HESSTON, Kan. — The Hesston College women’s flag football team fell 39–6 to Midland on Saturday afternoon, despite a sustained second-quarter scoring drive that put the Larks on the board.
Midland struck first after an early interception set up a short field. The Warriors converted from six yards out to take a 7–0 lead midway through the first quarter. Later in the period, a 53-yard touchdown pass extended the margin to 13–0.
Midland added another score early in the second quarter on a 26-yard touchdown reception on fourth down, pushing the lead to 20–0. After another Warrior touchdown made it 26–0, Hesston responded with its best drive of the afternoon.
Starting at their own 14-yard line, the Larks pieced together a 10-play, 66-yard drive. Alexis Pabon completed passes to Liliana Espinoza and Mikayla Lucas to move the chains, and Akiva Brown hauled in an 18-yard reception to set up first-and-goal. Pabon then found Espinoza for a five-yard touchdown strike with 55 seconds remaining in the half to cut the deficit to 26–6.
Midland answered with a quick scoring drive before halftime and added two more touchdowns in the second half to secure the 39–6 final.
Pabon finished 14-of-37 passing for 106 yards and one touchdown. Espinoza led the receiving corps with three catches for 17 yards and the score, while Mikayla Lucas totaled 38 yards on three receptions. Brown added four catches for 32 yards as the Larks recorded 98 yards of total offense.
Defensively, Emma Pfannenstiel recorded six flag pulls and four sacks for 25 yards, leading a strong effort up front. Lucas and Espinoza each added six flag pulls, and Akiva Brown contributed five tackles. The Larks finished with four total sacks on the afternoon.
Hesston will look to regroup as the Larks prepare for their next matchup, a home game on Wednesday, March 4th against Southwestern College.
