Championship Edition: Flag Football Takes Over | Season 2 Ep. 9

Welcome to the Winning Moments Championship Edition — live from Lakeland High School for the Section One Girls Flag Football Championships. 🏈🔥

This episode is all about championship energy, big-time performances, and history being made in the rain.

We cover all three title games:

🏆 Mamaroneck defeats Scarsdale 13-7
Sarah Sherman, Megan Hugelmire, Mattie Cashman, Anna Peterson and the Tigers defense step up in a rivalry battle.

🏆 Yorktown knocks off Tappan Zee
Sophia Marcelo, Sydney Solis and Stephanie Douglas lead the Huskers past the defending champs.

🏆 Westlake/Briarcliff dominates Byron Hills 55-6
Juju De Marino puts on a superstar performance with 7 total touchdowns, while Juliana Negrelli and the supporting cast shine.

Plus, we talk with players, coaches, and athletic leaders about culture, pressure, confidence, rain delays, dance parties, and why girls flag football is exploding across Section One.

This is what Winning Moments is all about: athletes, coaches, families, schools, and communities creating moments they’ll never forget.

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Transcript

SPEAKER_10 0:27

Welcome back to the Winning Moments Championship Edition. We are here live on location at Lakeland High School for the Section One Girls Flag Football Championship. I'm joined here today with one of my favorite co-hosts, Coach Ward. You only have two. Well, sorry, one of my favorite co-hosts, okay? The other one right now is uh he's in the booth. He's uh calling the game live upstairs. Uh for all you streamers that will be watching this upstairs. He'll join us later at the uh post-game show, Kevin Devaney Jr. We're excited to have him back with us here on location.

SPEAKER_04 1:01

Hardest working man at section one. Seriously, he really does he really gets after it.

SPEAKER_10 1:06

So, coach, we got game one here of the championship weekend. Uh, we've got the Scarsdale Raiders versus McMaronack Tigers.

SPEAKER_04 1:11

Yes, perennial state uh championship game uh uh appearances with Scarsdale Raiders and the up-and-coming uh Marinek Tigers should be a great game. Both of them, very, you know, there's a big rivalry between both communities and everything. If they did this, if they did this with Tiddley Winks, there'd be a it'd be a rivalry. So uh we're happy to be a part of this today. Amazing evolution of flag football in our section and and in the state, and we're happy that we're covering uh flag football for section one today.

SPEAKER_10 1:46

I love coach's section one biased. He is already saying that the winner of this game will be the state champions uh for uh for class A here. Absolutely flag football. Absolutely. Okay, you never have to question where Coach's heart and loyalty lie.

SPEAKER_04 1:58

No doubt about that. And and also the the um the proof is in the pudding. I mean, Coach Newkirk has done a fantastic job with um Scarzale's uh program and flag football program, amazing success right out the gate. And of course, Coach Anthony Vitti is chasing history today. If he's able to win this game, he will be the first coach to win in tackle football on the boys' side a section championship, and he'll be and also a girls' flag football section championship. So he's chasing history today. He'll be the first. Chasing history.

SPEAKER_10 2:34

And listen, of course, that's why uh that's why we play the game, and that's why we're here. Exactly. And uh we'll be back here at postgame with all of our interviews with the captains, MVPs, and coaches. We're excited to be here. Thank you, Section One, for having us, and it's gonna be a really good day.

SPEAKER_03 2:50

Absolutely stop the Marinick in the red zone, and then now to almost intercepted with a play by Marinick. So that's it. It's complete. Contact again. Oh, let's go. Stepping up the catchment throws that's German. Sherman on the reception, he's on her feet, and gonna be stopped. Roll that way, looking that way, gonna throw across, that's German with the reception. Catchman under pressure, gonna avoid Brown, gonna throw the end zone wide open receiver. It's caught for a touchdown.

SPEAKER_11 3:23

Let's go.

SPEAKER_10 3:25

Tigers rolling the board first. Welcome back to the winning moments. This is the halftime addition here, coach. We uh we got a 6-0 first half here in the rain at Lakeland High School. What have you seen so far?

SPEAKER_04 3:37

Weather has played a factor in our in our first half. Um some nerves, some drop passes, some ball slipping out of the hands. It's been a defensive struggle, but Memarick was able to put together that drive right before the end of the half. Yeah, and the two-minute warning drive. Two-minute warning drive, and and and and uh Coach VD did a nice job of mixing up play calls, Maddie Cashman to I believe it was Anna Peterson. Anna Peterson for the touchdown. Uh we're not able to get the extra point. So right now we're looking at a 6-0 game. We said it on the field during the game. I don't see more than one or two more scores total in this game. Maybe a 7-6, a 12-6, 12-7 game. I still think whoever wins this game is gonna need to score one more time. Or I mean, Scarsdale's gonna have to score. I mean, Scars are gonna have to score twice. If Americ scores coming out the gate and it's 12-0, it puts Scarsdale in a real hole because of the fact that Scarsdale has not been a great team defense uh offensively this year. They've been a great defensive team. If Americans can go two scores up, it might it might end.

SPEAKER_10 4:59

I mean, you got you got Sarah Sherman in the middle.

SPEAKER_04 5:01

She's dominated. She has dominated uh the line of scrimmage. She's dominated, she's all over the field, great angles, she finds the flag. Um, she has a great knack for reading plays up front at the line of scrimmage. Um, and it's it's you know, she's really caused problems.

SPEAKER_10 5:22

I mean, listen, Marinax defense has been solid. There was almost a couple of pick sixes. They've been all over the ball. Scars has had a really tough time moving the ball. They have. In the second half, though, what do you think Scarzil needs to do to get there?

SPEAKER_04 5:34

I think, you know, listen, they had the one they broke that one play open where they where they got past the first line of defenders and had the one 30-yard play. They're gonna have to get the ball to that young lady who we saw, Emmy Sanders, who they ran on that sweep and she got about 10 yards. The freshman. I guess it was supposed to be a post-route. We saw it, she was open. Oh, the miscommunication. They missed communication with the quarterback. Uh, that would have been a big play, possibly a touchdown for them. So I'm looking to see if they get Emmy Sanders on the perimeter and and get that ball to her. Um and then and and and and like I said, Reese Newman at quarterback is going to have to make a play for Scarsdale, either with her legs, you know, getting out of contain, which is gonna be tough with Sherman, or making a really good throw to Sanders or somebody down the field to get them that big play that they need because they've only had one the entire half.

SPEAKER_10 6:37

Yeah, listen, they're gonna have to address it halftime. I mean, Sherman in the middle, she's too good. She's too good in the middle for Scarsdale to come up the middle when he passes. They're gonna have to run some trip plays or some some uh double double moves. It's the only way they're gonna be able to get this through. I don't see any way that you can play straight up with Sarah in the middle. She's a beast.

SPEAKER_04 6:57

Their athleticism, American's athleticism and their pursuit of the flag is is it is is it's at a different place. It's just at a different place, and their quickness is very good. And Suki Tankara's had a great first half as well, catching it and on defense as well. She made a big catch, a couple big catches. So, and Cashman's been really cool back there. Reese Newman can't make a mistake trying to make a big play. She's got to make sure she stays within what Coach Newkirk wants. And I think Coach Newkirk's come out with a great game plan defensively against Mamarinick.

SPEAKER_10 7:36

However, well, yeah, I mean, listen, you got you got Leah Brown, Mia, Mia Dea De Janeiro, yeah. De Jero, Mia De Janeiro. They're playing well on defense. They're carrying them. Those two, those two are playing very well on defense. And again, you're gonna, I think you're gonna have to come out with, and this is what coaching's about. The adjustment at halftime is what really is gonna change the game.

SPEAKER_04 7:58

In football, whether it's flag or full contact tackle football, the adjustment that you make at halftime will win you to football game, or it will lose you to football game. And I'll I speak on experience. You know, I coached for 10 years in high school football in New Jersey, South Carolina, defensive backs, wide wide receivers. So I have some context to this. Our head coaches, the adjustments that we made at halftime won us football games or lost us football games. No doubt about it. Coach, we're in South Carolina, Somerville High School, Somerville, South Carolina. And that's the bell.

SPEAKER_10 8:39

The green wave, the green wave. That's the thing. Uh it's been a really, really tough first half from the defensive side. It was fun to watch so far. We'll see how it goes. And uh, we're looking forward to the post-game show interviewing the winning coach and some of the winning girls. And we'll see you then.

SPEAKER_02 8:58

Cashmett completed to Sherman.

SPEAKER_03 9:00

Sherman Cashmett gives it the handoff, rolling left, throwing into coverage, passive caught, and it's a touchdown. Ripped away of it. Throw off the back of the end zone. Caught there again in the end zone. In the back of the end zone, made a touchdown catch. That's almost intercepted. The buttons is the hands of Aston. And Kerman is and intercepted. The football goes back to the Merinick as Kerman comes up with another completed to Brown. Brown's gonna get to 20. She avoids still on her feet. Brown's gonna go! Brown's on the sideline, flipping through the defense and finding her away.

SPEAKER_02 9:57

On the outside, nice room to run. Big play made there by Elsie O'Connor.

SPEAKER_03 10:05

Intercepted! Taken away by Dara Sherman.

SPEAKER_10 10:19

And we're back live, post-game right now, with the champions from Aronax Tigers, who just defeated Scarsdale 13-7. Coach, who are these two MVPs that we have sitting here with us?

SPEAKER_04 10:31

To your immediate left is Sarah Sherman, number three, captain, and also the MVP of the of the uh tour of the of the game today. We'll talk about that in a second. And also, yeah, it looked like it today. And then number 13, the other captain, Megan Hugemeyer from American High School. Happy to have Sarah and Megan with us today. Congratulations, ladies. Megan, I want to say one thing that I was telling our our crew here.

SPEAKER_10 10:57

As soon as you got the ball, okay, I could see you rotating it in your hands. Like it was it was just an amazing, amazing thing to watch. I know. I know as I see that side.

SPEAKER_04 11:08

Wrong player, wrong player, wrong play. Okay, we're gonna cut that. Maddie Maddie Cashman. That's Maddie Cashman. Yes.

SPEAKER_10 11:27

Okay, right?

SPEAKER_04 11:28

Megan's on defense. Megan's on defense.

SPEAKER_10 11:32

Who's Megan?

SPEAKER_04 11:33

Megan! Oh my god. See, we're we have to if you there's a whole there's a whole thing. We'll get the bloopers on here. There's a there's there's a whole thing. There's a whole thing. There's a whole thing.

SPEAKER_10 11:44

Alright, alright. Round two. Now you guys laugh. Welcome back to the Winnie Moments post-game show. We have the Maranac Tigers, the Section One Champions. We're joined here with Coach Ward and these two special guests, defensive monsters on the field today. Coach, who are we sitting with?

SPEAKER_04 12:01

Megan Hugomar to my immediate right and to your immediate left, obviously Sarah Sherman, number three, and and and Megan's number 13. Uh fantastic job, ladies. Congratulations on winning the championship. Um just a just a great game plan. And I thought that Coach Vitti and you guys did a f you know defensively, Megan, you guys were fantastic today. You gave up one big play, one. Um, but you know that that's gonna happen against the team of the Calburst, Scarsdale. But other than that, they didn't get much today.

SPEAKER_01 12:36

Um, yeah, I think it all defense did a really good job. Sarah was really in control of the linebackers. The rushing was phenomenal in the back. We all had the growth marked, and it was great. It was a great thing to watch.

SPEAKER_20 12:46

Yeah, we've been we've been really strong on defense. We played Scarsdale twice already, and you know, offense obviously, like it's important, but we knew that on defense we had to be strong that we're gonna come out with new plays, and we've been working on defense a lot this week, and we just came out locked and ready to go.

SPEAKER_10 13:00

Sarah, you had two key uh interceptions. Uh I thought you could add four out there today. Seriously. Uh when you're playing in the middle and you're locked in on that quarterback, what's going through your mind?

SPEAKER_20 13:13

Obviously, I got my my two linebackers, they're amazing, they're rushing. I have full confidence in them. I'm looking at her eyes and looking at which way she's going. She's got two great, great people running out at me. I'm just watching her eyes, and wherever she starts going, I'm following with her. She starts running, I'm following her. It's all about the eyes, so I've just been watching her and trying to make the play.

SPEAKER_04 13:30

Megan, I thought you guys were great in the secondary in the back. You guys were fantastic. And anything that was intermediate to deep, you seemed to cover. Tell us about what Coach had you prepared for regarding leading up, what practice looked like, how everything went. Tell us about any special adjustments that coach and you guys made in the secondary.

SPEAKER_01 13:53

Um, yeah, we ran through like everything that they could throw at us. They have a lot of skill and a lot of speed on that team, and like thank God we were able to cover it. Like we did like some switching and some stuff with the cornerbacks and the safeties, and really we just like made it work and like we were just on there, on them all the time.

SPEAKER_10 14:10

Yeah, I mean listen, you got a you got a great opponent you guys went against with a great coach. Uh, you guys had them confused out there. Even when they were running their routes between the quarterback and the receivers, it seemed like that at least one of them were not on target. So even the plays that they were making, they didn't know where you guys were coming from out there in the secondary. Your defensive play today was phenomenal. Let's talk a little bit about your offense, right? You guys were able to pull out 13 points here, which Coach and I thought at the beginning of the game that it was going to be a one-score game. But you guys kind of came out really, really strong. During practice this week, how did the offense change at all, if any, due to the weather conditions?

SPEAKER_20 14:47

You know, it's been it's been pretty rainy out, and uh our quarterback's amazing, Maddie Cashman. We knew that it would be hard to get some throws in, so we started putting in little plays about little short runs. We had our little switch in the back, and we started using our quarterbacks and our T running more, and I think our touchdowns were both pretty they were short distances, and we just started like adjusting to the rain and know that we we had to make some short passes, and that's what happened. We had our our quarterback just gave us two gave us the perfect throw, we got it.

SPEAKER_01 15:14

Uh yeah, I completely agree. Like this week during practice, we were coming up with like little trick plays to throw out them that they'd never seen before, and like we pulled it off phenomenally. Like all the offense, especially Maddie Cashman, Matt at um center. We were all doing it was great. The offense was great to watch.

SPEAKER_04 15:29

I want to talk about I want to talk about these the four the uh the four girls, juniors LC O'Connor, Anna Peterson, Suki Tankara, um Margaret Insley, the sophomore, and then Maddie Cashman. I mean, for seniors, how important have I mean, they've been tremendous contributors all season, obviously. Tell us about them and their emergence and their production and their improvement since they've been with you guys as seniors.

SPEAKER_01 15:59

Um they've been with us since we started as a club two years ago. They've been working their tails off like every single day, and they make the team so much better. We're so lucky to have them. They have skill, they have speed, and everything. They're able to put everything together and work with us phenomenally to make it successful.

SPEAKER_20 16:14

You know, it's a great relationship. Majority of us on the offensive lineup, we play sports together pretty much more than one season. Some of us three seasons during the year, we got all sports. And so we have great relationships, and I think that's what really ties us together. We have great constructive criticism, we all build each other up, and we just have a great bonded relationship that I think fuels our offense the most.

SPEAKER_04 16:33

Um I I want to also uh uh talk to you both about the fact that you you know, Megan, you play how many different sports in at Mamarinick?

SPEAKER_01 16:44

I played two. I played field hockey in the fall, and we won the section too, and so it's really how good is this? It's really great to see it come back to back, especially for Viddy going from tackle football to this. It's phenomenal for him. We're so happy that we were able to help him out and celebrate with him.

SPEAKER_04 17:00

He made history today. First, he'll be the first one ever.

SPEAKER_20 17:04

Totally, totally. Yeah, uh, I played soccer in the fall, basketball, which we were close, we were close to getting one of these, and uh now football.

SPEAKER_04 17:11

Um I want you guys to tell, you know, we've talked about Memerical. I don't know if you watched the show a little bit. Okay, well that's great. We're glad to hear that. But we've talked about this is like the gold you guys are the golden generation. How does it feel to be adding to the history and the legacy of the class of 26? And what how special, how special is this for you guys now, and how special has the year been overall for this school?

SPEAKER_20 17:43

I mean, it's a great feeling. I've been seeing Megan, she got her fire trucks in the fall, and like every season our teams have been like, we want that, we want that so bad. And Viddy yesterday, he kept saying to us, like, just imagine it, just imagine it. We kept picturing it and we kept getting close in other seasons and just seeing everyone else get it, and everyone kept saying, like, you guys can finish it off, get another fight, get another chip for us, get another win. And I think like we were just in the drive, and like we just know that it's gonna be an amazing feeling. Our community, our school community is just so strong. We had we left our school, we had the lacrosse and baseball team outside saying bye to us on our way out, and we just have a great school spirit. And I think everyone just supports everyone, and it just that fuels us to make everyone else.

SPEAKER_01 18:19

We wanna do this with a school. Uh they're very everybody's very hungry for it. I'm really excited to watch lacrosse and baseball go out and hopefully get the chip. I think that everybody just really puts the hard work, especially for our generation. It's been amazing to watch all these teams be so successful, and I mean I hope that I hope that we break the record for the amount of chips that our school has.

SPEAKER_10 18:42

I mean, listen, this this year is the year of chips for you guys. I mean, it might as well be way over there at Mamma. So amazing for that matter. Uh, you guys were the underdogs coming into this. I'm not gonna mention here that uh Coach Warden, our other co-host, Kevin Vaney Jr. didn't say said Scarsdale was gonna win on our show uh in the past. You guys will see that these young ladies have proved them wrong, which is why I always say this is why we play the game. Absolutely. You guys came out with a fire. I don't believe you guys thought you were the underdogs, but did Coach Vitti give you that fire speech as like, hey, we are the underdogs playing against Scarsdale and really get you guys to show up today the way you did.

SPEAKER_20 19:20

You know, we obviously Scarsdale's a big rival from Marinak, but Viddy says every day, like, it's not Scarsdale, it's just another team, but they're just blank faces, and we're just playing our game. And I think obviously Scarsdale lit a fire in our players, but we knew like we just gotta play our game, and obviously, like in the back of our heads, like, yes, this is a big rival. It's a big rivalry. But Viddy's been he's been really strong about this, and like every day he's just the lighting fires us. He's a very good motion motivational speaker, and he gets us pumped every day before practice, after practice, during practice, before this game, and he just he knows how to get the confidence into our heads that we need.

SPEAKER_01 19:52

Same with all the coaches, oh, the cheering on the sideline, cheering during practice, the pep talks, everything. They really want to make us hungry for it, and I'm really happy that we want it for them and not only for us. But it's amazing to watch that like the team that maybe is like the undergoing first year now is making the chip winner. So I feel like that's like great to see. It's great to watch.

SPEAKER_10 20:11

And making history for your coach. I mean, it's really, really special. We talk about girls playing football and the fastest growing sport in America, and how, as all of us have have daughters, and we love the idea of this sport growing so fast, and to take the head football coach of the boys' football team in high school to then be the head football coach of you guys and win the chip on both sides. I mean, it's really special for for him in the school. And you guys, you guys showed up for coach today big time.

SPEAKER_04 20:37

Speaks to the staff as well, Coach Kristen, Coach Aaron, Coach Rob. Tell us about uh their contributions because you can't do it, you know, Coach VD is a great head coach. But but talk to us about the assistant coaches and what they mean to both of you.

unknown 20:50

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 20:51

Um, Miss Barnard, I love her to death. Yeah, Coach Barnard, nothing more I could say. She's always happy, always motivating, even when it's a bad play. She's always making the light out of the situation, and it's great to have. Same with Miss Gaida and Mr. Schwartz, like Coach Schwartz. He's always willing to get that one-on-one to pet a talk, and if you're like have a question, he's right there to answer it, and they're great. Them working together as a unit, they're best friends too, and it's great to watch that unit make our team so successful. Yeah, they've been friends for a while.

SPEAKER_20 21:18

They wanted to join this program and do it together, which I think really created our coach's bonds and helped us. Coach Gaida works with defense a lot, and she's been really great at helping us like learn our angles, learn everything, and like all of our coaches just have great ball knowledge, and they've just been uh coaching us amazing video call stuff. Our other coaches can correct things, they help our players, they they all just work together, and it's it's just it's a great bond.

SPEAKER_04 21:38

It's astounding the standard that has been set now. And you ladies are creating that standard as we speak, history and a mega, and also the culture, and so that culture that you have currently does that derive straight from flag, or does that derive from other sports that you play as well?

SPEAKER_01 21:58

Um, I would say probably. All the other sports, like being able to make our own culture coming from a new team is kind of special because we get to kind of create our own type of culture. But yes, we do take it from like certain different sports that we have, like from our past, but honestly, like we still make it our own, and we still are together in a unit that's like amazing from the culture that we build.

SPEAKER_20 22:19

Yeah, I mean Megan said it. We have our other sports that have definitely created the bonds. They started all of our bonds that we have, and then this team just we have team dinners, we have breakfasts, we have we have a lot, and we just we connect, we have a great team.

SPEAKER_10 22:32

I gotta tell you, we were talking about it in the uh beginning of the game. The one word that I would describe you guys for, both the coaches on the sideline, the way you guys warmed up and how you're doing this interview, is swagger. You guys, champions have swagger, and you guys have a ton of swagger. Both of these young ladies do. Absolutely. As Coach said, he I mean, Coach is biased about section one, but he said this game will determine who are the state champions. We believe you guys will be. We hope you guys are representing the section, the section itself throughout the state.

SPEAKER_04 23:02

Well, yeah, I mean, listen, we I we didn't know this until the end of the game that both teams are going to qualify for the regional. Yeah, so so that there could be there could be a rematch. There could be a rematch for the Southeast New York region for the championship. Okay. All right, so I didn't know that Mr. Pilla, the executive director of Section 1 Flag Football, told us that, and I I did not know that we have two teams qualifying, so we you know you may have to run it back. Yeah. So I'm I'm I'm I'm I'm sure as I told Mr. Limb, uh Lady Sarah Megan, I told Mr. Lim, if it's Mamarick and Scarsdale, it it they would be a rivalry in Tiddley Winx if that was what was gonna be played. If it was Maroon and White versus Orange and Black, you better believe it and it would still be the rivalry that it always has been in every sport.

SPEAKER_10 24:00

Is that yeah, it's great. It's absolutely great. Congratulations, girls, uh, on an amazing win today. They're going on to the regionals. They might actually have to replay this game, but as you heard them say, they're absolutely ready for it to continue this one of these teams. Hopefully, as you guys win in the section, we'll take it here to the States. But uh, it's just been amazing for you to watch you guys. I wish you guys the best of luck. Congratulations, ladies, congratulations.

SPEAKER_04 24:30

Welcome back. We're so happy to have with us the winning head coach from American High School, Coach Anthony Vitti, and the distinguished athletic director of American High School, Barry Suman. And so, and we're just happy to have you both here. Congratulations, Barry. Congratulations, Anthony. Um and distinguished coach, don't forget, on the cover. Oh. On the cover. That's it right there. Um and and and retiring after after years of excellence as an administrator. We're happy to have her with us. We're happy that you're here for the for the spring. Um, and we'll I want to get into what it means for the program, the athletic department overall, but I want to first start with flag football today. Uh listen, I I you know, um, you made me uh eat my words this past ride. I um I said it would be I said it'd be a 13-12 game and it ended up being 13-7, but I didn't pick the orange and black. I hope you can forgive me. He made you eat your words, Cush. He did, he did right here. He did for you. Absolutely. But um listen, first time ever, you're gonna be the first in history here in Section 1, win a tackle football section championship. Now you've won a flag football section one championship. Tell us about this group of young ladies, the significance for you, the significance for the flag football program, and and what it means going forward.

SPEAKER_14 26:08

Congratulations. Thank you. Thank you. Um Wow, what a start. So this process uh started about three years ago. You know, had a bunch of group of girls coming in and really just kind of push me and say, why uh why can't we have something? You know, why can't we play some flag football? See some other communities, you know, congregated with uh Summon here, and you know, we we talked through this process. We started as a little club. Um, we might have had one or two practices a couple years. We just got the girls outside and I wanted to see what they could do. And uh think I I was uh marveled at just the the zest and zeal that these girls had for the game, just running around playing, laughing, being excited with football. You know, last year we uh we jumped up, we had a little bit of uh an independent season, so we played six games, but it was a very short season, and we we tried to put some structures into place. And uh this year, you know, the boss told me, hey, you got a full go. And um we're gonna see, we're gonna see where we go. And I think uh, you know, I want to thank you, Miss Suman, for uh believing in not just me and our coaching staff, but the girls, obviously, in our in our community are tremendous athletes, but uh but in this process and in providing us with this platform to do this. So um it's been pretty special.

SPEAKER_04 27:30

Um Coach Suman, I'm gonna say coach, if that's okay, Miss Suman, Barry. Listen, what does it mean? You know, we've talked about on our show. You guys, well, you in particular are the are the the person that's overseen what we feel, and I've said this before, this is the golden generation of Memorinic High School athletics. No, and and I mean that with all due sincerity. What does it mean for you? I mean, for this to be your last year and have the success that you've had on both sides, boys and girls, it has to be tell us about what kind what it means to you for all the work that you put into the school and the district and for this to culminate in this year being the way the way that it's been for you guys.

SPEAKER_00 28:19

It's hard. I get like these waves of emotion, like I could feel it right now. Um, I think when I came into Mamarinic, was super fortunate. Mamarinick had never won a team championship. And then my first year season, not even year, my first season there, we win field hockey, and ironically, it winds up state finals are in Syracuse. So the best thing and the thing that I felt like I could offer to this team and these girls that I was just getting to know, and this school district was a tour guide. Like I had come from the Syracuse area and I was able to plan the entire event. Yeah. Like with coaches that had never been through the process before. So that's kind of how it started. And then you win and you have this idea in your head like this could be it. Like, I'm gonna enjoy every second because, and I tell coaches that, I mean, we've talked about it for years. You you never know if it's gonna happen again. Like, there's no secret sauce, like people want to say there is, but there's so many things that need to happen from you know, culture to commitment to just a little bit of luck somewhere along the way to to make a season go the way you want it to go. It's it's it's game of inches, and um I think over time, my goal for coaches and in working with coaches is to just take obstacles out of the way that would take them and their focus away from coaching, and to let them be able to coach and work with their kids and do their job, and that's really important.

SPEAKER_10 29:43

So, the the first championship, you do a personal tour guide of Syracuse. Now that right now you're working on six chips, is this team gets to go to Disney World where sponsored by Maranak High School, if that's how it works, after so many wins, right? Um, and listen, you're you're not done yet. I mean, you still got great teams of contention contention here with lacrosse and baseball coming up, but I mean an amazing job in Maranak. Uh like Coach said, he's been saying it all season since we started with basketball that it is the golden age there. And today, Coach Vita, you you've proven that we're not stopping.

SPEAKER_04 30:17

Coach, talk to us about let's talk about the defense and and let's talk about number three. What's her name, Sarah? Um Sarah Sherman Sherman, yeah. Let's lay it. Let's talk about Sarah Sherman and your defense. Megan Hugemeyer on the defensive side first, and then that then that uh the four horse, the four horse ladies or four horsemen, the four juniors and your sophomore. We want to talk about them as well. Tell us about first of all, Sarah Sherman and Megan Hum Hugemeyer on the defensive side, and I want to talk about uh Elsie O'Connor, Anna Peterson, Suki Tankara, Margaret Insley, the super soft, and then Maddie Cashman at quarterback. I thought, talk to us about all those young ladies. We want to hear about them all. But tell us first talk about the defense today. Other than the 70-yard touchdown, they got no big plays.

SPEAKER_14 31:08

Well, you're you're asking me to talk about people I care very deeply about, so you know, you're gonna have to cut the mic off after a while. Um, where do I start? So, Sarah and Megan, you know, our senior captains, were there from the beginning, you know, pressing for all the things that that we needed for this program. And uh just just the consistency. I gotta speak about consistency of those two, just showing up every day, um, giving all they've got. Uh they're both very intelligent young ladies, both heady athletes. Uh they understand structure and scheme, and um they really allowed me to push the push the gamut forward, right? You know, uh explore every option for for us defensively, offensively. And so we were able to kind of go from a very small structure in our first practice of plays where it's like, well, how much can you handle to hey coach, come on, like give us more. So, you know, all the credit to Sarah and and Meg for uh for leader their leadership and their play. And um, you mentioned a bunch of other names in there, Elsie and Suki and and Marg and Anna and and even Maddie, right? Uh these are these are uh great athletes with um just impeccable uh abilities, but also their their desire to be to win and to be good. And um what I like about them is they kind of stay even keeled. You know, when we when we were losing earlier in the year, uh we didn't uh we didn't throw the baby out with the bathwater, right? So to speak. We kept our we kept going and we understood that okay, this will pan out, we will get our our people in place and our and our plays will work. Um, you know, what's that line from Remember the Titans? Uh you know, give it time, it's like Nova Cain, right? So you know, I think we uh we understood that and they understood that, so credit for them. But you can see they're just spectacular athletes, and uh they can make a play happen at any time.

SPEAKER_10 32:58

Coach, e when you say like first of all, even keel. I mean, it must be at your household you're operating at like a 12 over a 10, because these young ladies, from warm-ups to interviews to the game, I told them like they're just bleeding swagger. You guys had so much swagger walking in here, being over there warming up, on the field here. So when you say even keel, is that like uh a joke? Are you just normally at a level 12 because that swagger bleeds through your program?

SPEAKER_14 33:30

That's great to hear. I I I think um, you know, internally, because that's my vision, my my I guess my lens, like internally, I just see that, you know, one of the things, believe it or not, um bubbling under the surface was a lot of these girls hadn't been in this position before, you know, hadn't played in a section championship, um, had been pretty talented and had some success in their other individual sports. A lot of them play soccer, a lot of them play basketball, but uh we just hadn't they hadn't gotten to a point where you know this is what it takes to achieve at this level. And so I think just being able to give them some insights in that direction, um, you could see it, like they just we just felt good about things this week. You know, I think we winning up at Arlington on Wednesday against a very talented team. Uh, if if we needed any more confidence boost, there it was. And I think coming in today and knowing our opponent, um, you know, obviously there's never love lost but between Scarsdale and Memarinick, but at the same time, there is respect on the field, and that's really important. And I think uh we just understood who our opponent was, um, how talented they are, and uh that we had to play to the best of our abilities. And so if that came out as swagger, I'm real glad to hear that. But I think you know the confidence is where we were, definitely.

SPEAKER_04 34:47

I I I thought there was an emotional even keel about your group today. I thought they were tremendously composed with regard to any sort of adversity because I thought you kept your composure and that allowed them. I I heard you say a couple of times where there was some you know calls that could have gone either way. You said next play. Let's not worry about what it is, let's worry about the next play. And I thought that that really helped keep your girls locked in. Talk to us about that.

SPEAKER_14 35:20

I think that's the right mentality, right? You need somebody to always be able to turn the page. I'd be lying to you if I said that was always me, but there is a staff member, whether it's the boys' teams that I've coached or the girls' teams, that we're always locked in about what's the next play, like what can we do now? Um you know, we've got sayings, we got a lot of sayings like doesn't matter, get better, right? You know, it doesn't matter what happened, right? It's how we react to it. So what you don't want to do is uh is have a spiral happen, right? So it's it's uh this is a game like all sports, this one especially is a game where you know big plays happen and then you get momentum on your side. So what you want to do is blunt negative momentum from the other team by getting emotional. And so, you know, when you're practiced up and you're studied up, you just rely on your coaching and you rely on your players on the field. So next play mentality is very important.

SPEAKER_04 36:12

Well, listen, coach, we uh I want to finish what one thing with with Barry Suman. The trick always say always always taking my spotlight here. I was gonna finish one thing I want to say this. You have to be incredibly proud of the of the standard that you have set in this in this culture in this program. You have to be incredibly proud. You have to be also incredibly um proud of the culture that you've created. Tell us about what that means to you.

SPEAKER_00 36:47

I've said it before, you don't do this work alone. I I do believe the buck stops with me and and you know how I react and how I respond and what I put into things is is kind of where the standard is, but I have said from the day I got to Mamarinic, and we've replaced some pieces, the coaching staff is the best around. I wouldn't trade them for anything in the world. They are so unbelievable. Anything I say, like it has to be this way, you know, you may get a Y here or there, but they're like, okay, it has to be this way. Right, right. And like, let's keep going. Like, you can't do this, okay, we won't do that. You know, being respectful of this was a hard one. Being respectful of each other's athletes in the offseason, and that took, you know, sitting around the table because there are some people who lead with fear, and that was never gonna be me. I'm I'm not that kind of leader, and I just wanted people to sit around the table and work together. And um, you know, if you're looking at one pinnacle moment, and regardless of what happens the rest of this spring season, the coaching staff this spring season has like worked together in a way that I haven't seen before, like bringing in Flag. We have very limited resources and fields in Mamarinik, and we had a construction project going on, and it was you know, having Flag and both lacrosse's softball and baseball when there was snow on the ground with one turf field in the community, and like everybody supported each other. The coaches that were here today, the other coaches that came to the world. They were all here. They were all here. Yeah, it's you're right, it's a culture, and and I I hope it lasts. You know what I mean? Like, I think that's the definition of a good leader. Like, what can run and what can stay when you're gone, versus the idea that you're kind of the puppet master that does it all while you're here.

SPEAKER_10 38:39

So the the question is, is it is it is it official? Is it officially over, or or can we get you in the camera to say you're coming back for one more year? Or more? Is this possible?

SPEAKER_04 38:50

You want to tell us something different?

SPEAKER_00 38:51

So memarinick is this place where you actually have to let them know by January. So as far as Mamarinic, it's official, I think with all ADs, you never know if there'll be a reboot or a 2.0 as an interim somewhere.

SPEAKER_04 39:04

Very soon in 2.0, yes, absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 39:07

Nothing will ever be like my career in Mamarinic, and I keep telling myself that regardless of like what happens next year or five years from now. Like, I don't know that I'm done working. I think that there was I'm so proud of the work that's been done, and I didn't want it to get like diminished by you know the change in parents or the change in what's going on. Like, I really feel like I've done what I can do. I think Mamarinak as a community, their next steps has to be in facilities and resources, and I think that the guy that they got to replace me is is a great replacement for that.

SPEAKER_10 39:45

She she leaves, touting how great Mamarinak is, how great her replacement is. That is a true leader. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_04 39:53

Listen, she she yes, I mean what she's it's incredible what you've done. Credible, credible.

SPEAKER_10 39:59

Not only we miss was six six chips and counting this year. I would hate to be her replacement because of these shoes. You better believe it. Yeah, you can feel those shoes. Oh man. Fill those shoes as an A D, huh? Well, listen, guys, thank you very much for joining us at the show. Thank you so much, man. We love supporting your community and your kids. You guys have given us a lot this year to support. Uh, we're so grateful for that. It's our first year too at the show. We're gonna keep moving forward. We want to celebrate kids as much as possible. That's what we do it for. Absolutely. And uh, congratulations and thank you. Thank you.

SPEAKER_03 40:37

Instead, Girardi into the corner, she reaches across. She is in for the touchdown. Fast thrown end zone up naked to cats. What a play. Ellis Davidini for the score. Dillo pass. Looking to throw, throws it. Girardi's there for the pick, steps right in front of the defender and the receiver. Dillo rolling pass. What a throw and what a catch. First and goal. Girardi back.

SPEAKER_10 41:09

Welcome back to the halftime show at The Winning Moments. Brought to you by Chris Ward Basketball. And uh come on, look, CWB hat on, okay?

SPEAKER_04 41:21

Sorry, I was just in the rain, so that's why I have the CWB hat.

SPEAKER_10 41:24

Amazing branding. Thank you to uh Lisa Ward and the Chris Ward Basketball program.

SPEAKER_04 41:27

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_10 41:28

Okay, but this halftime show is brought to you by Chris Ward Basketball officially. And let's talk, Mr. Coach Ward, about the first half here between the Dutchman and the Huskers.

SPEAKER_04 41:37

7-6? Tappen Z Dutchman over Yorktown Huskers.

SPEAKER_10 41:42

It is the weather for this guy.

SPEAKER_04 41:44

Absolutely. They're mirror images of themselves. They're both mirror images of each other athletically. It is a tremendously balanced, even matchup. And um, you know, Marcelo has been as good as advertised for Yorktown. Um finding Eva Monaco for the touchdown. Girardi's been as good as advertised, the wide receivers in May plays. But right now, Ella Sabatini's diving catch in the end zone for the extra point right now is the difference in the game. Tappen C7, Yorktown Huskers 6. Sydney Solis, number 24, has done a fantastic job of neutralizing Eve Eve's Eve Gerardis' big playability. Number 24 for Yorktown defensively has been a real problem and disrupted Tapensity's offense big time.

SPEAKER_10 42:39

100%. I mean, we're gonna have to do it for another half for them to have a chance. And you're right, that diving catch for the extra point might be the decision between uh who wins this game.

SPEAKER_04 42:48

I think I think right now, I think there's at least two more scores in this game. Possibly three because of who these teams are. Um I I I don't I don't anticipate it being one more score to win it. I think somebody's gonna have to score two more times in order to win it. I think it's I think there's gonna be a three touchdown game to win this thing because somebody else is gonna score. I think it's gonna be like an 18-12 type of deal. Um it's gonna come down to, I think, in the second half, a bad mistake that one of the teams will capitalize on.

SPEAKER_10 43:24

Well, with the weather like this, a bad mistake is very easy to happen. Absolutely, and that's why we play the game. We'll be back uh for the post-game show with the winning coach and the captains and MVPs. Looking forward to seeing you then.

SPEAKER_02 43:38

Go to her again. Marcello looking throws to the end zone, receiver open. It's the looking survey. Will she run?

SPEAKER_03 43:47

No, she's gonna throw it, had the receiver open by the sideline. Inbounds, they're gonna say she caught it with a foot in. What a play! Down by the sideline. Ooh, that's close. Marcello. Trying to catch the drive and she does. She's in for the touchdown. Extends it across for the score. She's thrown two and now she runs one in. We're two games in, and two defending champions have gone down. Just now, Yorktown knocks off Tap and Z in the section one Class B championship, and we're joined by three of the stars. Three of the many stars. You know, it was a rainy, wet, miserable day for these girls up until about 15 minutes ago. Then everything felt fine, right? Sophia Marcello, the quarterback. Um, we have uh Sidney Stolis, uh defensive lineman, and uh Stephanie Douglas joining us in the show. Congratulations. First, just miserable day, like I said, until about 15 minutes ago. How do you feel now?

SPEAKER_17 45:01

I feel amazing. Like it just feels great.

SPEAKER_03 45:04

Uh Sidney, tell them about this game. I mean, coming out, you knew the weather forecast was not going to be great. Uh, how did you guys adjust? When did you guys start feeling comfortable?

SPEAKER_18 45:11

Honestly, I think the ring kind of motivates us to work a lot harder and just let us be free on the field.

SPEAKER_04 45:16

And uh, Coach Chris Warren. And Stephanie, I I've got you circled, and uh as far as your defense, you were fantastic defensively today. You really had an impact on the game along with Sydney, obviously. Um, tell us about your your your your approach with regard to the defensive piece today.

SPEAKER_12 45:34

So honestly, we knew Tap and Z was a great team coming in. We've played them in the past, we know how well they work together in their offense, but our defense is our brand, and we know that we can overcome anything. Adversity is something we really know that is like you just have to overcome it, and that's what we did. And we know we know how we play.

SPEAKER_04 45:50

So And the and the rain had no impact on the way you guys performed.

SPEAKER_12 45:54

I mean, honestly, we know it's harder to play in the rain, but like she said, that motivated us more. We wanted it and we came out on top.

SPEAKER_03 46:02

If you watch our show or you or you follow social media, we talk about Eve Girardi, Eve Girardi, Eve Girardi. A lot of respect I'm sure you have for their quarterback, but just tell me about what was the game plan and how'd you slow her down?

SPEAKER_18 46:13

Um, we had a lot of preparation and we kind of just tried targeting her weaknesses and really containing her, and it ended up working.

SPEAKER_03 46:20

So opening drive of the game, they got the football to start, march right down the field. Uh were you were you at all nervous? What were you feeling as a team?

SPEAKER_18 46:27

A little bit, but I knew that we would come through and play our fits and soft her.

SPEAKER_03 46:32

I don't think either one of you on the opening drive really got to her too much or made a big play. When did you start feeling like we have angles, we have a way to kind of slow down this quarterback?

SPEAKER_18 46:43

Once I saw that everyone was really in their position and we were confident with stopping her and putting our bodies into every tackle, I really was confident in all of us and knew that we could stop her.

SPEAKER_03 46:52

So, enough about their quarterback. Your quarterback did pretty well today, right? Let's talk about that. Yeah, she's not bad, right?

SPEAKER_04 46:59

She's so Stephanie, speak to us and then our audience about uh the this composure that this young lady shows as a sophomore. Look at her, she is a baby. She just took you guys to the section championship. Tell us about her.

SPEAKER_12 47:13

Okay, so I think our offense is definitely overlooked, and there is not a single second that we have a doubt that she can do what she does. She practices in the offseason, she goes home, she practices. There's not a single doubt we have for her. And me and Cindy don't really play much offense. However, on the sidelines, there's nothing but positive things to say about her. And we know she puts the work in the work in for the case.

SPEAKER_04 47:33

Yeah, well, she's got a great quarterback coach as well, Coach Rob Higgle, who does a great job with her as well.

SPEAKER_03 47:39

So you get opening drive down the field, you throw an interception, another interception. Just when did you say, okay, enough? I can I have to can't worry about this, I have to just focus on the next play.

SPEAKER_17 47:49

Um, I threw those and I just kept my confidence up. My team's had my back, and they just like reminded me that it's not over, and we just like like went and scored, and just it just felt so good.

SPEAKER_03 48:01

Tell me the first touchdown pass, I think it was to was it to Eve, Eva? Eva Monica? Jordan Vaught Jordan Vaught. Yeah, they announced they announced Jordan Vaught, but it was Eva Monica with the catch. Eva Monica with the catch, yes. Yeah, so she makes this great. That was a as as probably um as hard. I didn't think you could actually get that zip on the ball take because of the wet. How hard was it to throw the football, and then then that that delivery was just flawless.

SPEAKER_17 48:23

I mean it's hard, but I feel like we practice in the rain a bunch, like we work on it, and she just had an amazing route, and I just knew I could throw it to her because she's one of the receivers I know I could rely on and get her the ball.

SPEAKER_03 48:37

You have to feel though, when that catch is made, points are on the board, even down 7-6, you have to feel like okay, I'm I'm I'm good. I mean was there was there were you battling nerves at all in this game?

SPEAKER_17 48:47

Um, a little bit, but like before the game I told myself like it's just a game overall, and like we can do this, like we can do anything, like as a family, like we got this. So a little bit, but like my team helps me with the nerves.

SPEAKER_03 49:03

Tell me about Cindy, halftime, 7-6 game. What did what did Coach say? What did Coach Michael Singles say? And uh what did the girls say to each other?

SPEAKER_18 49:10

Just keep going. Keep the confidence, keep your fits, keep playing hard.

SPEAKER_03 49:14

And did you have any doubt at Hampton? Did you have any? It's great. Um did this group, the the Mayopat game was such an emotional, because obviously there's a rivalry there. And there was a very fit. I watched some of the highlights. I couldn't believe how physical the game was. I'm like, this turned into a tackle football game one point. Um position, then.

SPEAKER_12 49:39

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 49:39

Is that what it is? It's just a matter of.

SPEAKER_12 49:41

We have to be better. We have to see our coaches do a very good job of telling us just do our our brand. That's there's nothing else to say except family and our brand, and we know that when we play, we can't go over our heads, nothing. Even this game, we can get too confident because the game's not over till it's over. And I mean, we all we all have each other's backs, and even the coaches too. There's just nothing we can't overcome.

SPEAKER_04 50:04

I wanna so I want to say this to all three of you. What what did it mean to open the half with a 10-play, 66-yard touchdown drive that kind of set the tone for the remainder of the half and Sophia? Aaron Duffy, huh? Uh on the on the corner route. First of all, she keeps her feet in bounds. Second of all, you put it on the money where only she could catch it. So those two big plays, the play that got that helped with that touchdown drive, and then the one that set up the last touchdown, speak to us about the chemistry that you and Erin have on that post, on that corner route.

SPEAKER_17 50:41

Erin's an amazing receiver. I know that if I throw to her just where no one else could get it, she will be the one to get it. And I even know when people are on her, like she makes very good catches, and I know I like could throw to her and she'll get it.

SPEAKER_03 50:55

Great, great. I mean that the footwork on the sideline there was was incredible. I believe in.

SPEAKER_04 51:01

Um yeah, it was uh it was it was amazing. And and and and I want to speak to uh Stephanie and and Sydney both. I want you guys to both answer this. How incredible uh a group of underclassmen that have given you guys and had so much influence in in the success of this team. Speak to us about what you've done to help them have that confidence to go out and make plays.

SPEAKER_12 51:24

So um our team is also very heavily like upperclassmen. We have 15 seniors this year, and there are a few underclassmen, and they're all amazing. They have they each contribute to the team no matter what, and I understand it could be tempting for them to just like have like lack confidence in the game, but in the end, we all come together and tell them like just be, just play your game.

SPEAKER_18 51:46

Play your game, keep forever in, and we're all family, we have each other's backs.

unknown 51:50

That's the most important part.

SPEAKER_04 51:51

You you two do a great job of leading this very special uh underclass talented, this underclass group, this underclassman group that's so talented, you guys do a really good job of keeping them composed. They never waver.

SPEAKER_03 52:06

I love I always want to know, especially when someone plays at such a high level, flag football, has it has it hasn't been a part of your life the whole your whole life. When did you guys start playing flag and or playing football in general? And when did you start playing with this team?

SPEAKER_18 52:18

Um I started playing flag football the uh for two years, so after the first harvest, I wasn't a part of it for injury reasons, but um I've always had an interest with that. I really enjoyed football and I thought it was a really cool sport. I loved playing it in a gym, so it was interesting that there was it was becoming so popular and I wanted to be a part of it.

SPEAKER_03 52:36

Only two years, and you're now maybe the best defensive player in Section One? Is that how it is?

unknown 52:40

Yeah, I guess so.

SPEAKER_03 52:42

What is is it did you is there another sport that you played growing up that kind of you feel translated?

SPEAKER_18 52:46

Um yeah, I played soccer my entire life since I was three, and it's a lot of just like I had the confidence and just a drive to play sports. I love sports, and yeah, I just keep fast rushing and pedaling down and stuff.

SPEAKER_12 53:01

Um I actually played flag football when I was younger in the league. It ended when I got to middle school, so I stopped doing that. But um, I actually played lacrosse my uh freshman year, and then um Coach Rasigno was my gym teacher, and he was like, you need to play flag football, and I trusted him, and I came back to it, so and I don't regret it for a single second, obviously.

SPEAKER_03 53:21

Let's talk about Coach Rasigno, because I've known Coach for 20 years, one of my favorite people in in high school sports. Um he's a very different person on the sideline, I notice, today, than he is in a in a tackle football game where he's a little nuts. Uh but what is how much is his experience? Um, and obviously you know him as a as a physette teacher, but just what he's brought to this program and and and to coaching the U girls.

SPEAKER_17 53:42

He's an amazing coach, like we look up to him, we know he's gonna call the right play, like we don't have a doubt about what he's gonna call any like practice before big games. He practices us so well, and we're we feel so prepared, so that's why we have little nerves because we feel prepared.

SPEAKER_03 53:58

Yep, and uh he recruited you two to play?

SPEAKER_18 54:00

Yeah, he did. He just has so much passion for this sport, and he really like puts it in on all of us and really influences our game and helps us to prepare for anything.

SPEAKER_03 54:11

And he managed those final couple minutes really well, right? I made it today to help you guys win. The the feeling, the celebration, winning the championship. What's next for you girls?

SPEAKER_17 54:21

Um, we just have to work hard as a team, like go into these next practices, like like work, like target each other's weaknesses so they can improve and just like make it to the next round.

SPEAKER_03 54:34

And you want to keep going, right? Senior year.

SPEAKER_12 54:35

As far as we can, yep. A big thing is we like to stay um very loose. We're not a team that's like a straight, serious team. Um, the other day we had rain in the light for about an hour. We were in the gym having a great time. Yeah, we were. We were having dance parties, our coaches were game planning, we came together, we understood the plan, and we came out and we dominated. But once it's game time, it's game time.

SPEAKER_03 54:57

Yeah, I think Coach Resignal has gone soft. He would never allow a dance party. His daughter just made him. They didn't have a dance party in tackle football at Yorktown when he was there.

SPEAKER_11 55:06

They love it. They cannot say anything. That's our plan. Keep the coaches calm.

SPEAKER_03 55:11

Keep the coach calm. Girls, congratulations, amazing job here. Congratulations, ladies. Best of luck in the regionals. Thank you guys. Awesome. The second coach, head coach to ever win a tackle football championship and a flag football championship in their career. The first to do it in about an hour and a half. And is this guy Mike? Record man!

SPEAKER_04 55:31

This show came on at the perfect. We've got records all over the place and everything, and now we have it today.

SPEAKER_03 55:36

Mike Resignant. We got a smile out of big coach uh big house over here. Uh, he's joined by his sisters Jeff Serrar and John Bronzi. Congratulations, coach. I mean, you uh, you know, I don't know. I remember when you took over the program here, you talked about, you know, it was gonna be fun. It was gonna be fun. You it seemed like you took it very serious from day one, and uh you're now our champion. How does it feel?

SPEAKER_09 55:56

It's it feels amazing. And like you said, you know, when we took when we made the decision to kind of take the program, I was asked by our administration, I said, well, we want to do it the right way. And they backed us up right from the start, and it was serious from the beginning. We had a meeting with 90 girls uh year one, and we said, This is not gonna be a club, this is gonna be this is gonna be a varsity sport. And half the room smiled, half the room wasn't so happy, but we got the right girls, I can tell you that.

SPEAKER_03 56:22

They probably didn't know exactly what you meant until they got in the field, right? I mean, so yeah, again, that that is a big distinction because I think a lot of the programs that started when you guys did one of the one of the first programs, um, it was huge numbers, and it was probably you need to narrow it down to the girls that want to play football, right? And you have you had a group today, man. I mean, just talking about this team, and did when did you feel this was a championship caliber team?

SPEAKER_09 56:43

You know, I I we we felt it right away, to be honest with you. I mean, we knew we had some things, we had to dial in some things. We're we're we have so many seniors, but we also have a lot of youth on our team. So that was our challenge as a staff from the get-go. And we took we took a little a little bit of time to kind of get our stuff together. And um, like you said, I think I think we started peaking at the right time against the right teams, and our schedule was just it was it was it had enough tests in there for us to be weathered for a good playoff run.

SPEAKER_03 57:13

And how much is a staff important in this in this sport?

SPEAKER_09 57:16

I was looking for a segue to go there because these guys, man, it's a blessing to be able to coach with your best friends that are diehard. And that was another that's uh another mandatory thing for me. Like, we don't treat it as a club. We game plan for how many hours? 13 hours for this game. Um, we take it pretty seriously, and these guys do, and I'm blessed to have them.

SPEAKER_04 57:38

Like a Sunday, like a Sunday night in tackle football, sitting in front of film and going over and breaking down every segment and every play call down and distance the whole nine yards. Coach Serrar and Coach Bronzi, you guys have been together. Mike, how long have you guys been together coaching together?

SPEAKER_09 57:54

That's like asking me how many years I've been married. Don't get it wrong. It's been a long time. I mean, we've been doing this. When did you start?

SPEAKER_08 58:03

19 years. It's been 19 years.

SPEAKER_09 58:06

I've been coaching 27 now and took him on as a young buck, and then John came on, and it's been the best thing ever.

SPEAKER_03 58:11

And Jeff Jeff, you were an assistant coach in tackle football, right? With Coach? Yeah. Tell me about the differences between Coach Rasigno in tackle and in this.

SPEAKER_08 58:19

You know what? You'd you'd think there'd be a lot. There's not. Uh Coach Rasigno expects the best out of everybody. Boy, girl, indifferent. Doesn't matter to him. Um and that expectation has has really set our program apart from every other program. I mean, he he really is is the model um to run these things. And when he asked me to do it, he's like, let's get the band back together. And there was nothing, nothing, nothing better. When I when I heard those words, I'm in, all in.

SPEAKER_04 58:46

And John, what about you? You've been with Coach for how long now?

SPEAKER_07 58:50

I got I was with him with Tackle for a little while, and then I left to be with my family. When they asked me to come back, I couldn't hesitate. These these guys know how to mold phenomenal individuals. And they've done it with the girls, they did it with the boys, they do with the girls, and it's an honor to just enjoy this ride with them and be a part of it. Fantastic.

SPEAKER_03 59:08

Did you think at any point coaching the flag would be I don't say easier? Is it easier? Is it harder? How is it how do you compare the two?

SPEAKER_09 59:16

I don't think it's easier because it's kind of like when I if the stakes are against my son or against my daughter, I'm a little more worried about my daughter being disappointed than my son being disappointed in the other meeting. So maybe maybe that's the maybe that's the only double standard. I'm only kidding about it. But um, yeah, I don't I don't know if it's much different, to be honest with you, if I'm putting jokes aside.

SPEAKER_08 59:35

It's it's funny, the other night Mike came over um and we spent eight hours game planning for uh Mayapack. And my wife said it's like tackle football all over again because we actually had an opportunity to game plan. I mean, in Flag, it's so different because you're you're playing every other day. There's no time to sit down on a Saturday or Sunday and do six hours, and I know my guy would be asking me to put in the time and I'd be happy to do it. I mean, some of the best times that we have are putting those game plans together, and then you see it come to a fruition on the field. I mean, there's nothing better. You got girls that execute, that give everything for you. I mean, this is this is this has all been a blessing.

SPEAKER_04 1:00:11

And and John, speaking to what coach is talking about, 18 games. So, like you said, it's like a basketball season. Man, talk to me about the preparation.

SPEAKER_07 1:00:23

Well, I think you still try to prep as much as you can in that finite amount of time, and they do a great job. And every day, I mean, Mike makes cards all the time, and he probably goes through paper more than uh I do for my classrooms. So it's it's great. I love I love I'm a paper guy too. I'm still a paper guy. Everything's handwritten. Is it still handwritten? It starts handwritten, but we get a little bit a little bit more tech savvy. It's got colors, it's color, his color printer. I don't know what's off though. That's awesome. But it's great. This is that one right here. Yeah, right here.

SPEAKER_03 1:01:02

The plan coming in here today.

SPEAKER_04 1:01:05

That's impressive.

SPEAKER_03 1:01:06

How much did weather factor into what you were gonna do, how you were gonna do it?

SPEAKER_09 1:01:10

Funny funny thing you bring that up because I had a conversation with my quarterback. She threw she threw a bingo and she was bumming, and I said, listen, we're not here to play to lose, to put to play not to lose. We gotta play to win. So if you think that we're gonna stop throwing because you had a little blip on the radar, I mean, I was worried about it. Yeah, I mean, uh obviously very worried about it. Um, but I I was thrilled to see, especially for our for Sophia, to look at like stare that adversity down and make it happen anyway, was really special for her, and I think in her development.

SPEAKER_03 1:01:41

She threw two picks.

SPEAKER_04 1:01:42

And I was worried a little bit for a in the first half, and I'm like, okay, you know, one of them was over the middle. I think she made a bad read on that one throw that she made, I think, or it slipped out of her hand, slipped out of her hand on the first one. But I'm gonna say this now. For you to calm her down as a staff, and and Mike in in particular, you know, you as a head coach, then those two corner routes that she threw to Duffy, holy smokes. I mean, they were on the money.

SPEAKER_03 1:02:11

The touchdown pass to Monaco I think, like, was such a great throw. Because I didn't think when she was rolling that she was gonna get any velocity on that throw. Even because of just the wet uh the wet ball. Um was that was that maybe the turning point for her?

SPEAKER_09 1:02:25

Maybe. Maybe. I mean, maybe I blacked out, so I couldn't remember.

SPEAKER_04 1:02:28

But that was a but it but also a great play call because you guys saw. Was there something that you saw defensively, you guys, across the start? Get allowed on the on the touchdown catch where it was right right there. And I mean, she was wide open.

SPEAKER_08 1:02:42

We we did notice that one of their corners was coming up when we were attacking the edge. So, you know, Mike is Mike is so great in the in the in the regard that he's always asking, what do you guys see? What do you see? What do you see? And one of the one of the other assistant coaches was like, attack over the top of the corner. Attack over the and found the right play caller.

SPEAKER_09 1:03:00

They were blanketing underneath to try and take away the run game. It's raining. I think that they were worried that they were probably thinking they're probably not gonna have the guts to go over the top, and that's why that's why that conversation I think with Sophia was so important. Like, we're gonna go over the top. We're gonna keep being aggressive. Yeah, we've got to play the top.

SPEAKER_04 1:03:14

And I mean, sophomore to freshman and Duffy, she's a big target.

SPEAKER_07 1:03:19

She's phenomenal. I mean, she catches anything nearby her, she grabs. And it's phenomenal. You saw it defensively, too. I mean, and the catch, keeping her feet in bounds, I mean, the concentration, she's in ninth grade, she's top shelf. She has one every game.

SPEAKER_08 1:03:33

She had this sick catch against Mayapak in the corner. I mean, we're not. We really take her for granted because she just girls.

SPEAKER_03 1:03:40

These girls have to surprise you with their football plays. Like, right? It's one thing to be athletic. The girl, the Tapazi quarterback is super athletic. I think if she played any sport, she'd be great. But your girls made some football plays today that I'm like, wow, it's on the sideline.

SPEAKER_09 1:03:53

Yeah, I mean, toe tap on the sideline. Will they learn that? You teach that? Yeah, we would do toe tap drills every day. I'm sure you do.

SPEAKER_08 1:04:00

He actually shows them how to do it, and then they go.

SPEAKER_09 1:04:03

I'm a tremendous dance girl.

SPEAKER_03 1:04:05

But like you see these plays. Have girls in this sport over your time doing this, have they surprised you with some of the things they can do and they're willing to do and willing to learn?

SPEAKER_09 1:04:13

I think this is I think it's more of a surprise that that um that where coaching translates the same exact way. I mean, I'm not shocked when these girls, I mean, if you saw practice, it's it's unbelievable. The buy-in is a thousand percent. So I don't know. I it's to me it's it comes natural to them.

SPEAKER_03 1:04:32

Sydney Solos never played football until two years ago, and I said now you're like the best defensive player in section one. Is that athleticism? What is that with her, Jeff?

SPEAKER_08 1:04:40

You know what? She has a knack for the football. She's got a motor that never stops. I mean, really, the the two of them, Sydney and Kaylee, um, all over the quarterback, we knew we were gonna give we were gonna give them problems today. I mean, she's been doing it all season. Um, she just she just knows she she's got she's got that knack.

SPEAKER_03 1:04:58

Opposing quarterbacks used to keep this guy up at night in football. Um I can name some, but I don't want to do that for over the years at Rye and Somersquad. I won't do that. But uh, did this quarterback give you some some nightmares?

SPEAKER_09 1:05:09

She sure did. I mean, she's a talent, she deserves a lot of credit. Yeah, and what she can do with the football is really impressive. Um so yeah, she's she's a once-in-a-lifetime type of kid, and I think we have a few too.

SPEAKER_07 1:05:20

Yeah, coaches. I think our linebackers just did such a phenomenal job with their fits and everything. Jeff would come up with ideas and concepts and was able to, they executed everything. Sydney, Cayley, and Steph just does a phenomenal job. If in case they get past them, they have Steph to deal with. I mean, it's just very fortunate that those girls are in those spots.

SPEAKER_04 1:05:39

I want to mention the defense. I want to mention um Quillis, Chloe Quillis, I want to mention Corinne Nagrelli, I want to mention Stephanie Douglas, um, I want to mention um Kaylee Hung. I mean, your defense was off the chain today. Yeah, you limited, you kept Girardi from making those explosive plays. Talk to us about. Your game plan with regard to that.

SPEAKER_07 1:06:02

Well, I so Jeff Victor's come up with an idea just to contain them and help them attack one side and compress, and we do that a lot of practice, just the compressions and stuff like that. And Jeff can speak more to how he was able to do that.

SPEAKER_09 1:06:14

It was a pretty I think it was a meticulous trial and error of exactly how we were gonna go about keeping her in her cage, so to speak, because you rush too far upfield, she's gonna kill you right down Broadway. Our goal was to keep her off the hash marks.

SPEAKER_08 1:06:31

And uh you gotta match speed with speed, right? So we put we put seven of our fastest girls on the field. Um, and the idea was to try to contain her, right? And it's impossible to do. But we told them, look, you make one bad call, you you run inside, you got the next one, right? And it's the confidence and the belief that we got your back and the girl behind you've got their got your back. Um, and they did. I mean, they played their absolute butts off today. I mean, hats off and hats off.

SPEAKER_09 1:06:56

I gotta say this too. If I I just want to make sure I plug our entire team because we got people like Maddie Riley, our running back, who is an absolute footballer playing hurt. Aaron Duffy's playing with blood coming out of her knees. Sid Solis gets knees to the quad every single time. I mean, I mean, she'll wipe tears from the eyes and she'll get right back up in there and like, I got it, I'm good. You know, the their loyalty is is unmatched right now. It's unmatched.

SPEAKER_08 1:07:22

I want to throw in one more is uh like the scout. We talked about it this week that your role on this football team is important whether you're playing on first down or you don't get one rep. And our scout offense this week. Now, look, nobody is Eve Girardi, nobody nobody is her, but our scout quarterback this week gave us every piece of Eve that she could.

SPEAKER_09 1:07:41

She's a JV girl that we brought up. And I mean she'll do a great job.

SPEAKER_08 1:07:45

I mean, really, it was it was so important to have that because you get a little bit of the I mean it's never the same. I mean, we know that, it's never the same, but we emulate as best as we can and I think that was a big deal.

SPEAKER_04 1:07:55

I thought you guys were your team speed was faster than theirs today. I and and and up front it was different. Yeah, it was it was just different up front, and I thought your team speed up front was was was the key to this game as far as defensively against Eve Girardi offensively.

SPEAKER_08 1:08:13

Yeah, you know, we had the all these I had all these wrinkles and all these great ideas. I'm like, you know what? We're just gonna play defense. I said to these guys, look, our girls are so good at what they do. Why come out of it? And I did a couple of times, we adjusted, and she burned us a couple of times. I said, you know what? We're gonna go back, and and it's you know, you always feel like you have to make the per the perfect play call, right? And offensively, it's different, because on offense, you gotta make a good call a lot of times. Defensively, it's like he's like, uh, it's easy, you say 21. Why are you so nervous?

SPEAKER_09 1:08:46

So many years. Why are you so rattled? I'm like, am I gonna have the one that's gonna dial it up and complete the first down? You know, it's very good.

SPEAKER_03 1:08:53

You have another week left in you guys, or maybe more?

SPEAKER_09 1:08:55

Yeah, let's go. Let's go, let's do it. Absolutely. Girls earned it. Girls earned it.

SPEAKER_04 1:08:58

They deserve it. So we're on to the regionals, and and we feel good about going forward. I mean, you get another you get another week with him.

SPEAKER_09 1:09:07

Like that's been my mantra. All I want is more time with you guys. That's what we want for each other. And I mean, it's truly neutral feeling.

SPEAKER_03 1:09:15

This dude wants another week out in the sun to work on this tandem. I didn't look like how tandy was, so he sat next to me. I'm very jealous. I've never tanted my help. I I I just sit here for him.

SPEAKER_09 1:09:25

I just want to be a good one.

SPEAKER_04 1:09:27

Coach, I just want to say this. Um, you know, I've known your reputation, and what you you've put the standard, you try you know, you've set the standard in football at Yorktown and and all you guys have, and then you've created a culture. Now you've done doing the same thing, you know, at Yorktown with the flag football. Obviously, nothing changes, you don't compromise that. But my thing is, I'm I'm excited about the fact that the dance parties are happening, you know. Uh where where I mean, where was that in tackle football? There was no dance parties. We're saying no, no, no, no dance parties. Tackle football!

SPEAKER_09 1:10:03

I got I gotta get the difference. We're on rain delay against Maypack. Oh, yeah, yeah. We're three and out, three and out. Right. I'm throwing up in my game plan. We're in the gym. We're scrambling, you know, making notes and whatever, and the girls are having a dance party in the gym. I'm like, this is different.

SPEAKER_03 1:10:20

Yeah, well, I usually thought to myself, well, he's got a daughter sofia at home, and I'm like, I guarantee you she's not like that. She's not she's not a dance party, she's an athlete, she's out there looking at the compete. Uh, but uh he's uh Sophia's dad, Mikey Rasigno's dad, quarterback in Cortland, just named Captain, and so uh doing uh his kids doing big things, but you're you're you're back as a coach, you know. This is nice to have you back. It's nice to have you guys back doing this as well. Yeah, congratulations, guys, congratulations, good luck in the States, man. I appreciate it. Congrats, man. All right, Coach Bonnie, Coach Gerard.

SPEAKER_04 1:10:51

Nice to meet you.

SPEAKER_02 1:11:00

Here is Dee Marino running, trying to hit the first down, and she gets it, and more to the end zone. She's in what could have been sometimes.

SPEAKER_03 1:11:13

And she just used that momentum right here. Momentum. Talk about a player who can elude tackles right there to do T Marino down the sideline, wants a beat. She does touchdown, Westlake Briarcliffe here on the right side, looting, and getting towards the end zone. A third touchdown run.

SPEAKER_10 1:11:36

And again, well, coach, halftime. Westlake Briarcliffe, Byron Hills, 35-0. Westlake right now is leading. I mean, first half, all juju.

SPEAKER_04 1:11:53

Westlake has made a resounding statement in the first half. Um, I mean, they have made a resounding statement. Listen, uh, Bobcat's key players are all very young. Amineto has had moments of brilliance, but um Juliana Di Marino is at a different place uh with regard to what she does on the field. Her burst, she ex it's almost like she gets through the three-yard mark, whether it's in the backfield. I'm just saying when she starts her runs, and then it's just boom, she explodes. Once she gets her third step in, it's she's gone. And and you're not touching her. You're not. Virtually impossible.

SPEAKER_10 1:12:58

I mean, listen, you're talking about for all us really old folk, Randall Cunningham style football to Michael Biggs style football. Her burst off that is it's fun to watch and it's very hard to cover. Uh to your point about the Bobcats, we got to talk to Coach before the um before the game. Coach Burke before the game. Absolutely. And he was telling us about I mean, he's they are so young. They have four four or five starting freshmen on defense. Correct. I mean, it's it's I feel for these girls right now in this weather at 35-0, but there's a lot of game left to play. They're having a lot of fun out there and they should. They made it here.

SPEAKER_04 1:13:36

You know, they they listen, for Byron Hills to get here as the seventh seed to the final, we talked to Coach Burke off air. They're playing with house money today. This is just gonna be a great experience for them. Taking it for all the positives uh that it's going to be, and then learn from the things that have taken place on the field.

SPEAKER_11 1:13:56

Yep.

SPEAKER_04 1:13:56

Uh, but let's give Coach Robinson and Coach Anthony Sardo, Lowell Robinson and Coach Sardo credit. Anthony Sardo. I mean Emma Casal, um Leah Vacero, Fatmar Rivera, Isabella Murray, and then Juliana Negrali, number 15, and and and Bella Murray, number 13, have had big first halves as well.

SPEAKER_10 1:14:20

Oh, yeah, yeah. Huge first halves. This Westlake Briarcliffe team really has come out strong. And to your point, I mean Juju, which is a great nickname for her. Great nickname for her. Uh but her team has really rallied behind her. You know, she she is the highlight of the game, but the team itself, all the players you just mentioned, are really rallying behind her.

SPEAKER_04 1:14:41

She this this is a great supporting cast. This is an outstanding supporting cast. As good a supporting cast as as we've seen today. And for Westlake Briarcliff to do what they've done, um and to make the statement that they're making now. I, you know, we said it in our show, people are not gonna see our show um until tomorrow. We said it this was gonna be a really uphill battle for Briar Cliff, I mean for Byron Hills today.

SPEAKER_10 1:15:10

Yeah, I think you said it best. I mean, the fact that these girls get the experience, you know, most of them being freshmen, so in their first or second year, here only four years in flag football anyway, but to have this to be to be at a Section One championship against the number one seed, and to have the experience of having to battle through this the weather, the score, they'll learn a lot. And I don't think this is not gonna be the first time we're talking about these young ladies here in the championship.

SPEAKER_04 1:15:36

I think Byron Hills will be back. Uh, there's no doubt about it. And for for Coach Simon Burke, for Coach Joe Constantinitas, and for Coach Frankie Cangielosi to get this Byram Hills Bobcats team to the section final, credit to them, uh uh, and and credit to those girls for taking on, taking the coaching and taking the leadership that these Simon Burke and this group of coaches have have provided for them.

SPEAKER_10 1:16:04

Absolutely. Well, we got a whole second half football to play, and we'll uh see you after when it comes to the postgame sharp. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_03 1:16:12

The middle and across for the touchdown. Juliana Nigrelli had a touchdown catch in the first half, and there's Justin and it's in. It's unbelievable what Julie Julian Ti Marino continues to do here today.

SPEAKER_13 1:16:49

Once again, put your hands together for this section one.

SPEAKER_10 1:16:53

Well, coach, there's a reason we play the games, and this is it. Final score 55 to 6. Uh, it wasn't really a contest today. I don't know that we thought it would be a contest.

SPEAKER_04 1:17:04

I I don't think we did think it was gonna be a contest. I didn't we didn't think it was going to be as resounding a victory as it as it ended up being. It was resoundingly, it was resoundingly one-sided.

SPEAKER_11 1:17:18

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:17:18

And I no, I don't I knew that we it was going to be a one-sided affair, not at the depth and magnitude that it was today.

SPEAKER_10 1:17:26

No, credit to the Bobcats for putting on a great effort. We talked about it earlier, they're extremely young. They're the number seven seed coming into this game. I mean, listen, experience, experience, experience. Correct. You get this experience.

SPEAKER_04 1:17:42

Nothing all all positive for Byron Hills. Yes, all positive. Emineto was fantastic. Um, you know, and her supporting cast will develop as they continue to play and be in and be involved in in flag football. But um I uh Juliana Juju Di Marino is just different.

SPEAKER_10 1:18:06

She is. I mean, we don't have records yet. We almost talk about four years of girls' flag football. Correct. And and and growing because not all 34 teams were here on year one. This young lady is a sophomore. She is a superstar in in this class. I mean, what she does in that football field is it's fun to watch.

SPEAKER_04 1:18:27

It really is fun to watch. It's incredible to watch her, and like we said at at halftime, her burst and her she's got breakaway speed. Because once she gets past the first level of flag defenders, it's over. She gets in the open field, there's nobody coming near her. I mean, near her. Like not not even not even able to touch her, you know. Even if it was touch with two-hand touch, they wouldn't be able to touch her.

SPEAKER_10 1:18:55

She can cut her agility, her cuts back and forth. She she reminds me of a young Michael Vick. I mean, she really does out there with her speed burst.

SPEAKER_04 1:19:03

It's it's it's it's incredible. And Juliana, let's, let's, let's not sleep on this. Juliana Nigrelli, number 15, had a monster day today. She was like out like the floor out there. She ran the ball. She caught it out of the back. I mean. And she she played well on defense. And she was fantastic on defense. Bella Murray was fantastic. Um, Vicara was great. Uh Emma Cassal was, I mean, they're they're really good, and they're gonna have a legitimate. I it's gonna be hard for me, and I think for us both. You're coming out of section one, and we always say that if you come out of section one, you have a legitimate opportunity to contend for a state championship.

SPEAKER_09 1:19:46

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:19:46

I want to know if there's a better team in Class C in the state of New York than this group right now. I don't know. And it's gonna be I I can't wait to see. If there is, somebody needs to show me.

SPEAKER_10 1:19:59

Yeah, I mean, listen, they're they're well coached and they got deep, deep talent. So a class C team, they've got depth. Yeah. Yeah, I mean, they might they actually have the might have the most depth I've ever seen for a school that's so small. Absolutely. And it's just, I mean, look, but again, shout outs to both teams. This is we're talking about, we're here talking about a championship game. Right? 18 18-week season. Uh Wesley Bradcliffe going undefeated and proving to be the proving to be the Dolphins and not the Patriots. They got to the New York Giants. Uh all our fans out there. But yeah, I mean, uh look, it's it's championship time. They won, they deserve it, they earned it. They came out all season long. We can still hear their fans right now.

SPEAKER_04 1:20:47

I mean, yeah, they brought it down. They brought they brought a a loud, boisterous crowd. Um, a really impressive turnout. All three games uh um regarding the weather. Like the people showed up. Now, you know, uh, and I'm sure the the weather kept some people away, but the crowds that we had today uh with regard to the rain and everything have been loud, vocal, and very supportive of their teams. It's been a great event. Not just the rain. We're talking about it's like 55 degrees out here. It's it's much it's not it can't be, it has to be cold. It might say 55 on the thermometer, and Josh will attest to this. Our our technical guy today, our our our guy behind the scenes with the camera and the and the equipment. Josh and I were talking. If it says 55 on the thermometer, that's that's that's propaganda. That's that's not true. It's gotta be colder than that because just it's so damp. So yeah, so it's a credit for everybody that's come out here.

SPEAKER_10 1:21:50

May 23rd, May 23rd, freezing Memorial Day weekend, it's a good thing.

SPEAKER_04 1:21:54

Memorial Day weekend. Well, listen, it's uh But we've enjoyed. I mean, how how good has it been today? And Bill Pilla and and and and Mr. Santa Barbara, uh the you know, Section One, they they've been Dan Dan who Dan Belfi who's been out here all day long. Dan's been out here, yeah, absolutely.

SPEAKER_10 1:22:12

Giving out these awards and medals, you know.

SPEAKER_04 1:22:14

Yeah, it's been just it's been it's been a great great environment, great experience. And for this to be what it is already in year four, I can't wait to see what it's gonna be going forward, particularly with the vision, you know, that you know, they're gonna people are gonna see our interview with Mr. Pilla, particularly with the vision that they have here, yeah, about what this is, what this could be. And what no, not what it can be, and it's going to be. And then his vision about what it's gonna be at the college level struck me. I didn't think about it that way. I don't want to give our interview away. So I'm gonna stop right now. You have to you have to see the interview, uh, which was great. Absolutely. Bill Pillow is fantastic.

SPEAKER_10 1:22:56

So we'll be back shortly with uh your MVPs, captains, uh, as well as the coach of the Westlake Briarcliffe Girls Flag Football Champions.

SPEAKER_03 1:23:07

Championship Saturday here at Lakeland High School. It's finally done and it's still raining. But we have our third champion of the day, the Class C champion, Westlake Briar Cliff. Congratulations, girls. We're joined by Mar Verafant, Ruja Di Marino, and of course uh Juliana Nigrelli, the stars of today of this 55-6 wicked over Byron Hills. Coach Ward, before we get going, these girls told me a little secret. They said they've they followed the show, and they say, Don't you remember us, coach, when we attended the Chris Ward basketball camp? These two down here.

SPEAKER_04 1:23:39

The faces now I remember. Now I remember the faces. Yes. Now I remember the faces, absolutely. Yes. And they get to see me in a in such a pleasant environment. Was it a flag football camp or was it a basketball camp? It was a basketball camp.

SPEAKER_03 1:23:51

But those those those skills all translate, as we've seen uh so many times. But girls, first off, congratulations. I know it was a it was it was a miserable uh rainy day. You feel okay right now, though, Mark?

SPEAKER_16 1:24:00

Yeah, yeah, I feel good.

SPEAKER_03 1:24:01

Tell me about uh just walk out to this field and getting ready for for a championship game in these conditions.

SPEAKER_16 1:24:09

But it's been like we've been playing the semifinals in the rain. We've played a couple games in the rain, so we were kind of used to it. We knew it was gonna be hard. We knew the ball was gonna be slippery, but we just had to value that if we could make a mistake, we just don't make the same mistake again. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_03 1:24:24

And so uh obviously for the quarterback it's probably the toughest, but uh I think you I think you overcame the bad weather here today. What it take.

SPEAKER_19 1:24:32

Um definitely raining and it was cold. Um we like Morris and have played in a few games, we knew what it took what it took. And last year in the semifinals it was raining and we lost. So winning in the semifinals in the rain, and then we knew I was here last year when it was raining again, and I'd won. And so we knew what it took us to trust to do.

SPEAKER_03 1:24:54

I I hate bringing up beating a team three times because Coach Ward in his in his coaching career had to try and beat a team third times. Didn't didn't go well for him in the county center. Uh but coach, talk to him about uh coming out here playing Byzantine a third time and then coming out here and leaving no doubt in this game, right?

SPEAKER_04 1:25:12

Uh it was incredible. I mean, we we thought that you guys were a decided favorite going into it, but what you you guys made a statement today. And and I thought that you got Juliana Negrelli, I thought you got your team up to a really good start running the ball. Talk to us about what Coach Robinson and Coach Sardo saw defensively to get you the ball on in run situations.

SPEAKER_15 1:25:35

Um They saw that they come straight to the ball. Um also like raining, so they think you just keep running like don't stop, because it not everybody's 100% flag driver, so you know if you just keep running, don't stop, completely far. Like just don't stop.

SPEAKER_04 1:25:53

You did that today a lot. You know, I mean you were you I thought you complimented Juju very well with the w in in the run game today. The coaching staff today expect that from you today. Is that what they wanted out of you today?

SPEAKER_15 1:26:08

Yes, they didn't mean Juju can act very well, I think, on the field, and I think that when they call the like black 40, like when I run from Juju or like the fake, like they know that we're gonna get something out of it because we're able to handle the ball to each other.

SPEAKER_03 1:26:21

No doubt about it. Uh Juju. Coach, was it seven touchdowns today? How many did that? She had five. You ran for five and threw for two. That's seven. Seven total touchdowns. Even in my even in my math, even in my math, five plus she was seven. Even uh adding to just insane uh you have over a hundred touchdowns in your career now as only a sophomore, and your sophomore season's still going. How do you sum up this season and these last couple weeks for you?

SPEAKER_19 1:26:47

Um yeah, well, I think this season definitely went well for us. Um, it's not over yet. It's definitely not over yet. Um we still have many games to go. But I think, yeah, I mean, I I did have a lot of touchdowns this season, but probably more than half of them were from my receivers catching it from the people blocking for me. So it it's I wouldn't have happened if I didn't have another team.

SPEAKER_03 1:27:09

You had two touchdowns, uh five of the touchdown runs, two of the touchdown runs belong on maybe ESPN top ten plays. I think um for just the number of times you were I'd never seen there was your flags were on, and every referee flag was on the on the turf because you got pulled so many times. Um to take me through. It was the zigzag and touchdown run where you got your shorts almost pulled off.

SPEAKER_19 1:27:30

It happens almost every game. There's been many times I've been fully pants. But um hers rip. Mine, I guess, are just stretchy. They're they're constantly getting pulled, but usually I stop when they get pulled, but I just it was so close, so I just kept running. I just kept running.

SPEAKER_03 1:27:53

They were pulling at your uh you're obviously wearing sweatpants today, but um is it what what do they attribute that to uh for you for this team? Is it just the elusiveness and the way you guys are able to kind of duck and dip a little bit.

SPEAKER_16 1:28:03

I think definitely playing other sports helps, like he said, they play basketball, they play soccer, I play soccer, and you kind of have to move um like the other way so your opponents like miss. Um but definitely the conditions were hard and also our coaches like make us practice hard and they make us play like in game. So it definitely helps when we're in the game to make those them miss.

SPEAKER_04 1:28:26

Mar Mars a senior talk to us about Emma Casal, Leah Vacaro, Isabella Murray. Talk to us about what those girls mean to you that you know this being your senior year, you you got a lot of underclassmen with you. So what's it like for you to have this memory and have and and and obviously do a lot of special things even going forward. What's it mean to have these young ladies help you have this you know magical senior year?

SPEAKER_16 1:28:53

Yeah I mean we're like family like we always hang out together we always go to places after practice um we always help each other out on the field. So it really means a lot that we're all here and we won together and yeah I'm gonna miss them.

SPEAKER_04 1:29:07

Well you're not done of course we're not done yet we're not done yet you know and and and talk to Juliana Juju talk to us about Coach Robinson, Coach Sardo, um the the tradition that you know the standard that they're putting in place as we speak because it's such a new sport and the culture that they brought to to the program. Talk to us about that.

SPEAKER_15 1:29:28

So they're both football coaches like for our boys football team I think that they bring that mentality and that um passion to when we where we are like to our team and we practice day in and day out rain, hail sunshine every day. And I think that they're like our number one supporters Sardo's like a dad to us like every like you know I just think that they're a very big part in our win you know yeah I mean they're definitely the reason that we got this far this year.

SPEAKER_19 1:29:58

I think um Sardo was a new new coach for us this year. And I think that they worked really well together and they really helped us um I think that they know the right amount of pressure to put on us so we can like continue to grow from it and they know like our strengths and our weaknesses and they really they help us a lot in practice on the field. But they are also really good at knowing like certain things that we need to do against other teams so I think that that's why we get most of our wins.

SPEAKER_03 1:30:24

They scheme well I mean did you see Chester in the first game of the season 35, 16 I don't know what it was um it kind of set you on your way. I mean you guys haven't lost obviously since then but did you when did you start feeling like wow we're we got something special here.

SPEAKER_16 1:30:37

Um I guess I would say first day of practice I kind of felt that it was definitely I wouldn't say different from the first year, but the first year everyone was kind of new to the sport we were all learning. And this year there was some people that came in some freshmen that came up some people that tried out but definitely our foundation was way stronger and that kind of set us up for success.

SPEAKER_03 1:30:57

Juju when did you start I you have a hundred touchdowns plus into your career. When did you start playing football? When did you did you grow up watching football with your family? What was it?

SPEAKER_19 1:31:05

Um I mean around like fourth grade my dad and um one of my friends' dads we set up a little like football game or something like that. And then in fourth grade I joined the during COVID the flag football with the boys. I joined with Izzy Murray and that was when I first started but I went a while without it and then our AD Dave brought flag football to the school which we couldn't thank him more for and then that's when I really started. So basically last year.

SPEAKER_03 1:31:34

And Juliana um I just started last year when we made the team but like yeah well her brother her brother plays football right your brother's long term football he's a big football team so I was about to make a a a comment about this trophy the boys have come close but they haven't been able to but they your brother was on the team as a freshman right when they won? So he did win a section championship so you're not the first section championship in the house but now you have one each which is uh which is important. I think your brother I think it's important for your dad I know your dad since uh we were we were growing up me and your dad grew up together really yeah we grew up we grew up in we grew up right around the corner from each other in Eastchester. Yeah oh both the Eagles we were on the same bus in like fourth fifth grade that's amazing that's crazy yeah so we do go way back so a lot of connections before basketball camp I knew your dad you know love me for that um moving on uh obviously uh state championship and it's just like something like hard to wrap your brain around this idea that you could maybe win a state championship in the school um I guess I was a little shocked because at first I didn't know that there was like regionals and states.

SPEAKER_16 1:32:37

Like I thought this was like the end of the road. Yeah but then I learned that we were gonna have regionals and states and I was like pumped up I was like okay we're getting it I definitely agree with her um I think that we can definitely take it for regionals or states.

SPEAKER_19 1:32:58

I think that we have a good thing going and if we continue to play like we did today like we've been doing the whole season work hard and practice then we can just keep going.

SPEAKER_04 1:33:08

I think the same thing we just have to practice hard get out of our heads like and with our coach's help I think we can definitely make it far and you know yeah it's a new season take advantage of it right coach that's what you have to say absolutely postseason's always new and and I think it's gonna be tough for a class C school from the state of New York to deal with you guys and the depth that you have on your team. You guys have multiple weapons I I'd be hard pressed to see somebody give you guys a run for I mean somebody's gonna give you a run for your money but they don't have the depth of talent that you guys have and we wish you guys the best.

SPEAKER_03 1:33:43

Congratulations to you girls Wesley Friar clips Texas champions going to him for the coaches. I'm sure when these two men went to bed last night they thought to themselves yeah we'll probably win 55 sticks or so uh win this Texas championship but uh man your girls made it look easy we're joined by the two coaches in this program head coach Lowell Robinson and they started the assistant coach here for what the Friar Cliff coach is this uh how you drew it up last night coach and head coach always performed together the last couple of years text and talk every day um I'd be lying if I said we I didn't think we'd win but the girls made a statement obviously the weather was a little bit of a factor and you had a plan too but um the girls I mean look our job as coaches is put them in the right spot if they could be successful. You saw they were successful for that and Coach Robinson you probably um you know you had in your mind that you were the better team right but uh you've learned probably from coaching football on the boys' side that it doesn't always matter right no yeah yeah no yeah that's what we've been preaching to the girls you know each and every week every game like every game's a new game and then when the postseason hit it's a new season right it was no back to zero zero we got zero wins zero losses just like everybody now right so we we just try to keep them focused and going and just have a next play mindset I couldn't I didn't imagine this yeah like this is and it kept going I it was like shocking but they just you know they wanted it you can see it was a different you know coming in prior to coming up here it was like I don't know we're looking a little like sleepy yeah but they woke up as soon as we got off that bus. No you get off the bus and uh before you know it you're up you're up 7-0.

SPEAKER_05 1:35:25

I mean is there you know I don't know if it's the same in in girls flag as it is in and boys tackle where you script your first couple plays but that opening drive right down the field and scores right yeah I mean yeah we were you know just seeing what they were in and we were just going from the line just that's how we've been doing oh oh yeah just play fast like calling from the line see what they're in what wa what advantage do we have and like the girls were saying we're telling them uh you know no one's 100% flag grabber that's why I tell them all the time keep running keep running use your speed don't stop keep going and that's they got the first drive going and it was up from there. You have to feel no matter what no matter what scheme whatever play you call you have juju so you're gonna be in good shape right is that is that part of it's is is definitely a luxury having her because when even when things look like they're down they're not because she can extend the play and she's gotten better and better you know each and every game and compared from last year you know she missed games and she came back this year just you know focused and every day she's getting better. She asks questions like you will be surprised but she's like you know every game is she's just growing every day.

SPEAKER_03 1:36:33

Succo football on the back of the day you have a running back named Lowell Robinson. That's pretty good. Yeah not to worry about you know same deal uh with with with coaching these girls have you had to from day one kind of worry about keeping their mind focused their things right is it or is this team just different?

SPEAKER_06 1:36:49

Uh no they're they're girls they're high school girls you gotta have them focus I gotta do it all my they're very chatty and I have one that I guess was a high school girl yeah too yeah uh they're very chatty you know and um coach and I have to you know to use an education term to refocus them quite a bit but uh they as coach just said they they focus and step up to the challenge and they're a great group they really are a great group uh co one of coach's favorite expressions is accept the coaching you know we're we're teaching you it's not we're not critiquing you just accept it learn move on don't say but butt butt and they've done that from you know from day one you know all the games all the practices they really have you know come together and they and they listen and learn unlike the boys like boys know a lot of terminology yeah but the girls don't know it so it's like they're they're they're listening when when they when they focus and listen because they don't know terminology of football like the boys do and they're like what's that and what's this so they they have been very accepting of the coaching and listening to us and we tell them look we're gonna put you in the right places just listen just listen you know when coaches call on the offense we want to see how they're lining up okay defensively we change you know the front around a little bit the secondary around a little bit depending on what they're doing so they they've been really really good with that coachable coachable players come from from great coaches right coach warrant you can say absolutely absolutely um it's one thing to be co accept coaching in terminology how did how was there a struggle today at all about accepting the fact that yes it's raining and yes we're all cold and uh let's just go play I mean we like the girl say we I mean I didn't know how they were gonna be I know we get cold easily bad conditions but I'm like they gotta play in the same thing but earlier this week we you know I think day before the Putnam game we we were in the rain. Yeah right so it's like we're not it's raining it's an outdoor sport we gotta you know if we it's not cold anymore how it was the beginning of the season so it was like just it's just a mindset we tried to just you know it doesn't matter like she said it doesn't matter the weather like we're gonna go out there we're gonna get better we had some brutal practices so they were used to it brutal practices in terms of of weather yes of course early season guys yeah the girl said that uh you and you guys were off camera but the girl said they don't you coach the coaches don't care about rain hail it doesn't matter they're gonna practice outside yeah you had a uh a a player on the other side of the field Emiliano Menetto two touchdowns against Han Hudd they pulled the upset there four against Dallas Ferry was there you know um emphasis on trying to stop her slow her down and and what was the game plan going in with her yeah I mean we you know we watched our games against them see what they do with her obviously she's you know a stud athlete very quick very elusive we just told the girls play solid defense stay in your zone stay you know do your job don't worry about other people's jobs do your job stay in your zone nowhere you know we're putting you in places to be successful you know and you know when she runs routes her in number 33 you know we we just you know kept an eye on that we we tweaked a couple of little things with personnel on the defense and and that was it you know just you know keep her in front of you and just go for the flag and and assignment football low talk to us you know coach talking about assignment football were you happy with the with the group on both ends both sides of the ball today oh yeah so sure like we always say like who said just do your job do your job and that's what they did today and just trying to uh stop familiar it was just you gotta be aggressive we're going for a flag because a lot of times girls are scared to you know get juke so they stay back and that gives her the time and to accelerate and you know cross the field.

SPEAKER_05 1:40:35

So we were just saying on top of that just you gotta go you gotta go do your job and the girls showed up on both sides today.

SPEAKER_03 1:40:44

Truly incredible um how many times you know like a good basketball player gets the foul line like the number of times that Juju Di Marino had her shorts pulled uh in this game today and I mean four times on one touchdown is that is it just her elusiveness is it just uh her ability to kind of change her her her level of terms of her flag level no yeah definitely definitely I mean she's a she's a real gym rat so she she she her legs are strong and she gets low when she's running and I mean I tell her I cut around with her like I was if you run at me full speed like I'm going low on you if it was boys football like I'm not trying to you know like and I think it's like she runs fast no one wants to step in front of that and we just tell her I've been yelling all season I'll give him keep going keep going play the whistle play the whistle because I'm not sure stop because of shorts but like she said today she didn't stop I have I have a quick question for you guys and I've talked to this a bit with Kevin you both have coached tackle football for a long time boys tackle football tell me if there's been a back like that young lady her burst off her second step or third step have you ever seen anything like that and in in in at any level of tackle football that you guys have coached that honest I I I honestly haven't she's good coach tells her all the time with the running the faster she runs the faster the flags are moving the slower you run when you when you slow your body down and you change direction you know we try to tell them only you know make one move and go.

SPEAKER_06 1:42:18

One move and go not three moves because the faster you are they can't they can't eyeball the flag when you're just running like that.

SPEAKER_03 1:42:25

But no she I wish I wish we could steal it from the soccer team and put some shoulder pairs well that's the thing so I noticed today so like Amelia Manetto changes direction and she's dark she's like Barry Sanders and Juju is just like kind of over straight line runner where I'm like wait a second like how is she so how is it because normally you think you have to be dancing around and kind of eluding and avoiding and uh doing those things but sh what she does is special because she does it she makes it look like she's just running straight. You know Coach you said something about keep going you're gonna tell the team that right now keep going right now and and keep winning football games and try and pull this off to the end? No for sure all season now it's been on my matters one game at a time one game at a time don't make the moment too big one game at a time and that's what we go tell them it was one game at a time next week we in a reason we told them even last night I'm like we we want to keep going we want to come to practice next week we want to just keep it we you know we they're accepting the coaching you know they they want to come they're there we watch film together with them a little chatty in the film room I will admit yeah you think this sounds like an old school football coach right here that sounds like an old school football coach talking in the film room John Castellano would not be happy in the film room with the no he wouldn't no my goodness uh but yeah so you have uh some some games still to possibly win coach uh Lowell Robinson at the summer thank you guys so much for uh thank you guys appreciate you congratulations a long miserable day but it feels good if I bring this at home right coach thank you thank you congrats raining was it raining is it raining look over here coach on the entire time is the one taking off the show his hair we're freezing out here on the field but not not for the celebrity Kevin Devaney over here who uh was in the press box all day working double duty like we say the hardest working man in section one uh listen it's fourth year section one girls flag football it's two upsets today Kevin and uh one dominating win it's been a great day for these girls two defending champions go down um a second year really a first year full time program American wins won a championships uh takes down a perennial power Westlake wins in their second year I mean it's a it's amazing but it's just the the the growth of the sport we're still in the infancy stages of it um we're becoming toddlers in flag football but uh we're starting to walk and we're really getting to see the athleticism on multiple teams across the board here today. Last couple years it was a team that the best player won today it was evidence it was the best players. It wasn't about one player. And you can't have one player win in this sport anymore. You need to have a team like Westlake have like Mamarinick has you have to have great coaching. We've seen the three guys that have won they're all veteran tackle football coaches.

SPEAKER_04 1:45:11

I don't think that's a coincidence so uh the three champions who representing section one onto the state tournament plus scar's still going to go in now as well isn't at large um section one is uh very healthy sport right now as we say I was I was um really talking about you talking to talking to that point Kevin yeah Yorktown very balanced yeah yeah yeah very and and it show and I think Yorktown's balance is what gave them the opportunity to beat Tap and Z today speaking about having one player.

SPEAKER_03 1:45:40

Yeah no totally and I think if you're a uh a flag an athletic director and you're looking for a flag football coach you got to get your your tackle football coach to come on over and and take the job because it it's clearly an advantage in terms I think it's an advantage in in a lot of ways in terms of running a practice and running a program but also I think the game planning of it the fact that Amerinick lost his scars once beat him the second time then beats him decisively not the second we beat him the third time um if Anthony Vitti is a coach and uh Microsignal a longtime football coach um on the uh from York tonight school then at Arlington and now uh assistant coaching at Lourdes so he's you know a veteran coach like I think that it mattered the experiences matters um so um I think that's you know the future of the sport and and and uh I almost and listen we start the show this year we've had record breaking after record breaking after record breaking we had two records broken in the in with it like we you said in it within an hour giving John the credit here for this I have to I mean he he was psychic no credit at all Signo wins a tackle has already won a tackle football section championship wins black football yeah he's the second guy first guy was a guy before like you said hour and Anthony Bitty yeah now he gets and so we're we're having rec we had a record breaking day today as well yeah it's incredible so time to go here in this uh spring season we have more championships obviously baseball and softball next weekend uh we've got lacrosse boys and girls lacrosse but this was a as miserable of a day as this was here for for some people um it was it was a great day it was a great day here at Lakeland I wouldn't change a thing yeah yeah in the press box I'm sure you would it was absolutely a great day that's our show thanks for following and watching uh we'll see you next time