John Jay Is Determined in 40-20 win Over Somers

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Last year was the first season of flag football at John Jay and the learning curve was pretty long in a tough season. So with Jimmy Clark returning to the gridiron after two years, the team is responding to the new curriculum. “They are like sponges,” he said, and when the first game was over, the Wolves weren’t the ones who had to stay after school.

John Jay jumped out to a 16-0 lead, and while the home team kept fighting back, the Wolves put the ball in the end zone when they needed in a 33-20 victory.

The girls started strong on defense, though. A Three and out, the ball was soon in the hands of John Jay’s alpha.

Jaime Bartley-Cohen returning as quarterback, the senior went in the air and on the ground to start. She let fly for a 16 yard pass completion to Julian Koronowski and then went around the corner for a ten yard gain across midfield.

First down, the duo hooked up again and Koronowski put in the legwork. She received on the Somers sideline and eluded two Somers defenders for another ten yards

Bartley-Cohen’s turn again on the ground, she faked a handoff and weaved her way to the 22. A flag stalling the drive, the QB down shifted and ran a delayed draw for the first down.

Both runs were the main key in Bartley-Cohen’s repertoire, according to Clark. “She is making sophisticated reads and running run-pass-options that give us a chance for success on every play,” said the coach.

Now 14 yards away, Bartley-Cohen hit two short passes to Koronowski and then after a fake handoff, she burst up the middle for a 6-0 game.

At 18:13, Bartley-Cohen went around the corner for the one point conversion and the defense was back to do their part. A short first down to the 20 only amounted to a small victory for Somers because the Tuskers were punting three plays later.

Next, John Jay special teams really rubbed it in. Sadie Walworth received the punt and made fast for the sideline. Her flag wasn’t pulled until reaching the Somers 25 and Bartley-Cohen didn’t waste the effort.

First she lofted a pass between two defenders to Julie Berisha, and after an incompletion, the senior stayed grounded. Bartley-Cohen scampered outside to the three, and on the next play, cut inside for a 13-0 lead.

Not done, Barley-Cohen dropped the conversion into Walworth, and the defense took their turn. More quick work for the Wolves, the Elephants were even faster when their defense was called. On Bartley-Cohen’s heave to midfield, Julia Schmidberger reached up high in a crowd, tipped the ball to herself and raced to the seven.

Three plays later, Schmidberger pulled in Natalia Antonecchia pass right to cut the lead in half, but the John Jay offense refused to be derailed. Bartley-Cohen got outside for 15 yards, and when Koronowski switched places with her quarterback, she really rode the shotgun.

She ran to the Somers sideline, evaded several defenders and then cut across the field into the end zone with 6:19 left in the half.

A 20-7 deficit for the home team, the Elephants responded by being light on their feet. Antonecchia hit Schmidberger short on the right, and she flipped to Cara Persico who went all the way.

John Jay did respond by driving nearly the length of the field but a 4th down fumble closed the half at 20-13. A little more tenuous than the dominance hoped, the offense was on the spot and the girls responded.

Bartley-Cohen leading the way, she kept her options open. Twice she opted to run to set up a fourth and five and with the defense converging the right choice was made again. She flipped over the defense to Walworth, and she ran 40 yards for a 26-13.

The conversion added one but Somers stayed on point. They drove the length of the field, and Antonecchia scored on a fourth down run up the middle.

27-20 with 13 minutes to go, one more score would probably put the game away, and football 101 delivered. Five runs by Koronowski gobbled plenty of clock and real estate and Bartley-Cohen ended the game by making good on her coach’s praise. She dropped back and saw the lane to the end zone. “Her motor never stops,” boasted Clark.

One more time, Bartley-Cohen put the bow on after Somers turned the ball over on downs. The QB stood tall in the pocket and lofted the ball to Walworth for a 40 yard touchdown

Of course, the win obviously wasn't about one player and Clark refused to leave anyone out. “The kids were really determined and played like a veteran team. They extended plays, converted on 3rd and 4th downs and played with limited mental mistakes. It has been so much fun watching them compete and enjoy the game. I feel very fortunate to be part of it,” he concluded.