Sam Polgreen is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Desert Vista High School.

Desert Vista’s girls flag football team capped off its regular season Tuesday with a 24-6 loss at home to the Marana Tigers. 

Although the outcome was not what the team had hoped, the Thunder did not go down without a fight. 

The Tigers got on the board early when senior quarterback Ella Joplin connected with senior wide receiver Adrian Griffin on a 4-yard passing touchdown to take a 7-0 lead. 

On the other hand, the Thunder was off to a slow start offensively. They opened with a run that put them behind the line of scrimmage by about a yard, then Marana senior Nami Singer sacked junior quarterback Jackie Jimenez, making it difficult to reach the line again, as the Tigers started hot on both sides of the ball. 

Even with the Thunder’s slow start, the players remained united. 

“We are supportive of each other on and off the field,” sophomore defensive back Juno O'Hagen said. 

The Tigers shut down Desert Vista’s offense in the first half, forcing the Thunder to punt or turn it over on downs on every possession. 

The Tigers extended their lead with 11 minutes left in the second quarter as a field goal from junior kicker Peyton Sharp gave Marana a 10-0 lead. The Thunder’s defense struck with 3 minutes to go in the first half when sophomore safety Arianna Delgado picked off Joplin’s pass, which was intended for wide receiver Roxi Singer. 

“Our safeties have really improved. That was a weakness of ours last year and it's turning into a strength,” Desert Vista's head coach Derek Herring said. “So we’ve seen a lot of safety and corner improvement defensively.”

Desert Vista’s offense could not capitalize on the interception, however, as the Tigers' Singer came up with another sack deep in Thunder territory. The Tigers ended the first half up 17-0 after a 1-yard passing touchdown from Joplin to senior wide receiver Madison Myers-Rebidas. 

“Our team bonding this season helped us grow as a team and gave us the ability to work together,” Thunder senior defensive back Ravyn Harris said. “We were able to grow and communicate a lot better on the field this season.” 

The Tigers' defense never let up. With 7 minutes left in the third quarter, Adrian Griffin picked off Jimenez, but the Tigers could not capitalize on the interception, turning the ball over on downs and allowing the Thunder back into the game.  

Desert Vista was moving the ball down the field effectively in the second half but turned the ball over as Griffin picked off Jimenez for the second time in the quarter. 

The Thunder kept pushing, especially defensively, when senior linebacker Alexandria Woodruff came up with a sack with 9 minutes left in the fourth quarter to give Desert Vista a chance to get back in the game. 

With 3 minutes left in the game, Jimenez threw a 10-yard touchdown to sophomore wide receiver Aleena Tonto to get the Thunder on the board. The Thunder tried to close the gap with a two-point attempt but got stopped by the Tigers' defense. The Tigers quickly answered as Joplin found Singer for a 60-yard touchdown to seal the deal for the Tigers and end the regular season. 

The Thunder will face the Tigers again in the playoffs at 6 p.m. Wednesday at Marana High School. Desert Vista is the underdog as the 14 seed; Marana is the No. 3 seed.