton Catholic into multiple difficult passing situations throughout the fourth quarter.

The Sentinels moved the ball down the field on their final possession, but the Coyotes’ defense once again came through with an interception.

Arizona Lutheran junior athlete Sarah Palmer came up with the game-sealing play, ending the game with a score of 8-7.

The turnovers continued to tell the story of the game, as Seton Catholic finished with seven interceptions.

Humbert led the Coyotes with five interceptions, including the pick-six that gave Arizona Lutheran its early advantage that would never give up.

“We came into the game thinking they were a really good team and we knew we had to step up,” Humbert mentioned.

Next up: 5-0 Arizona Lutheran will look to continue its strong start to the season at home against 0-4 Apache Junction. Meanwhile, 4-3 Seton Catholic will look to bounce back in its next matchup at the PXU The Final Pull Flag Football Tournament.