Coming into last Wednesday’s Trans-Valley League matchup, Orestimba High’s and Hilmar High’s flag football teams were amongst the best teams in the league. Both teams were undefeated in TVL play going in with an opportunity for the top spot in the league standings.

While this matchup was highly-anticipated, both teams were at completely opposite ends of the spectrum last season. Orestimba are coming off a 21-7 season and finished in a three-way tie with Hughson High and Escalon High for first place in the TVL standings.

Hilmar had a 9-14 record in the program’s inaugural season and were near the bottom of the TVL standings.

With much at stake, Wednesday’s matchup didn’t disappoint. In an overtime thriller, Orestimba prevailed on the road, 24-18.

The Warriors’ improve to 16-2 overall and remain undefeated in league play at 4-0. Orestimba now sits at the top of the standings with one game lead to second-place Hilmar.

Head Coach John Labno credited the Warriors resilience and growth in handling close situations, mentioning last season’s experiences as a stepping stone. “Once we got into overtime, [the players] were good with it because most of them had already experienced that,” he said.

Both of Orestimba’s quarterbacks stepped up when they were needed the most. Hailey Starr threw for 230 yards with two touchdowns. Joining her was Salece Machado, who finished with 41 yards in the air including two touchdowns.

Hilmar couldn’t have asked for a better start in the first half as the Yellowjackets forced Starr to throw two interceptions and recorded first downs on the ground.

Leading Hilmar was Brisa Gonzales. She threw for two touchdowns in the second quarter to give the Yellowjackets a 12-0 lead. Gonzales also found success on the ground when she scrambled multiple Orestimba defenders to get towards the Warriors’ territory.

With the Yellowjackets gaining momentum, the Warriors struggled to get down the field as the team couldn’t get a first down for the majority of the opening half. Starr, in particular, had a difficult time looking for an open teammate.

Eventually, the Warriors found some life. In the final minute of the half, Starr threw a much-needed 40-yard touchdown pass to Madelyn Perez to cut its deficit 12-6 going into the second half.

In the third quarter, Orestimba adjusted its gameplan defensively towards Gonzales’ mobility. This resulted in the Warriors getting two interceptions, one of which started a drive to tie the game early in the fourth quarter. On fourth down and near Hilmar’s 20-yard line, Salece Machado threw a 23-yard pass towards the left corner of the endzone to Imelda Beltran to tie the game, 12-12. The Warriors didn’t get the lead after missing the extra point attempt.

Now tied up, Hilmar’s lead evaporated with less than five minutes left in regulation. Gonzales, who struggled in the second half, ignited a drive to Orestimba’s 20-yard line. On third-and-4, she not only got the first down, but got the Yellowjackets within 10 yards near Orestimba’s endzone.

Hilmar regained the lead 18-12 after Gonzales threw a pass to Alexis Aguiar for her third touchdown. The Yellowjackets missed the extra point.

Now facing a deficit with less than three minutes remaining, the Warriors needed to drive down to the field to force overtime. Orestimba did just that by getting to Hilmar’s 20-yard line with two minutes left. After stopping the Warriors first two attempts, Hilmar’s defense was two stops away from securing the program’s biggest win.

Before Orestimba began its third-and-1 attempt, a penalty was called. Hilmar’s Milana Lacey was called for an offsides penalty, which resulted in an Orestimba first down. This later led to the Warriors scoring the game-tying touchdown after Beltran caught a pass from Starr, 18-18.

The Yellowjackets couldn’t go down the field to score, resulting in overtime. Hilmar won the coin toss and elected to defer, meaning Orestimba began the period on offense. 

Orestimba gained its first lead of the evening after Machado threw a 10-yard pass to Natalie Corella, 24-18. The Warriors missed the extra point attempt to extend its lead.

Now facing a deficit for the first time, Hilmar knew what it needed to do. After missing on the first two attempts, Lacey dropped Gonzales’ pass near the goal line. With a final chance, Gonzales scrambled past two Orestimba defenders while looking for an open teammate, but was stopped after one of her flags was taken down.

While the win gave the Warriors’ a firm lead in the TVL standings, it was also a nice birthday for Labno who was met with the players singing, “happy birthday,” to him after the game.

“It’s much better than celebrating with a win than celebrating with a loss,” he said with a smile. “Definitely much better [and] much nicer to be able to go home and relax.”

Orestimba will face Hilmar again when the Yellowjackets visit Newman on Oct.20. Until then, the Warriors’ will host Hughson High on Monday at 6 p.m.

The last time these teams faced off was during the semifinals of last season’s CIF Sac-Joaquin Division 4 postseason where Hughson defeated Orestimba, 21-18.

Navtej Hundal is a freelance reporter in Stanislaus County