Anticipation builds as senior offensive captain Kailia Leming catches the ball and sprints towards MacDonald’s endzone during their seventh home game of the season. After many twists and turns to evade the defense, Leming eventually breaks free, scoring her third touchdown of the afternoon and eliciting many cheers from her teammates and the stands.

“If we just need to make as many yards as possible, (our quarterback will) look far out and try to drop a bomb, so we get those yards that we need,” Leming said.

This year, flag football finished 14-4 in the De Anza League with a 13- game win streak until a loss against Wilcox on Oct. 21.

The team later went 16-2 but was forced to forfeit two games at the end of the season due to the opposing team having an insufficient amount of players, dropping their record to 14-4.

According to head coach Bradford Exantus, this successful season didn’t come without struggle. In their first season, Exantus said the team lost all its league games and ended 0-10.

“Last year was basically the beginning, just getting people out and interested,” Exantus said. “The (first) season obviously didn’t go as planned, but the buzz got around. The whole purpose of this season was to get a rhythm and win some games, and the fact that we won the league, which is a huge accomplishment, from last year being at the bottom to this year being at the top, is a huge difference.”

Because flag football was only introduced last year, senior wide receiver Danica Chew said the team’s priority was attracting future players. Chew also said part of the team’s positivity can be attributed to sophomore offensive captain and quarterback Eleanor Wells, who created a supportive dynamic between teammates this season.

“All of the past team members really saw that she (had) a very positive attitude,” Chew said. “You almost never see her flustered or crumbling under any pressure. We have had a lot of trust in her this year to be able to lead our team and also be a really positive member during practice. We knew that she was going to help new team members feel like they were included and that they’re doing a good job.”

Leming said she has also worked to make improvements regarding team chemistry.

“As a captain this year, I have been trying to make sure that the team dynamic stays positive because last year there was a little bit of beef, and some people didn’t fully like each other,” Leming said. “I think that really cost the team, so this year I’ve been making a point to make sure that everybody’s good with each other, everything stays positive and to just make sure that there’s no problems.”

Going into the second season, Wells said returning members helped shake initial nerves and unite the team.

“Because we had the experience from last year, and we already had those bonds, I think we really could relate to each other in saying that we did not want to lose again, and we wanted to win,” Wells said.

In addition to gaining new players for the second season, the team also gained a new defensive coach, Nancy Nguyen.

“We have Coach Nancy (who) actually plays on the national team, so her expertise and her knowledge of the game currently playing right now is great,” Exantus said.

And Chew said Nguyen’s professional experience has not hindered her ability to make coaching digestible for newcomers.

“She understands that not everyone has the skill level (of someone who has played) football for a long time, so it’s a lot of learning curves that have to happen,” Chew said. “Having her is really great, because she knows how to communicate with people who are less experienced.”

The team has also had to adapt to new rules, including those dealing with spinning, punting, blocking and a one-yard rush.

Spinning and punting, which weren’t allowed last year, have now been implemented. In addition, blocking has emerged due to the decreased rush from seven yards to one.

“Because we have a one yard rush now, we had to incorporate a blocker all the time, and then actually create plays so that person can still be engaged on the offense where they would leak out and catch a pass and actually do something, contributing in that way,” Exantus said. “That was the biggest adjustment we had to make a plan for.”

Despite these challenges, junior defensive captain Zoe Quintana said rushing makes it easier to challenge the opposing quarterback’s throws.

“There’s (been) a lot of successful sacks because we can also rush two or three people,” Quintana said. “It’s definitely made it a lot better because there’s not much one or two blockers can do to two or three rushers.”

One change Exantus helped implement was the elimination of back-to-back games, which sometimes occurred last season.

“It was my first suggestion at the end of season meeting,” Exantus said. “I said, ‘No more two games a day. This is ridiculous. These girls got school. They got homework. One game a day. That’s it.’ And it was a unanimous decision. You have four games in a week, you’re going to get hurt. You have (to have) time to rest and stretch.”

Sophomore defensive captain Yaby Ketama said although she enjoyed playing back-to-back games in the dark, she agrees having breaks is helpful to recuperate.

“It feels like the stress is really high when you have two back-to-back games, but then having that little break day really helps out,” Ketama said.

Another change implemented this year was participating in tournaments, including a single-day tournament at Wilcox on Sept. 27, giving players more chances to face new opponents and test their skills.

Wells said tournaments like this are essential for team growth.

“Having those tournaments will not only increase our skill level, but also our community and the bonding of our team,” Wells said. “They help bring awareness to the sport and also our Paly team, because we were the only team that was undefeated in the state.”

In addition to the Wilcox tournament, the team traveled to Los Angeles for a tournament on Nov. 16. Before the tournament, Leming said she felt both excited and nervous, especially with nationwide viewership of the competition.

“It’s intimidating going to a whole different city on the other side of the state to play a tournament,” Leming said. “That’s pretty big.”

Because the team finished first in the De Anza League, it got a playoff berth but was eliminated by Branham High School in the first round.

Regardless, Leming is gratified with the team’s growth.

“I’m very proud of our team this year,” Leming said. “No matter how far we (got) into playoffs, I’m proud of our team this year.”