It didn’t end how they wanted it to, but when the Scarsdale Raiders look back on their season in the inaugural campaign of the Section 1 girls’ flag football league, they’ll have to smile.
Second-seeded Scarsdale fell to top-seeded and unbeaten Brewster 12-2 in the first Section 1 flag football championship game Thursday, May 26 at Mahopac High School.
Freshman Naomi Fischer had an interception on Brewster’s first possession of the game, setting up Scarsdale in Bears territory. The Raiders, however, couldn’t capitalize as they had a dropped pass in the end zone and then senior Emily Shawn was ruled out of bounds after making a catch deep in the end zone on fourth down.
Brewster took a 6-0 lead when quarterback Bre Washington found Grace Galgano on a 20-yard touchdown pass with 14:27 left in the first half.
The Raiders then had another opportunity to get on the board after Shawn rushed for 40 yards to the Brewster 23-yard line. Sophomore quarterback Ivy Boockvar later followed with a 9-yard run to the 1-yard line. Boockvar connected with fellow sophomore Brady Silberfein, but she came up short of the end zone, turning the ball over to Brewster at the 1-yard line.
“We played really well as a team, but we couldn’t score touchdowns,” Scarsdale senior captain Audrey Gendel said regarding the missed opportunities on offense. “We would make it across the field and into the red zone, but had a tough time getting into the end zone.”
Fischer recorded a safety on the Bears’ ensuing possession to cut the deficit to 6-2 with 10:57 left in the first half.
“What we did well was our defense,” Gendel said. “They were the ones who kept us in the game. Brewster’s strongest player [Washington] is going to be a D1 track athlete. Our defense’s goal was to shut her down, and I think our defense did a really, really good job doing that.”
Audrey Gendel
A big run by Brewster early in the second half set them up in Raiders territory. But the Scarsdale defense, which was impressive all season, stepped up again when freshman Lilly Tessler broke up a fourth-down pass at the goal line.
Brewster picked off a pass and was in the red zone again, but the Raiders’ defense forced a turnover on downs.
The Bears were able to take a two-score lead on an 11-yard touchdown pass to Kiley Brooks as they went up 12-2 with 11:24 left in the game. Sophomore Emilia Gomez intercepted the conversion attempt.
The Raiders had difficulty generating much offense after that as two possessions ended in interceptions and Brewster was able to hold on for the championship game victory.
Scarsdale concluded its inaugural flag football season with a 7-2-1 record. The Raiders won five games during the regular season with the lone loss coming to Brewster along with a tie with Somers. Gaining the No. 2 seed in sectionals, the Raiders cruised past Mahopac 38-0 in the quarterfinals and the defense led them to a 26-6 semifinal win over Walter Panas to set up the finals meeting with the Bears.
“Being the first-ever season gave everyone this sense of excitement, but I think our team’s chemistry was the most important aspect,” Gendel said of the key to the Raiders’ success. “We all meshed so well on and off the field, and there was never any drama or fighting internally, so we were able to focus on [defeating] the teams that we were playing.”
She continued, “Sure, there were lots of people who didn’t get to play as much, but they never complained that they were getting less playing time. Everyone was just really transparent, the teammates and the coaches. Very good communication, which is key.”
Gendel added that instead of having one star player, the Raiders had “a bunch of individuals with talents that came together to make a well-rounded team.”
“We didn’t have one player who carried us,” she said. “Everyone contributed to make our whole team very successful.”
The Raiders had a young overall squad with nine freshmen and six sophomores on the roster. They will graduate just three seniors in Gendel, Shawn and Olivia Pierro. Gendel and Shawn were key receivers on offense while Pierro was a leader defensively.
Ivy Boockvar
Said Pierro, “It’s nice that we have this younger team because they’ll be carrying this on next year and hopefully going to the finals again.”
Gendel enjoyed the “off-the-field bonding” and “being able to see everyone at practice.”
“I just think that overall being able to play flag football was such a cool experience, and it was such a new thing for everyone involved that nobody had ever seen before,” she said. “I’m really honored to have been able to be team captain for the first-ever season.”
She continued, “I wish I had had more years playing for the team and I’m sad that I’ll never play for Scarsdale again. But I was happy to lead this team for the first year and create the traditions that will be carried on in years to come.”
