By Jerry Lee/Special to the Advance
It had become a game befitting of two PSAL flag football heavyweights who have combined for six of the eight city championships since the sport was instituted in 2012.
Susan Wagner, the two-time defending champ, and Tottenville denying each other touchdowns with big-time plays, battling to a scoreless tie past the midway point of the second half.
But sometime there is a greater force that comes into play and decides how it all ends. And Friday, at the Pirates’ Huguenot field, the only winner was Mother Nature, which unleashed a torrential thunderstorm that more than likely ended this battle for first place in a 0-0 tie.
Neither head coach is expecting the PSAL to schedule the completion of the game during this abbreviated (only eight games) pandemic season. And that is unfortunate.
Susan Wagner had come into the game with a 4-0 record while the Tots sported a 3-1 mark. The only loss was an opening-day 19-6 loss to the Falcons. Both teams had been firing on all cylinders in their previous victories earlier this week. Wagner rolled past Port Richmond 37-0 and Tottenville cruised past New Dorp 47-6.
The defenses ruled the roost Friday, however …. although both teams had chances.
After an exchange of punts on each team’s first possessions, Susan Wagner’s talented quarterback Julia Catella connected with four straight passes to four different receivers (Carly O’Brien, Amina Muratovic, Adelia Vavichenkova and Olivia Rijo) to put the Falcons in striking distance. But the senior’s next pass was picked off by Tottenville’s Gianna DiGregorio in the end zone.
The defenses stepped up with big plays to dominate the rest of the half. SW got an interception and big tackle for a loss from Rijo to stymie drives and the Tots got a big sack from Victoria Rosas.
The best opportunity for a score came after Jenna Burgos intercepted a pass and gave the Pirates a first down at the SW 20 with less than two minutes left in the half. But the Falcons’ defense stiffened and kept the game scoreless at the break.
To this point the sun was shining brightly but ominous clouds were forming.
Meanwhile, the defenses continued to dominate as the second half began. The Tots’ Francesca Cusenza ended one SW drive with a terrific rush and bat down of Catella pass to force a punt.
Burgos was run into while trying to field that punt and the penalty put Tottenville in business at the SW 31. The sun had disappeared and the thunder was growing louder as QB Julianna DiMarzio took the snap lateraled to DiGregorio who unloaded a pass to the wide-open Nicole Romano in the shadows of the end zone. But before the pass could get to her, SW’s Vivien Heart Evangelista made a leaping interception and subsequent return.
Evangelista was called for interference on the play, however, and the Pirates got possession at the 12-yard line with 10 minutes remaining
Then the lightning began, play was stopped, and a few minutes later the skies opened up.
“Our games against Wagner are always very competitive,” said Tots’ coach Jeremy Goldman. “It’s always a defensive battle. The last time we played them was in 2019 semifinals and the game was scoreless and went into overtime. They scored on a defected pass on fourth down in the rain. This game felt the same way … like it would come down to the last play.”
But on this day, it was Mother Nature who made the game-ending play.
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PSAL flag football: Thunder, lightning leave Susan Wagner and Tottenville fit to be tied - SILive.com
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