GALT, CA (MPG) - Galt hosted the crosstown rivalry game, but Liberty Ranch controlled it. The defending league champion Hawks shut out the Warriors 28-0 in girls’ flag football Wednesday night. Galt drops to third place in the league standings with the loss.

Senior quarterback Kamrynn Blevins led the Hawks on both sides of the ball. She completed 13 of 23 passes for 151 yards and two touchdowns without an interception. She was also Liberty Ranch’s top runner, with 34 yards and a touchdown on nine carries. On defense, Blevins had the only interception of the game and returned it 52 yards.

Liberty Ranch didn’t score fast, but it scored steadily. The Hawks took a 7-0 lead in the first quarter and added another touchdown in the second to lead 14-0 at halftime.

The Hawks put the game away in the third quarter, scoring 14 points for a 28-0 lead. Their defense then held Galt scoreless the rest of the way to keep the shutout.

Sophomore Gianna Farren was Blevins’ favorite target. She caught four passes for a team-high 59 yards and one touchdown. Her 36-yard catch was the longest play of the night for either team. Senior Savanna Garbarino caught two passes for 24 yards, including a touchdown. Sophomore Tenley Messersmith added three catches for 27 yards, and junior Lexi Williams had two receptions for 29 yards.

Liberty Ranch spread the ball around. Six different players caught passes, with Olive Gorelick (9 yards) and Ella Quaschnick (3 yards) also making catches. The Hawks finished with 209 total yards.

The Hawks’ offense did its job, but the defense won the game.

Lexi Williams was everywhere, pulling 11 flags, more than any other player on either team. Liberty Ranch finished with 30 flag pulls in all, and 10 different players had at least one. Gianna Williams, Farren, senior Fatima Cabrera and Makenlee Robbins each had three. Quaschnick and Kirinjeet Dhaliwal each had two, and Garbarino, freshman Caroline Herring and Olive Gorelick each had one.

The Hawks held Galt to 100 total yards. The Warriors completed just five of 25 passes for 42 yards. Senior quarterback Chloe Goehring-Tassell went 4-for-24 for 29 yards with an interception while facing a Liberty defense that allowed very little. Freshman Abigail Chapin came in for one pass and completed it for 13 yards.

Galt’s offense struggled all night, but its defense kept the game from getting further out of reach and pressured Blevins often.

Sophomore Hayley Suttenfield led the Warriors with eight flag pulls, one sack and three quarterback hurries. Sophomore Lorrena Ponce had five flag pulls and two sacks. Galt finished with three sacks, five hurries and four tackles for loss. Senior Kristine Meixner added five flag pulls and broke up two passes. Jannet Jimenez and Skyler Moore had two flag pulls each, and Lorelei Flores and Danah Godinez had one apiece.

Freshman Berkley Ward was the Warriors’ best runner, with 36 yards on seven carries and a 16-yard long. She also caught two passes for 18 yards. Freshman Madison Chapin had Galt’s longest play, a 22-yard catch, and finished with two receptions for 22 yards. Goehring-Tassell added 23 rushing yards on 13 carries, and senior Harper Suttenfield had a 2-yard catch.

Galt ran the ball 27 times for 58 yards, the same rushing total as Liberty Ranch. But the Warriors never got a steady passing game going and couldn’t finish drives.

The win shows the defending champions are still the team to beat in the league. Galt drops to third place with plenty of season left. The Warriors’ young players showed promise, with freshmen Ward and the Chapin sisters involved throughout the game. If Galt meets Liberty Ranch again, it will need its offense to match the effort of its defense.