Despite intermittent game action, the Wildcats’ varsity flag football team is enjoying a successful start to its inaugural season.

Oak Harbor swept its only two home games of the regular season on Wednesday, beating the Everett Seagulls 34-14 and mounting a late comeback to defeat the Cascade Bruins 14-7.

Senior Reagan Syring scored three touchdowns, and senior Annalise Wesley and junior Macy Schmall each had one against Everett. Senior Mia McGaha had both Wildcat touchdowns versus Cascade.

Currently, the Wildcats are 3-0-0 on the season, sitting second in the Northern Conference standings behind only the Lynden Lions.

Wednesday’s contests stood as the Wildcats’ first taste of game action in nearly a month. Two road games against Ferndale and Squalicum scheduled for Dec. 17, as well as boys and girls basketball games, were canceled when a storm left much of the island without power.

While the team practiced when it could despite the weather and winter break, head coach Mike Lonborg acknowledged playing so few games can affect a team. Freshmen Ellie Johnson and Kenna Zwak both spoke to feeling nervous ahead of the games.

But the night started fairly easily.

Oak Harbor found itself in an advantageous position opposing Everett, able to exploit the Seagulls’ tendency to leave the middle of the field wide open. The Wildcats scored a touchdown in the dying seconds of the first half to give themselves a 21-7 lead at halftime, then added two more touchdowns before the end of regulation.

“It was just nonstop,” Lonborg said. “It was five, 10-yard chunks at a time, and (senior quarterback Layla) Suto was hitting the spots, and so that’s where it worked.”

Cascade, in contrast, presented the first “real test” Oak Harbor’s faced yet, Lonborg said.

Both teams remained scoreless at halftime. Cascade opened the scoring about five minutes into the second half and kept the pressure on Oak Harbor, which struggled to advance the ball. The Bruins excelled at covering the middle of the field.

“(The middle zone is) kind of our favorite spot,” Johnson said. “We’re not really used to running outside routes as much. So it was definitely challenging because we had to adjust our offense and where we’re running, where we’re throwing, the plays we’re going to have to call.”

Suto threw far more completions against Everett than Cascade, but delivered in a pinch against the Bruins. The Wildcats tied the game at seven apiece with just under two minutes to go, then completed a chaotic comeback. With 30 seconds remaining, a throw from Suto bounced off multiple pairs of hands before being caught in the end zone.

“It was crazy … I thought it was a pick,” Johnson said. “But then (McGaha) caught it, and everybody started celebrating. It was just kind of a blur.”

Despite Suto’s struggles, Lonborg acknowledged the importance of her timeliness.

“Balls weren’t coming out as smooth as (Suto) wanted them to,” he said. “But she got the job done at the end, so that’s all we can ask.”

Johnson and Lonborg praised the defense’s contributions, crucial in keeping the score low enough to make a comeback feasible.

Zwak believes teamwork and chemistry are strengths of the team so far this season. She and Johnson think the offense needs improvements — for Zwak, that means sharpening hand-eye coordination and catching; for Johnson, that means maintaining the threat of offense in high pressure situations.

An undefeated record is a promising start to the season, but Lonborg stressed his team still has plenty it needs to work on.

“We’ve got a lot to learn, a lot to focus on, a lot of situational stuff. But the girls are doing good. They’re working hard, they’ve been out in this horrible weather practicing two hours a night and they still have great attitudes,” he said. “So we’ve still got a ways to go, but we’re playing well.”

Oak Harbor’s next game is 4:30 p.m. on Jan. 14, when it meets Lynden on the road at Lakewood High School. Lynden is undefeated in four games, defeating the Sehome Mariners 33-7 most recently.

Quarterback Layla Suto, pictured here, helped the Wildcats complete a chaotic comeback against the Cascade Bruins.

Head coach Mike Lonborg said his team’s record thus far is promising, but it still has work to do in improving.