Total Sports Development’s (TSD) high school girls flag football team remained undefeated entering Christmas break after defeating South Puget Sound League (SPSL) opponent Graham-Kapowsin (GK) 44-14 in blowout fashion.
Prior to the contest against GK, TSD coach Daniel Caldwell said he and the rest of the staff, Jason Ronquillo and Brandon Thompson, emphasized the importance of picking up a victory against the Eagles. TSD won’t play again until Wednesday, Jan. 6, against Curtis, and the coaches felt an SPSL win would propel the team forward into break with momentum.
“We wanted to put some intent into winning this game more than others. We know that there’s going to be a long break ahead, and we’re expecting a level of drop in both football IQ and focus over Christmas break,” Caldwell said. “We wanted to make sure we went into break in the best position possible, and that’s 6-0.”
Quarterback Austin Hitchner continued to display her arm strength throughout the contest against Graham-Kapowsin, launching the football upward of 35 to 40 yards in some attempts. Running back Mariah Arnestad potentially had her best game on the ground, including a breakaway touchdown run that started near TSD’s own endzone.
“Austin Hitchner continues to impress with her arm strength and her accuracy. Tonight, it was also her decision making and vision on the field. It really came into play. She made some great choices and threw some great balls out here,” Caldwell said. “Mariah had a spectacular run, which was almost the length of the entire field, and she broke nearly every tackle imaginable. Once again, those two continue to dominate, and with the complementary athletes around them, it makes for a pretty lethal offense.”
Arnestad, who has emerged as a playmaker for TSD in the run game and the pass game this season, said she wouldn’t have asked for a better start to the 2024-25 season than entering Christmas break 6-0.
“It’s an amazing start. We’re proud to be out here and proud to win,” she said. “We have a great offense. Our girls are amazing, and we practice hard to make sure everybody knows what they’re doing. We execute it pretty well, too.”
While Arnestad and Hitchner are firing on all cylinders offensively, Caldwell and the TSD staff applauded the defense for its efforts against Graham-Kapowsin. Caldwell said one of the biggest areas of improvements defensively, so far, has been the girls’ ability to communicate with one another.
“They’re starting to talk to each other. They’re flying around, and they’re learning different route patterns, weaknesses of different schemes and where receivers are going to find pockets,” Caldwell said. “They start anticipating these tendencies because they do their homework. They know what to expect.”
He added that the team has done a great job of preparing before each game, and that the defense tries to find the opponent’s best athlete early and often to try to neutralize their impact.
Once TSD returns from Christmas break, each remaining game of the season will be played on the road, beginning on Wednesday, Jan. 8, against Curtis High School. Though TSD won’t play any home games for the rest of the season, Caldwell said the athlete’s mentality won’t change at all.
“These girls have played on the road already, and it doesn’t really seem to impact them. It’s not really the same as a Friday night road game,” Caldwell said. “These girls walk in and play. There’s no locker rooms or facilities really involved for us. We live on the sideline and go out and play on the field. Home or away, it’s not going to matter to us.”
