John Jay Wins Big Over Eastchester

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A great beginning to the 2025 season already, the John Jay offense did start pretty slow on Monday, April 7 at Contest Field. Two sputtering drives, the girls had the luxury thanks to the defense. “Playing aggressive, putting pressure on the quarterback, forcing errors, that’s what we’ve been doing,” said Head Coach Jimmy Clark. And after Eastchester was the latest to find out, the John Jay offense caught up to the defense for good on possession three.

Jaime Bartley Cohen capped off a 72 yard drive with a 10 yard pass to Lina Halaifonua, and 32 consecutive points followed in a 38-6 victory.

Of course, getting in gear required the Wolves to get the kinks out first. A fumbled snap and an illegal procedure were the culprits in drive one but the miscues had the defense filling the void.

Following a ten yard run by Eastchester, the Wolves kept things contained. The Eagles run wide resulted in a pulled flag at the line, and then Bartley-Cohen came crashing down on the QB to force an incompletion.

Punting away, Eastchester had more help from John Jay. A fumbled snap and Illegal procedure sending the ball back again, the Jay defense remained up to the task. Also helped by a fumbled snap, Bartley-Cohen did the rest.

The two way player had a sack and a tackle, and another punt was away. Sadie Walworth receiving, her heads up play put the Wolves in pretty good position. She was able to field the short kick, and the Wolves started at their own 33.

First and seven, Bartley-Cohen took the cue. The senior faked the hand off up the middle and bolted for the sideline. Around the corner, she eluded a pair of pulls at the 40 and was finally stopped at the 28.

A play later, the QB did it without moving her feet. With the pocket collapsing, Bartley-Cohen flipped one into a crowd, and Nonie Whelan made the grab for an 18 yard gain to the ten.

Bartley-Cohen wasn't done making the most of the pressure either. In the shotgun, she pulled back her handoff, and with two defenders about to register a sack on the right, Bartley-Cohen was able to find Halaifonua on the left. “She makes good decisions,” said Clark, and Halaifonua had six as a result.

At 16:12, the defense returned to the docket, and two short runs set up third down. Five yards for the first down, Eastchester didn’t get the yardage or the chance to punt. A bobbled pass ended up in the hands of Maya Koronowski, and John Jay was 22 yards away.

Unfortunately another fumble derailed a drive, so the defense did more than contain the score. “I saw it coming,” said Walworth. “I stepped forward a little, caught it and ran all the way down."

Bartley-Cohen ran in the conversion, and John Jay led 13-0 with 11:51 left in the half.

Right back out there, the defense did bend. Only slightly, big pressure from Bartley-Cohen, Koronowski and the rest of the front line held Eastchester to a single first down, and back the other way, the Wolves didn’t have the ball long.

Koronowski ran left 18 yards to the 37, and then Bartley-Cohen passed short to the 40, where Gianna Pelosi did her thing. On the catch, she evaded the first two defenders, and getting in stride, the receiver spun through the secondary.

A 43 yard touchdown play, Pelosi’s gyrations lived up to the quarterback’s expectations. “I love to throw to Gianna,” said Bartley-Cohen. “She’s such an amazing athlete.”

19-0 now, the John Jay defense still gave fits to the Eastchester attack. An incompletion under another big pass rush, a no gain on the run, and a fumbled snap gave the ball back.

Of course, the Wolves did not let up, and decision making at the QB position came into play again. Bartley-Cohen began her run right and pulled up instead when she saw Walworth wide open. She made the easy reception, and John Jay had a first down at the 15.

A play later, Bartley-Cohen hit Whelan over the middle, and after the receiver scooted into the end zone, the touchdown had Clark beaming. “She’s definitely a special player, and a perfect player to be running the offense,” said the coach.

Only 1:42 left in the half, the timeframe proved just enough to add to the 25-0 lead. In three plays, John Jay had the ball back, and Bartley-Cohen quickly got on her horse.

Up the middle, she bounced outside, and a 25 yard run set the offense up at the 15. But the Wolves proved human on the next three plays, and a fourth down put the drive in jeopardy. No problem, Bartley-Cohen dropped back, paused, and then raced for the sideline. The quarterback crossed the goal line as the buzzer sounded and John Jay led 32-0 on the conversation.

The victory assured and raising the record to 4-2, the turnaround from last year had Bartley-Cohen praising the new vibe and the new energy. She also cited Coach Clark. “He’s critical in a very good way, because he pushes us, gives us new plays everyday, and gets on top of us about the little things to make us a better program,” she concluded.