Fast start helps Whitman advance past Sayville in Suffolk flag football quarterfinals
Walt Whitman running back Brittny Cisneros Campos goes twelve yards for the touchdown against Sayville during the Suffolk quarterfinal playoff game, Friday, May 19, 2023 at Sayville, NY. Credit: George A Faella
They thought about it all week.
The Whitman girls flag football team needed a fast start and they needed to make smart decisions to advance in the Suffolk quarterfinals at Timothy J. Henck Memorial Field in Sayville Friday night.
The No. 6 Wildcats scored on their first two drives to defeat No. 3 Sayville, 13-0. Whitman, which won Suffolk’s inaugural girls flag football title last year, will visit No. 2 Patchogue-Medford in the semifinals on Monday.
“That’s exactly the start we wanted to have,” Whitman coach Ralph Milazzo said. “We didn’t want to fall behind this team. They’re a great defense, so it would be tough to come back.”
That’s what happened when the Wildcats (10-2-1) hosted Sayville (8-3) in April. They fell behind by 13, then crawled back before coming up a yard short on the game's final play.
On Friday, Whitman ran nine plays on its opening scoring drive. Iris Hoffman caught a 7-yard touchdown pass from Ava Seifert on fourth-and-goal. Brittny Cisneros Campos converted the extra-point to put the Wildcats ahead 7-0 with 18:34 left in the first half.
“We ran the ball really well [Friday] and I think we did a good job reading their defense,” Seifert said.
Cisneros Campos rushed for a 41-yard touchdown on Whitman’s ensuing possession. The Wildcats' read-option run package was designed to have Seifert keep the ball or pitch it to Cisneros Campos.
The offense gave Whitman the early lead and the defense held it.
Cisneros Campos grabbed seven flags at or behind the line of scrimmage. Mary Pohalski added six flags and Britany Delao Romero had an interception late in the first half.
“They’ve been the strength,” Milazzo said of Cisneros Campos and Pohalski on Whitman’s defensive line. “Our entire defense runs on them, and that way we can do a lot of coverage in the back when we know they’re going to stop the run.”
That coverage shined in the second half. Whitman defensive back Katelyn Adams, who missed the first game against Sayville, had two interceptions in the second half. Her first gave Whitman possession deep inside Sayville territory, and her second sealed the game with under a minute to play.
“I would watch the quarterback and see where she looked before she threw the ball. Once I saw the runner turn back, I jumped it,” Adams said. “I wanted to show my team that I’d show up for this game and perform."
