Acalanes senior Stella Beuchotte accounted for five touchdowns in a 41-7 rout of Ygnacio Valley on Sept. 28 before the Dons fell 27-18 to NCS-ranked Clayton Valley Charter two days later.

The split week leaves Acalanes at 4-3 in league play and No. 7 in the NCS Division 2 rankings, according to MaxPreps, with a road game at Benicia up next.

Beuchotte dominates at Ygnacio Valley

Beuchotte, one of four senior captains on the Lafayette squad, put on a show in the Monday night road win. She threw two touchdown passes, ran for scores of 1 yard and 18 yards, and then intercepted a pass deep in Wolves territory and returned it for a pick-six, according to the Acalanes Sports Boosters game recap.

She was far from alone. Junior tailback Isabelle Agnost scored twice, once rushing and once receiving. Senior receiver Ines Coyne hauled in an 11-yard touchdown and converted two point-after receptions.

The Dons' defense was just as dominant. Senior linebacker Avery DeMent intercepted a pass and returned it 25 yards to the Ygnacio Valley 1-yard line, setting up a score. Safety Leah Roth grabbed a tip-drill interception and returned it past midfield to the Wolves' 30. Pass rusher Stella Mason and Coyne each recorded flag pulls for losses.

At halftime, the stadium lights went out, leaving the field in total darkness for 15 to 20 minutes. Acalanes parents, cell phones aglow, broke into a rendition of "Sweet Caroline" while waiting for play to resume.

Dons rally late against Clayton Valley Charter

On Wednesday, Sept. 30, Acalanes traveled to face Clayton Valley Charter. The Dons struck first when Beuchotte found DeMent in the end zone on the opening drive for a 6-0 lead.

Clayton Valley answered quickly. The Eagles led 14-6 at halftime and stretched the margin to 27-6 by the start of the fourth quarter.

Acalanes did not fold.

Beuchotte hit DeMent on a 40-yard touchdown down the sideline on a deep wheel route to cut the deficit to 27-12. She then connected with junior June Natal on a deep out that Natal turned into a gain of more than 30 yards. Beuchotte punched it in herself to make the final score 27-18.

Season context

Co-head coaches Mike Ivankovich and Joe Escobar lead a program that went 17-3 last season and reached the NCS championship game. In a Lamorinda Weekly season preview published Sept. 9, Ivankovich said the team's defense would define its season: "Our defense is going to make us competitive with anyone. We feel like we've been the best defensive program in the Bay Area."

The Dons held Ygnacio Valley to 7 points but allowed 27 against Clayton Valley.

Acalanes faces Benicia on the road Monday, Oct. 5, at 7:30 p.m., then hosts Concord on Oct. 12 at 7:30 p.m.