The Section 1 flag football championships kick off Saturday, May 23 at Lakeland High School in Shrub Oak.
Champions will be crowned in Class A, Class B and Class C. Winners advance to the New York State tournament.
Check back for updates. Here’s Saturday’s schedule.
Section 1 flag football championship
Class A: Mamaroneck 13, Scarsdale 7
Class B: No. 1 Tappan Zee vs. No. 2 Yorktown, 1 p.m.
Class C: No. 1 Westlake/Briarcliff vs. No. 7 Byram Hills, 3:30 p.m.
Mamaroneck dethrones Scarsdale to win Class A championship
Sure, the technique is still a work in the progress and she’s still learning the nuances, picking up on the subtle details with each film review and practice repetition. But, Sarah Sherman insisted, what she does have down is pretty effective.
“If I’ve got a piece of cardboard and the right kind of shoes,” the Mamaroneck senior said, “I can make it happen.”
She was talking about performing the Moonwalk.
After watching “Michael,” the recent Michael Jackson biopic, she and her flag football teammates have immersed themselves in 1980s pop music and adopted some of his hits as their unofficial theme songs.
Quite fitting, actually, as Sherman made out like a smooth criminal with two interceptions and helped Mamaroneck edge defending state champion Scarsdale in a 13-7 thriller, capturing the Section 1 Class A title.
Not bad for a program in its first varsity season.
“This feeling is incredible, especially because it’s the first championship I’ve been a part of,” quarterback Maddie Cashman said, while looking at her gold medal. The junior also plays on the soccer and basketball teams. “We put in so much work and learned so much from the start of the season, and it’s great to see it paying off.”
The Tigers () advance to the regional final and will face the Section 9 champion on June 2, 7:30 p.m. at Goshen High School.
Section 1 Class A received the at-large bid, which rotates between regions each season, so Scarsdale hasn’t been eliminated. The Raiders travel to the Binghamton area to face the Section 4 champion in a regional semifinal on Wednesday, 7 p.m. at Susquehanna Valley High School. With Mamaroneck and Scarsdale now on the opposite sides of the bracket, it creates the possibiility of the rivals having an eventual rematch in the state tournament.
The Tigers went up two scores in the third quarter on a gutsy fourth-down trick play. Running back Margaret Insley took the handoff and dashed left on what appeared to be a sweep, but the sophomore pulled and lofted a pass to the corner of the end zone. Elsy O’Connor, shielding the ball from a defensive back, made the contested catch for a 6-yard touchdown with 6:50 left in the period.
“It’s a championship game, so this is when you want to be aggressive and go for it,” said coach Anthony Vitti, who also led the Mamaroneck tackle football team to its first section title last fall. “It’s a play we usually reserve for extra-point attempts, but we thought that was a good spot to use it.”
Both offenses struggled under the persistent rain as the conditions made passing difficult. But Scarsdale made the fourth quarter interesting. getting on the board with Leah Brown’s 73-yard touchdown reception. The receiver caught a short pass then eluded two defenders along the sideline before racing to the end zone, pulling the Raiders to within 13-7 with 10:07.
That, along with its defense forcing three turnovers on downs in the fourth quarter, gave Scarsdale a chance at a dramatic comeback. But Sherman ranged to her left, reading the quarterback, and picked off a pass in the flat with 2:02 remaining, essentially sealing the win.
Sherman, a versatile defensive lineman, also had two sacks, two pressures and a pass breakup that forced a turnover on downs.
Cashman put Mamaroneck on the board 1:21 before halftime, rolling to her right and finding Anna Pederson open for a 6-yard touchdown.
Stephen Haynes covers sports for The Journal News/lohud.
No. 1 Tappan Zee (16-1) vs. No. 2 Yorktown (17-1)
Second quarter: Sophia Marcello 15 TD pass to Eva Monaco for Yorktown. XP no good. Tappan Zee 7, Yorktown 6.
INT by Tappan Zee’s Addy Zayac with 4:10 left in the first half.
End first quarter: Tappan Zee 7, Yorktown 0.
1st quarter: Eve Girardi 10-yard touchdown run. Girardi to Sabatini complete on the XP. Tappan Zee 7, Yorktown 0.
Eve Girardi intercepted a Yorktown pass to get the ball back for Tappan Zee.
Game is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. Weather is rainy at 54 degrees.
No. 1 Scarsdale (15-2) vs. No. 3 Mamaroneck (11-4-1)
We’re live from Lakeland High School in Shrub Oak for the Section 1 Class A flag football championship.
Final: Mamaroneck 13, Scarsdale 7
Fourth quarter: Leah Brown 75-yard touchdown reception from Reese Newman. Newman to Asen for conversion. Mamaroneck 13, Scarsdale 7.
End third quarter: Mamaroneck 13, Scarsdale 0. Sarah Sherman has been a dominant force on defense for Mamaroneck.
Third quarter: Margaret Insley 6-yard-pass to Elsy O’Connor. Cashman to Pederson for the two-point conversion. 6:50 left: Mamaroneck 13, Scarsdale 0.
Halftime: Mamaroneck 6, Scarsdale 0
2nd quarter: Both of these teams will advance to the state tournament as Section 1 has the at-large bid to the state tournament in Class A. Tight game so far and these teams split the season series.
Scarsdale was in the red zone to start the second quarter, but turned over on downs. 10:38 left, second quarter, still no score.
7:27 left, second quarter. Still 0-0. Mamaroneck has a fourth and 1 at the 39. Maddie Cashman got the first down on a keeper.
4:38 left, second quarter. Mamaroneck punts. Scarsdale takes over. Here’s some sideline analysis from Stephen Haynes, who is down there. Both offenses struggling to complete passes consistently. There have been several drops, which is understandable in the rain. Sarah Sherman has stood out on Mamaroneck’s defense. She’s got a sack that stalled a drive, a pressure and a pass breakup that forced a turnover on downs.
1:21 left, second quarter. Maddie Cashman 6-yard touchdown pass to Anna Pederson. Conversion failed. Mamaroneck 6, Scarsdale 0.
1st quarter: Both teams turned it over on downs early in the period. Scarsdale is in the red zone. End of the first quarter: Scarsdale 0, Mamaroneck 0.
A look at the teams competing in the Section 1 flag football championships
Here’s a look at each of the teams playing for a Section 1 championship on Saturday.
Scarsdale is seeking its third straight Section 1 title and won the state championship last season.
Tappan Zee is looking for its second straight Section 1 title and made it to the state championship last season.
Who has won the Section 1 title in flag football?
2025: Scarsdale (Class A), Tappan Zee (Class B), Hendrick Hudson (Class C)
2024: Scarsdale (Division I), Brewster (Division II)
2023: Lakeland (Division I), Eastchester (Division II)
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Mamaroneck wins ‘A’, Section 1 flag football championships live updates
Reporting by Stephen Haynes and Phil Strum, Rockland/Westchester Journal News / Rockland/Westchester Journal News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
