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

CANTON, July 21, 2024 – Understanding that every possession in the game was crucial, Michael Colt, coach of the Staten Island Giants, knew he had no room for wasting opportunities.

Thus, as his team took the offensive with a minute and a half remaining before the break, he was on the hunt for momentum.

Staten Island triumphed in the Girls 18U title game at the NFL Flag Championships on Sunday in Canton, Ohio, propelling the Giants to a 28-7 victory over the APEX Predators Chargers. This pivotal series was discovered by Staten Island.

“I desired to swipe a possession before the half ended, even if it meant exhausting all three timeouts,” Colt expressed. “My main goal was to grab that possession knowing that they were going to start the second half with the ball. I didn’t want them to gain the upper hand through a shift in momentum.”

“We executed a significant play, gained some yards, and I announced, ‘We’re going full throttle on this drive.’ And indeed, that’s exactly what we did.”

The Giants successfully made four successive passes, advancing the ball to the Chargers’ 6-yard line, with just enough time for one more play before the halftime break. Following a defensive holding violation in the end zone, Staten Island was awarded an untimed down from the 1-yard line.

Taking a quick dart, Valentina Fanetti struck Olivia Rijo to secure a 14-7 lead for the Giants, who never relinquished their advantage.

After misfiring on her first three pass attempts, Fanetti completed 14 consecutive passes, including four touchdowns and four conversions, earning her the game’s Most Valuable Player honors.

“She said afterwards, “I will be indebted to the girls. We exchanged stories about what we saw out there and gave it our best effort.”

“We unanimously committed to executing our routes with 100 percent effort, regardless of the circumstances. Whether serving as a decoy, receiving the ball, or being the secondary or tertiary option, we put our all into running our routes. This level of commitment is characteristic of a championship team.”

Fanetti had a difficult beginning, including being sacked on the first play from scrimmage. However, she managed to focus and later connected with Jade Mazziotta from 15 yards away, scoring the first points for the Giants and leveling the game at 7-7.

Allison Gandlin, who was named the NFL Flag Player of the Year at the NFL Honors earlier this year, secured two touchdown passes in the second half. These passes were from 8 and 5 yards out, with the latter occurring immediately after the APEX Predators lost possession of the ball due to insufficient downs.

The Chargers appeared sharp from the start, swiftly advancing with their initial possession.

A 7-0 lead was secured for APEX when Brooklyn Hill caught a well-aimed throw from Maci Joncich and stealthily placed her foot in the back corner of the end zone.

Despite only finishing with 58 yards passing due to constant pressure and good coverage from the Giants, Joncich still managed to contribute. Jaylani Palmer was able to make four catches for 32 yards.

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

Fanetti completed 14 out of 17 for 116 yards with zero turnovers. However, she stated that her calm demeanor after the game did not reflect her genuine emotions.

“She declared, “I’m certainly overwhelmed with emotions. It might not be visible now, but I might end up shedding tears over this later. These girls are nothing short of family to me. We are united as the top ten, bound by familial ties. We genuinely support one another. I become choked up as I say this but my love for each one of these girls is perennial. I will always be there for them, no matter what.”

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

Colt shared, “In 2019, my group of young women and I initiated this program. Some of these girls were part of the first team we ever chose to travel with. We experienced a significant loss in 2021 due to the passing of our co-founder, Coach James, amidst the COVID pandemic. However, later that year, we managed to bounce back and win our first national championship at the NFL Flag Nationals in the 14U girls division. The victory was even more meaningful as it took place where we had won our first summer nationals. Completing the girls’ journey here has been an extraordinary experience.”

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

“She spoke highly of the 280-team tournament, saying it was beyond their expectations. She emphasized how they were able to highlight every team, boy, and girl. Ensuring that they had a weekend of being the center of attention, being in the spotlight,” she stated.

“Following the broadcast, I believe it was spectacular. ESPN excellently showcased every team. Walking around the venue, the energy from parents, coaches, and players was palpable,” she continued, “Overall, the experience at the Hall of Fame was simply remarkable.”

Semifinals

APEX Predators Chargers 28, Bad Rabbits Raiders 7

In the semifinal, Joncich and Palmer managed four scoring plays, one of which was a length-of-the-field 45-yarder, leading APEX to a 28-7 victory over the Bad Rabbits Raiders.

APEX got the first points on the board thanks to a safety resulting from a Bad Rabbits fumble in the end zone. During the subsequent play, Joncich connected with Palmer. Palmer expertly executed a toe-tap in the end zone’s back corner, completing a 13-yard touchdown.

The Bad Rabbits managed to score on the last play of the first half, with Camila Urzua throwing a 4-yard pass to Sofia Ayala. They then converted to bring the score to 9-7. Earlier, the duo had successfully completed a 14-yard pass which set up this score.

The momentum from the first half continued into the second, with the Bad Rabbits advancing their initial possession into a scoring position. However, APEX’s Sinai Carter intercepted, halting the drive.

Palmer executed an over-the-shoulder catch two plays later and carried Joncich’s pass for 45 yards. Moments later, a short field was set up by Hill’s interception. Joncich and Palmer then teamed up from the 2, expanding the lead to 22-7.

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

Joncich successfully completed 11 out of her 17 passes, covering a distance of 143 yards. Palmer, on the other hand, made six receptions, covering 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, securing a victory for the Giants in a defensive showdown. The decisive play occurred with just 2:06 remaining.

In the final seconds of the game, the Fury pushed forward to the 11, but an incompletion at the 2 ended the match.

In the first half, Staten Island staged the only significant threat, but their drive was halted by a pass break-up in the end zone by the Fury’s Hannah Jayes. Additionally, in their first possession of the second half, the Giants had a deep drive, but a sack by the Fury’s Caroline Jayes resulted in a turnover on downs.

Fanetti achieved 142 yards with 16 completed passes. Allison Gandlin managed to make seven catches totaling 67 yards. KyLee Caetano, the rusher, made a significant contribution with a sack and maintained incessant pressure on the Fury’s notable quarterback, Ava Wallace. Wallace ended the game with 114 yards passing from 16 successful completions out of 25 attempts. Mary Nell Thompson led the team with eight catches amounting to 62 yards.