Scots improve to 24-0 vs PAL

That loss appeared to be a wake-up call for the Scots, who have been absolutely rolling since that Sept. 5 loss. They blasted Jefferson 61-0, cruised past Alameda 26-6 and added a 28-6 win over Capuchino Monday.

Wednesday, the Scots hosted Woodside and it’s hard to tell how good the offense was because the Scots’ defense was dominant. Carlmont intercepted six passes, returning five of them for scores, while also adding five sacks. The Scots did score four offensive touchdowns, as well, as they cruised past the Wildcats 57-6 to improve to 24-0 against PAL teams since the inception of the sport in 2023.

“Kudos to Woodside. They fought to the end. But when we execute, we’re pretty hard to stop,” said Carlmont head coach Oscar Fabic. “I have a joke with Bret (Pollack, former CSM head coach and current offensive line coach): The goal is to get mid-season form the fastest.”

Carlmont (2-0 PAL, 6-1 overall) appears to have reached that level. After Woodside picked up a first down on the first play of the game — an 8-yard completion from Anna Newman to Jodi Maier — the Wildcats threw three straight incompletions and punted.

That’s when the Carlmont special teams showed what was in store for Woodside. Sam Tow fielded the punt at her own 30 and returned it to the Wildcats’ 25-yard line. Facing a fourth-and g0al at the 11, Carlmont quarterback Lauren Greene found Emily Monteforte wide open in the middle of the field. She high-pointed the ball and hauled it for a touchdown and a 6-0 lead.

The Carlmont defense forced a three-and-out with Ameena Mohammed giving the Scots great field position with a 50-yard punt return to the Wildcats’ 24.

On the next play, Greene found Tow down the left sideline, hitting her with a pass in stride, with Tow streaking into the end zone for a 13-0 with just over a minute in left in the first quarter.

“With any offense, they take time to jell,” Fabic said.

But the Carlmont offense would not take the field again until midway through the second quarter as the Scots’ defense put the game away.

Mohammed picked off a pass on the next play from scrimmage and returned it 19 yards for a score and a 20-0 lead on the final play of the first quarter. On the first play of the second quarter, Tow stepped in front of a pass and returned it 20 yards for a 26-0 advantage.

Woodside finally managed to hold on to the ball long enough to punt it away on its next possession — with Amberly Navarro returning it 63 yards to the Wildcats’ 14-yard line. Two plays later, Greene took a snap and was under heavy pressure. She avoided a sack in the backfield and began weaving her way up field, avoiding flag pulls left and right. She bobbed, weaved and swiveled 37 yards for a touchdown and a 38-0 lead with 4:25 left in the first half.

Woodside was forced to punt again and Carlmont needed one play to find pay dirt again. Greene, under pressure, dumped a pass to Bella Wilson, who cut right across the field, turned the corner and went 43 yards for a touchdown and a 45-0 lead with under a minute left in the half.

Plenty of time for the Scots to add one more score, as Tow grabbed her second interception of the day and scored her third touchdown, returning it 35 yards for a 51-0 Carlmont lead at halftime.

“We’ve had a lot of interceptions (over the previous two-plus seasons),” Fabic said. “I’ve never seen anything like (four pick-6s in one half).”

And the Scots weren’t done, despite Woodside forcing Carlmont into its only punt of the night on the first drive of the second half.

And that’s when Carlmont’s Sophia Lee made the play of the game and possibly the year. After an offside call gave Woodside five free yards, the Wildcats snapped the ball and attempted a pitch to Chloe Chu.

But Lee was in the backfield in a flash, intercepting the pitch and returning it 16 yards for a 57-0 lead.

“They ran that before (in the game),” Fabic said. “When Sophia came off, I told her, ‘You can pick that.’ She said she tried.”

The only question left to answer was whether the Scots would get their third shutout of the season. But Woodside pulled off the hook-and-lateral to get on the scoreboard with just over nine minutes to play. Newman found Allison Scott for a 4-yard gain, who then pitched it Chu, who shimmied her way 50 yards for the score.

After that, it was just a matter of running out the clock and getting playing time for an many players as possible

“It’s very important (to get actual game time),” Fabic said. “Especially with the new rules.”

The Carlmont defense held Woodside (1-3) to just 66 yards of offense. The Scots offense managed only 149 yards of offense, but Fabic was pleased with the execution.

“In limited chances, yeah ( I was happy),” Fabic said.