OTTAWA, Kan. — Southwestern College struggled to slow Ottawa's high-powered offense Saturday afternoon, falling 43-0 to the Braves in a conference flag football matchup at AdventHealth Field.
The Builders (2-1, 2-1) traveled to Ottawa for a 12 p.m. kickoff but were unable to keep pace with the unbeaten Braves (4-0, 2-0), who scored in every quarter and built a 24-0 halftime lead.
Ottawa quarterback Anna Anderson led the offensive attack, completing 30 of 34 passes for 252 yards and five touchdowns. Three of those scoring passes went to Alyssa Linkous, who caught touchdown receptions of two yards in the first quarter and another two-yard score early in the second.
The Braves opened the game with an eight-play, 66-yard drive capped by Anderson's two-yard touchdown pass to Linkous with 7:53 remaining in the first quarter. Anderson and Linkous connected again later in the quarter to push the lead to 12-0.
Ottawa added two more scores before halftime. Linkous caught her third touchdown pass of the game with 5:14 left in the second quarter, and Marley Spielberg hauled in a nine-yard scoring pass from Anderson with three seconds remaining before the break, giving the Braves a 24-0 advantage.
Despite the score, Southwestern moved the ball at times behind quarterback Kenndi Hayes. Hayes completed 28 of 39 passes for 167 yards and led the Builders offense with several sustained drives, including a nine-play, 43-yard possession in the second quarter that pushed into Ottawa territory.
Several receivers contributed to the passing game. Lilibeth Rico led the Builders with five receptions for 45 yards, while Devina Lytle added five catches for 41 yards. Andrea Moon and Vivianna Solis each caught six passes as Southwestern totaled 167 passing yards.
Defensively, Solis and Mary Jones each recorded six tackles to lead Southwestern, while Moon added four tackles and a nine-yard sack to halt an Ottawa drive in the third quarter.
Ottawa extended the lead in the second half when Tatiana DosSantos broke free for a 72-yard touchdown reception midway through the third quarter. The Braves sealed the game late in the fourth quarter with back-to-back interception returns for touchdowns by Jukanie Washington (59 yards) and Dejonice Parris (60 yards).
Ottawa finished with 308 yards of total offense compared to Southwestern's 152.
Southwestern will look to bounce back when the Builders return home Tuesday, Mar. 10th, for a matchup against the Cottey College Comets. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. at Richard L. Jantz Stadium in Winfield, Kansas.
