John Jay shows late fight in loss to Brewster

CROSS RIVER, N.Y. - On Wednesday, April 22, John Jay hosted Brewster at Contest Field, and by the start of the fourth quarter, the Wolves trailed 21-0. With little chance of a comeback, John Jay looked to salvage something from the day - and Ava Baiocco and Nonie Whelan delivered.

Baiocco dumped a pass over the middle, and Whelan did the rest.

“I don’t really get the ball that much, so when it comes to me, I have to make it count,” said the senior receiver. “I just started running up the field, got through a couple of girls, and kicked it into full gear to the end zone.”

The play resulted in a 55-yard touchdown reception.

Even so, John Jay couldn’t avert a 21-6 loss, and Brewster set the tone early. The Bears picked off Baiocco’s first pass, and two plays later, Sofia Rosamilia led her team down to the one-yard line.

Brewster appeared poised to score, but a fumbled handoff on fourth down gave John Jay possession deep in its own territory. That proved costly, however, as a tackle in the end zone resulted in a safety, putting Brewster on the board.

John Jay responded by shutting down Brewster’s aerial attack and taking to the air themselves. Baiocco lofted a high pass to Lina Halaifonua, who came down with it for a first down across midfield.

A penalty and a fumble derailed the drive, though, and Rosamilia capitalized. The quarterback completed three passes to guide the Bears into the end zone with 44 seconds left in the quarter.

After the conversion made it 9-0, Brewster struck again on defense with another interception, setting up possession at the 23-yard line. Rosamilia needed just a few plays to find the end zone once more, giving the Bears a commanding lead.

The teams traded stops, and with 1:44 left in the half, it didn’t seem like enough time for John Jay to respond. Starting at their own five-yard line, the Wolves proved otherwise. Ronnie Weisfelner broke outside for a gain to the 19, and Baiocco followed with a keeper to the 22 for a first down.

Baiocco then connected again with Halaifonua on a deep ball to move into Brewster territory at the 35. A sack forced a timeout with 32 seconds remaining, but John Jay regrouped. Baiocco’s screen pass to Juliana Berisha set up another gain, moving the ball to the 29.

Berisha wasn’t finished, breaking outside on the next play, but she was tackled at the five as time expired.

John Jay carried that momentum into the third quarter. On the second play, Avery Bisignano stepped in front of a pass for an interception, giving the Wolves prime field position. However, a fumbled snap and a sack pushed them back, resulting in a fourth-and-20 situation they couldn’t convert.

Baiocco later connected with Emilia Koronowski, but Brewster quickly flipped the field. Mixing the run and pass effectively, the Bears drove down to the five-yard line.

That’s when Mitzi Chan made a game-changing play, intercepting a pass and returning it with determination.

“Our coach tells us we get free sandwiches if we get a pick-six,” said the senior. “So I was hungry.”

The return didn’t reach the end zone, but it gave John Jay a first down at its own 10-yard line.

With 4:46 left in the third, the Wolves’ drive stalled just short of the 20, and they were forced to punt. Brewster took advantage, and Rosamilia threw her third touchdown pass moments later.

With 11:53 remaining in the game, John Jay continued to fight. Avery Portugal made the most of her opportunity, hauling in a pass from Baiocco for a first down.

“I was thrown into the offense last game, but that’s how it is—you never know what’s going to happen,” said the junior. “So I went full force.”

On the sideline, injured starting quarterback Gianna Pelosi encouraged the connection between Baiocco and Whelan, according to Bisignano.

“She told Ava and Nonie, ‘Look at this connection you can make,’” Bisignano said.

Moments later, Baiocco found Whelan again over the middle. Whelan’s long run after the catch dazzled teammates and left Brewster defenders chasing.

“She’s like a salsa dancer,” Chan joked.

Time ultimately ran out on the Wolves, but Bisignano chose to focus on the team’s late effort.

“I feel like we really picked it up at the end,” she said.