Olivia Taormina knew that she wanted to start the crosstown rivalry flag football history books with a bang.
With St. Charles North already up two touchdowns on St. Charles East and a passing touchdown already to her name, the sophomore quarterback saw junior and quarterback/receiver Kaelie Tomalak streaking down the field, and she saw a perfect opportunity to keep the momentum going.
So she wound up, slung it down the field, right into her teammate’s arms, and into the end zone.
“Our dynamic is just something always so special,” Taormina said. “I’m so thankful to get the ball to her, and I always have faith that I can get the ball to her and my other teammates.”
Taormina finished the game tossing three touchdowns, one of three North Stars to find the end zone three times, as St. Charles North ended up pulling out a 53-6 victory over the Saints to start a new chapter in the crosstown rivalry series.
“We took care of business,” North Stars coach Mike Taormina said. “We were good on all phases of the game.”
While Taormina tore up the defense with her arm, Tomalak was busy collecting yards in multiple different facets. The junior finished with 48 passing yards, 124 rushing yards and 54 receiving yards with a touchdown in each variety.
“We had more of a crowd out with a bunch of younger clubs supporting us in this game,” Tomalak said. “So I think being able to perform and show them what we can do is just incredible.”
While the two shared time at quarterback, much like they have throughout the season, both pass-slingers emphasized how great their connection has become throughout the season.
“We spend a lot of time together, always practicing as a center-quarterback or quarterback-wideout duo,” Tomalak said. “But that’s really helped us see the field. We always know that if our first look isn’t there, we always have each other. And it’s just a really positive and beneficial connection that we can implement into the game.”
Alexzandria Richardson (four catches for 94 yards, seven rushes for 52) started off the scoring with a 57-yard receiving touchdown and added a trio of rushing touchdowns in the game. The junior brought her season scoring total to 41 touchdowns on the season, including 30 on the ground.
“She’s just something really special,” Olivia Taormina said. “To have her as a teammate is just such a blessing. I know that I can always rely on her to pick me up and get the job done.”
While the offense was running up the scoreboard, the defense was doing its job in keeping the Saints (5-7, 2-3) off the scoreboard, with the team finishing with three interceptions.
“We’ve been working on our defense and finding the right packages, moving them around for success,” Mike Taormina said. “They did a really good jobs, pulling the flags and stopping that offense.”
The Saints scored their only touchdown of the contest with 6:43 left in the third quarter, with junior Erini Vardalos (six rushes for 49 yards) finding the end zone on a 1-yard run. Freshman Brynn Maple also helped the offense with five catches for 74 yards.
“It was a tough game, and we knew that heading into the contest,” Saints coach Zach Hendry said. “But the girls battled the whole time to the end. Obviously not the result we wanted in the end, but we’ve still got a few games to get ready for the playoffs.”