SHRUB OAK, N.Y.—Nothing gets a Lakeland athlete more pumped than playing sister school Walter Panas, and the Hornets rode that energy to a dominating 27-0 victory over the Panthers on April 23.
“It always means a lot to beat a rival,” said Lakeland coach PJ Nyberg. “We have had some absolute battles against Panas in the last four years, so a convincing win was a tremendous boost to our team morale.”
A convincing win that was ignited by a big-play defense.
“We had two defensive touchdowns by Gabby Santini and Caroline Daly, which completely changes any game. Daly’s was an interception off of an option pitch,” Nyberg said. “I have not seen that yet in the four years of coaching girls flag football in New York state until this game. Those momentum shifts are huge in football, and we took advantage of them.”
Daly (27 rushing yards, 4 tackles, 2 for a loss, 1 pass deflection) started the game’s scoring by going around the left corner on a 1-yard touchdown run. Lakeland then added the 1-point conversion with 18:40 to go in the first half to go up 7-0.
“The play developed from a well-organized offense with each player knowing their roles for the plays to work,” Daly said. “It was exhilarating to get the first touchdown of the game and to celebrate with the team.”
About a minute later, Daly would make the defensive play of the game, and one of the most heads-up plays of the season. With 17:33 remaining in the first half, Panas tried to run an option pitch from its 31-yard line. But Daly read the play, intercepted the pitch in the backfield, and ran it straight down the middle of the field for a touchdown.
“It came about by each of my teammates doing their roles on defense and me and my fellow rusher (Amelia Calisi) putting a lot of pressure on the Panas quarterback,” Daly said. “Scoring the second touchdown of the game off of an interception, making it 13-0 was definitely a great feeling, and a great start to the game.”
Lakeland kept it scoreless in the half with a goal-line stand. With 10:25 remaining, Panas had a fourth and goal at the 1-yard line but Lakeland was able to stuff the Panthers’ run up the middle to preserve the shutout.
“My team was able to stop them because of our well-organized defense and because of all the flag-pulling practice coach Nyberg has us do in preparation for us to step up when it counts,” Daly said. “Allowing Panas to get that close to getting a touchdown definitely enticed the whole team to step up their game and continue to work hard to keep the game a shutout.”
Lakeland’s defense continued to dominate in the second half. With Panas having a second and 19 from the Lakeland 39, Santini went 43 yards for a pick six with 19:57 to go in the game; the 1-point conversion afterward put the Hornets up 20-0.
“Honestly, I just read the quarterback’s eyes,” Santini said. “I saw the ball in the air and jumped it at the right time. Once I had the ball I zoned out and just ran as fast as I could. The adrenaline kicked in and it really set the tone for the rest of the game mentally.”
On a fourth and 14, Aditi Parambath (108 passing yards, three 1-point passing conversions, 14 rushing yards) connected with Santini just inside the left pylon for the game’s final score with 3:23 left on the clock.
“That play was something we’ve practiced a lot,” Santini said. “Aditi made a perfect read and put the ball right where it needed to be. I just focused on making the catch and getting into the end zone. It was the perfect way to cap off a huge win.”
Santini stood out with a solid all-around game (5 tackles, pass deflection, 2 catches, 20 receiving yards, 29 rushing yards, 10 punt-return yards, 2 interceptions).
Haley Santucci (8 tackles, 1 for a loss, sack, interception) and Ava Stabile (6 tackles, 2 for a loss, interception) also starred on defense for Lakeland.
“Beating Panas like that felt amazing,” Santini said. “It’s always a big game, a rivalry, and we came in with a chip on our shoulder. We wanted to make a statement – not just win, but dominate. And that’s exactly what we did. Everyone executed, and it showed how much we've grown as a team.”
Lakeland (7-2-1) tied visiting Peekskill 7-7 the day after, led by Daly (10 tackles, 4 for a loss, 4 sacks, 20 rushing yards), Emily Hahn (2 tackles, 1 interception, 2 pass deflections, 2 catches for 15 yards, 15 punt-return yards), Parambath (125 passing yards, passing touchdown, 18 rushing yards), Santini (5 tackles, 2 pass deflections, 6 catches for 85 yards, receiving touchdown, 15 rushing yards), and Santucci (9 tackles, 2 for a loss, 2 pass deflections).
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here