Hart A senior quarterback Hallie Freeman scrambles away from pressure before finding an open receiver in the corner of the end zone during Hart’s game against the Regents A Rhinos.
The Hart A defense stood tall in its 25-0 win over the Regents A Rhinos in women’s intramural flag football Tuesday night.
Hart started with possession and only took three plays to get points on the board, scoring with a deep pass down the left side of the field by senior quarterback Hallie Freeman. The extra point was no good, making the score 6-0.
The Rhinos then looked to take advantage of their first possession. They drove down the field, but after reaching two consecutive first downs on their first two plays, the Hart defense settled in and took control.
Regents’ short run was followed by two straight incompletions, a false start and the team eventually gave the ball back after a fourth down incompletion.
The bitterly cold night did not help either side as the game wore on with both squads, who traded the ball back and forth in their next series.
It did not take long for Hart to get into the end zone; Freeman completed a short touchdown pass and completed the extra point to extend their lead to 13-0 with a little more than a minute before the half.
The Rhinos tried to get something together but with just three seconds left the Hart defense got its first interception of the game to send the contest into halftime.
After the break, the Hart defense only allowed one first down and intercepted the ball three more times for 12 more points, giving the team the eventual 25-0 win.
Freeman had two more passing touchdowns, giving her four for the game.
Hart A captain, junior Tori Twidwell, said she was happy with the defensive effort of the squad.
“Our defense played really well; I was proud of them,” she said. “They made a lot of stops, which is nice. We didn’t let the other team score, I don’t believe, so that’s impressive for us. (Regents has) only lost one game, so I was proud of my girls for stopping them because they’re a good ball club.”
Twidwell said having to play in the cold made winning all the more satisfying.
“(Winning) makes it easier,” Twidwell said. “The girls actually want to come back out and play when they win. If they lose and it’s this cold, they get mad and they don’t want to come back out. So, I appreciated the win. That’s for sure.”
After dropping a game Twidwell said they should have won and with only a few games left before the playoffs, she said it was important for Hart A to get back to its winning ways.
“We lost our last game and we probably shouldn’t have lost that,” Twidwell said. “Winning this one will give us the momentum for the next couple games and go into the tournament strong.”
Story by Nick Dolan, Assistant Sports Editor