The explosiveness of the Merced High flag football team was on full display as senior quarterback Antonia LeJarde threw four touchdowns and ran for another as the Bears defeated Buhach Colony 36-13 in a battle of Central California Conference undefeated teams on Wednesday night at Cathie Hostetler Stadium.

 

LeJarde completed 24 of 36 passes and the four scoring strikes. She added 11 carries for 95 yards and another score. “This was a chance for us to make a statement to Buhach Colony and the rest of the league,” LeJarde said. 

 

Merced (16-2) scored touchdowns on its first three offensive possessions as LeJarde connected with Amachi Turner on a short touchdown to give the Bears an early 6-0 lead. The Thunder (13-3, 4-1 CCC) answered back as Emily Gallegos raced through the Bears defense for a 60-yard touchdown run to give BC a brief 7-6 lead.

 

However, Merced countered with a 25-yard touchdown run by LeJarde and another short scoring toss to Averie Steverson to build an 18-7 lead with 9:31 left in the first half. Steverson and Turner both hauled in two touchdowns apiece in the game with Steverson finishing with eight catches for 123 yards.

 

“It's amazing, I have three tall receivers and I have trust in all of them,” LeJarde said. “I know they could go up and get it. They can do their job and help make me look good.”

 

Turner added a 7-yard touchdown catch and Alyssa Oseguera returned an interception 20 yards for a score to extend the lead to 30-7 in the third quarter. Oseguera had a great all-around night with six tackles, two sacks and the interception. Steverson added two interceptions on defense.

 

“I think this was a really strong game for us,” Steverson said. “I feel like this was a very big statement game for us, knowing that we were both undefeated and just being able to come out and win this game. I feel like this sets us up in a really good place for the rest of the league.”

 

The Bears have been battle tested coming off the section championship from last year. They traveled to San Diego to play in a showcase that featured some of the top teams in the nation. Merced is currently ranked No. 10 in the nation by No. 3 in the section by MaxPreps.  

 

Playing those tough teams early has only helped make the Bears a better team. “Those games have strengthened us a lot,” Steverson said. “Playing better competition has really shown us what we need to improve on as a team instead of just relying on these league games to show us where we need to improve.”

 

Shawn Jansen is the MUHSD Program Manager Digital Media. He can be reached at Sjansen@muhsd.org.