John Jay season ends in playoff loss to Brewster

Maya Koronowski carries for John jay against Brewster. Jim MacLean photos

Quarterback Jaime Bartley-Cohen evades a tackler.

By JIM MACLEAN

Sometimes it’s not just about the wins and losses.

For the John Jay girls varsity flag football team the season came to an end Saturday, May 17, with a 19-0 playoff loss on the road at Brewster. However, the Wolves left the field with their heads held high knowing what they had accomplished this year.

John Jay started the program last year and the Wolves finished with just two wins. For the seniors on the roster who helped launch the program last year, this was a big difference as the Wolves won a playoff game and finished the year at 9-9 overall. Brewster is the defending Section 1 Class B Champions and the top-seeded Bears are undefeated this year, but John Jay made them work for it and battled to the final whistle.

“I was very hesitant to join and signed up the day before tryouts because my friends were telling me to give it a try, and it ended up being my favorite part of high school,” explained senior Maya Koronowski. “I made some of my closest friends on this team and we had fun. We’ve grown tremendously as a team learning a new sport all in it together. We definitely came a long way since last year, and I’m just really proud of everyone on this team.”

All the John Jay seniors know that they helped get the program started, and they know how far they have come in just two years. Quarterback Jaime Bartley-Cohen earned All-Section honors for her efforts on the field leading the Wolves. Koronowski and Gianna Pelosi both earned All-League honors.

“Coming into the season we weren’t sure what to expect, new coaches, a lot of new girls, but we really gave everything we could and had a phenomenal season,” said senior Bartley-Cohen. “Brewster is a great team and we did what we could. From the first time I picked up the ball two years ago to now, I feel like a completely different player. I love this sport. To see it start off the ground last year to where we are today, I’m proud of what we accomplished.”

Brewster pounced on a couple of opportunities in the first half to open up a 13-0 lead by halftime, and the Bears struck again on their first possession of the second half to make it 19-0.

However, the John Jay defense stood tall the rest of the way to keep one of the top offenses in the section in check. Brewster had another opportunity with excellent field position deep in John Jay territory after a blocked punt, but the drive was stopped as Sadie Walworth came up with an interception in the end zone for John Jay.

On the ensuing possession, John Jay went for it on fourth down and two yards to go for the first, but Brewster stopped the Wolves and took over at the 25-yard line. The Bears completed a pass down to the 10-yard line, but the John Jay defense held and took over on downs.

The defensive effort in the loss stood out for John Jay coach Jimmy Clark as the Wolves battled until the end. 

“That is a really good team (Brewster) with an amazing running back and they can really throw the ball,” Clark said of Brewster. “The way we contained them was great for us and that’s the aggressiveness of our defense getting after them. Our three linebackers; Maya, Jaime and Mitzi Chan did a really nice job.”

To get to the quarterfinals, John Jay opened the playoffs with a 12-0 victory on Thursday, May 15 over Eastchester. Koronowski broke free for a long touchdown carry for the first score, and she scored the second touchdown as well for the Wolves. The defense did the rest with the shutout playoff victory.

“We came a long way and had an extraordinary season,” said Clark. “We learned a lot and developed and we were right in the mix. Brewster is like 34-0 the last two years, and at the end of the game the girls are begging me to go for it on fourth down, they were playing tough defense, they wanted to keep playing. That says a lot about their character.”