SOMERS, N.Y. - On Tuesday, Aug. 4, two Somers youth teams faced off in the NY Female Flag Football semifinals. Army versus Navy. Given the recent past, things didn’t look good for the fifth/sixth-grade Army team. “We got crushed last time,” said Eleni Gallo, but the young girls on Army paid no heed to any old sayings about history repeating itself.
After falling behind 7-0, Army scored 25 straight points on the way to a 31-21 victory.
Of course, Navy came out strong. Grace Magnotta dumped the ball off to Gia Rossi, and the receiver converted on fourth-and-five. First-and-goal from the 15, the quarterback lofted the ball to Sophia DeMartino in the end zone and then connected with Rossi for the conversion and a 7-0 lead.
The dominance looked like it would continue on the defensive end, too. Facing third-and-15 after two short gains, Layla Murolo was put on the docket—especially when her scan of the field came up empty. “If there’s no one open, I know to run,” said the QB, and she dodged and eluded her way all the way to the end zone.
It was 7-6 after the failed conversion, but the Army defense didn’t break ranks. The first two Navy plays went nowhere, and on third down, Phoebe Knapp stepped in front for the interception.
The Navy defense was still up to the challenge and forced a third-and-long. Unfortunately for Navy, Murolo’s long fling downfield probably wasn’t going to connect. Instead, the receiver was bumped, and pass interference was called.
First-and-goal from the three, and the lead was about to (almost) double on Lyla Butcher’s two-step. “I did my little turn, then I cut as Layla was looking around. So I screamed and caught the touchdown,” said the receiver.
She also pulled in the conversion for a 13-7 score, and the Army defense held firm. Back on attack, Army found the Navy defense up to the task for three solid downs.
But Murolo refused to go down to the count, and once again, the quarterback hung back in decision-making mode. Opting to run, the QB’s escape to the right sideline was just as poetic as her words: “When you finally get through and you know you’re going, it feels great,” she said after extending the lead to 12.
Onto the second half, Navy gave Army only four downs on the opening possession and readied to get back in the game. Not so fast. Gallo put the brakes on another pick. “It was right near me,” she said. “I caught it and ran.”
Taking over at midfield, Murolo showed her versatility. On a fake reverse, the QB connected with Stefania DeSantis to put her team 10 yards out, and then, after dropping back, she bolted up the middle for a 25-7 lead.
Navy wasn’t giving in, and two no-gains to start didn’t deter them. On third down, Magnotta and Sophia Shkreli swapped positions, and after Army responded with a blitz, Shkreli sidestepped the rush. In the open, she ran the length of the field and did a similar number to convert the two-point conversion.
Suddenly a 10-point game with 10:50 to go, Murolo responded by giving her legs a rest. On second down, she hit Knapp over the middle for a first down at midfield, and on the next play, she found Sofia Ciavardini on the sideline for a 31-15 lead.
Still, Navy wouldn’t quit. On a handoff to Shkreli, the receiver flipped the ball back to Magnotta, who took off for the right sideline. She received it on the run and landed in the end zone with 5:25 left in the game.
It was 31-21 after Murolo picked off the conversion attempt. Army then ran four plays that still had Navy facing a two-score game with 3:37 to go. They got down close but turned the ball over on downs.
Army got the win, and the finals meant another familiar foe in West Virginia University. After a big loss earlier in the season, the Cadets were hoping to turn history on its head again.
Touchdown passes to Knapp and Gallo opened a 13-0 first-half lead, and the Cinderellas were high-stepping in their slippers. Unfortunately, the girls could not hang on in an 18-13 loss, and even though they were forced to settle for the runner-up trophy, DeSantis gave voice to the bottom line that could be seen on all the faces.
“I love everything about flag football. It’s so much fun,” she concluded.
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