Staten Island Giants win Girls 18U title at NFL Flag Championships 

CANTON, July 21, 2024 — Recognizing that each possession would be crucial in the game, Michael Colt, coach of the Staten Island Giants, was aware that squandering chances was not an option.

Thus, when his team switched to offense with a minute and a half remaining before the break, he was in search of momentum.

Staten Island clinched the pivotal series, leading the Giants to a 28-7 victory over the APEX Predators Chargers. This triumph occurred in the Girls 18U title game at the NFL Flag Championships, Sunday, in Canton, Ohio.

Colt expressed, “My aim was to seize a possession before halftime, even if it meant using up all three timeouts. I desired to snatch that possession as I was aware they were starting with the ball in the second half, and I wanted to prevent a shift in momentum.”

“We made a significant play, advanced a few yards down the field, and I declared, ‘We’re committing fully to this drive.’ Indeed, that’s exactly what we did.”

The Giants successfully completed four passes in a row, advancing the ball to the Chargers’ 6-yard line with enough time for one last play before halftime. Subsequently, a defensive holding penalty in the end zone awarded Staten Island an untimed down from the 1-yard line.

With a swift dart, Valentina Fanetti increased the Giants’ lead to 14-7 against Olivia Rijo, after which the Giants maintained their advantage.

Fanetti, despite initially misfiring on her first three pass attempts, managed to complete 14 consecutive passes, four of which resulted in touchdowns. Additionally, she successfully executed four conversions. Her exceptional performance earned her the Most Valuable Player honors for the game.

She said afterward, “I will be indebted to the girls. They shared with me their observations, and I shared with mine with them. We put everything into it.”

We unanimously agreed to give 100 percent in running our routes, regardless of the circumstances. Whether serving as a decoy, receiving the ball, or prompting a second or third look, we ran our routes with full intensity. That’s the hallmark of a championship team.

Despite a challenging beginning that involved a sack on the first play from scrimmage, Fanetti eventually found her rhythm. She managed to pass to Jade Mazziotta from 15 yards away, securing the Giants’ first score and leveling the game at 7-7.

Allison Gandlin, who was recognized as the NFL Flag Player of the Year at the NFL Honors earlier this year, made two touchdown catches in the second half. These were from 8 and 5 yards respectively, with the second one happening immediately after the APEX Predators surrendered the ball due to failed conversion on downs.

The Chargers appeared sharp in the beginning, swiftly advancing with their first possession.

Brooklyn Hill managed to catch a perfectly timed throw from Maci Joncich, skillfully sneaking her foot into the back corner of the end zone, ensuring APEX took a 7-0 lead.

Despite finishing with only 58 yards passing due to constant pressure and coverage from the Giants, Joncich still managed to perform. Jaylani Palmer contributed to the game with four catches for 32 yards.

For the Giants, Rijo and Gandlin together made 11 receptions for 94 yards.

Fanetti completed 14 out of 17 passes for 116 yards without any turnovers. Despite her calm demeanor after the game, she admitted that it did not reflect her genuine emotions.

“Without a doubt, my emotions are running high,” she confessed. “You may not notice it now, but I’ll likely shed tears over this in solitude later. These girls are not just friends, they’re my family. We unite as the top 10 because we are a family. We genuinely support each other and I get choked up when I express this, but my love for each of these girls is unending. I’ll always stand by them.”

The victory marked the end of a lengthy journey for the Giants.

Colt shared, “We, a group of young women, initiated this program in 2019. Some of these girls were from our first-ever travel team. Unfortunately, we lost our co-founder, Coach James, to COVID in 2021. However, later that year, we made a comeback at the NFL Flag Nationals and clinched our first national championship in the 14U girls division. Winning this championship where we first won our summer nationals and completing the girls’ journey here is an incredibly rewarding experience.”

The weekend in Canton was deemed a success by Stephanie Kwok, an NFL vice president in charge of Flag Football.

“She said, “The 280-team tournament was everything we aspired for and beyond. The ability to highlight all these teams, boys, and girls was exceptional. We ensured that they had a weekend where they were the center of attention, under the spotlight.”

She continued, “The broadcast was exceptional, and I believe ESPN did an outstanding job featuring all the teams. The atmosphere around the grounds was electrifying, with immense energy from the parents, coaches, and players. Overall, the experience here at the Hall of Fame was simply amazing.”

Semifinals

APEX Predators Chargers 28, Bad Rabbits Raiders 7

Joncich and Palmer teamed up for four scoring plays in their semifinal, one of which was a 45-yarder that spanned the length of the field, leading APEX to a 28-7 victory over the Bad Rabbits Raiders.

APEX took the initial lead with a safety after the Bad Rabbits fumbled in the end zone. During the next possession, Joncich connected with Palmer, who impressively toe-tapped in the end zone’s back corner for a 13-yard touchdown.

On the final play of the first half, The Bad Rabbits scored with Camila Urzua passing 4 yards to Sofia Ayala, converting to make the score 9-7. This pair had previously connected on a 14-yard pass to establish the score.

The Bad Rabbits started the second half with momentum, taking the first possession into scoring range. However, their drive was halted by a Sinai Carter interception for APEX.

A couple of plays later, Palmer executed an over-the-shoulder catch and ran 45 yards with Joncich’s pass. Soon after, Hill intercepted a pass, setting up a short field. Joncich and Palmer then combined from the 2-yard line to extend the lead to 22-7.

In the final minute, the duo sealed the scoring with a 3-yard touchdown play.

Joncich successfully threw 11 out of her 17 passes, covering 143 yards. Palmer caught the ball six times, amassing 94 yards.

Urzua completed 11 out of 20 passes for 104 yards for the Bad Rabbits. Ayala received six passes for a total of 53 yards.

Staten Island Giants 7, Texas Fury Falcons 0

Fanetti connected with Janasia Wilson on a third-and-goal pass from the 7-yard line, resulting in the only score of the game, leading to a Giants win in a defensive struggle. The decisive play occurred with just 2:06 remaining.

In response, The Fury drove to the 11 in the final seconds of the game. However, the game ended when they could not complete a pass at the 2.

In the first half, the only significant threat came from Staten Island. However, their drive was halted by a pass break-up in the end zone by the Fury’s Hannah Jayes. The Giants also made a deep drive on their initial possession of the second half. Yet, a sack by the Fury’s Caroline Jayes resulted in a turnover on downs.

Fanetti managed to complete 16 passes, covering a distance of 142 yards. Gandlin, Allison was able to make seven catches, totalling 67 yards. Caetano, KyLee, the rusher, was a significant contributor, managing to sack and consistently pressure the Fury’s star quarterback, Wallace, Ava. Wallace ended the game with 114 yards passed on 16 completions from 25 attempts. Thompson, Mary Nell, caught eight passes, making a team-high of 62 yards.