Mahopac Plays to the end in 38-6 Loss to Scarsdale

On Tuesday March 28, after Mahopac quickly went out on their first possession, Scarsdale ran only three plays before they were in the end zone. Ivy Boockvar hit Chloe Paquin for a 33 yard touchdown pass, and unfortunately, 32 consecutive Scarsdale points were on the way. Still, Mahopac did send their fans home happy by playing to the end - and then some.

The buzzer going off, Maya O’Keefe tucked the ball back in and her body language conveyed the game’s end. So Scarsdale took the cue, but O’Keefe rethought her position. Dialing back in, the senior let fly and Julianna Greco ran under the pass for the touchdown. “It was all in the pump fake,” O’Keefe jokingly admitted that the pause was not by design.

Even so, Mahopac seemed to put a pretty serious take on Scarsdale in their second possession. Ali Rondeau dropped back and found Faith Poniros in the flat. The receiver scampered 30 yards down the sideline, and the Indians looked like they were in business.

Then the yellow flag came out, and Scarsdale was soon back on the field. Only this time the scoring drive took just one play, and it was Mia Laboy who had the step into the end zone.

A 13-0 game now, Mahopac again showed some lighting, and Marie Camastro had the flash and fight. The senior took the handoff and burst through the line for a 17 yard gain to the Mahopac 47.

Once again, though, the drive stalled, and the Indians were forced to do a double take. On third down from the Mahopac 32, Laboy fired on all cylinders from the get go, and Boockvar dropped the ball into the open receiver for a 19-0 score with 7:37 left in the first half.

A well oiled machine for sure, Camastro still welcomed the challenge on defense. “Honestly,” she assured, “it felt good. The tougher the play, the more fun I have."

And no doubt, the fun continued. Two more times, Boockvar stepped up and hit Laboy on the run for a 32-0 halftime score.

Mahopac came out to play in the second half nonetheless. Boockvar under threw the ball, and Julia Vitello came down with the interception.

She returned the ball to the Scarsdale 37, and a little more excitement was on the way. Holding onto the ball to the last second, Rondeau flipped the option over the defender to Camastro, and the back ran to the 27.

Part of her 15 carries for 82 yards, Matt Deiana had nothing but praise for his juggernaut. "Marie is one of our leaders, and one the top flag football players around," he boasted. "She is only scratching the surface as its her first season playing, and by the end of the season, I expect her to be a dominant force."

Of course, the drive stalled there. But Mahopac returned the favor on defense and got the ball back on downs at the Indian 40. Camastro fielded another option to the 37 and Poniros got three more on a reception from Rondeau.

A missed handoff later , Emilia Gomez picked off the Mahopac quarterback, and Boockvar showed she could receive as well as she give. Danielle Horn got behind center, and Boockvar reached high for the touchdown reception.

Undeterred, Camastro continued to do her thing. She burst through the middle for a 22 yard run to the Scarsdale 48, and after a short gain, the back got 11 more to the 34.

They couldn’t convert the first down, but always on alert, Vitello knows how to read and react. “The ball comes out of nowhere, but you just click right into it,” said the junior after her second pick.

The ball on Mahopac 36 with two minutes to go, the Indians were set up to end the day on a good note. O’Keefe taking the reins, she first hit Camastro for a nine yard gain, and wasn’t giving back Poniros reception two plays later. The ball deflected off Greco’s hands, and her teammate came down with the ball at the Scarsdale 40

42 seconds to go, Mahopac called time after a short gain, and Greco pulled in a reception at the 30. Hurrying to the line, the snap got in just under the wire, and Greco got the glory for her team. “It feels great,” she asserted.

Deiana agreed and put the last play in the win column. “It means something to the girls to get that score on the board,” he assured.

Going forward, the coach didn’t see X’s and O’s as the main obstacle. “Today, the biggest thing was our nerves,” he said, and settling in with the first game experience will have this team alright, he added in conclusion.

Mahopac vs Panas

Click for action shots : https://richmonetti.smugmug.com/MahopacFlagFootball/

Vs Scarsdale