John Jay turns the corner and has fun on the flag football field

Clockwise from top left, Quarterback Jaime Bartley-Cohen rolls out for the Wolves. Nonie Whelan carries after a reception for the Wolves. Sadie Walworth heads for the end zone after an interception. Quarterback Jaime Bartley-Cohen rolls out for the Wolves. JIM MACLEAN PHOTOS

By JIM MACLEAN

One big play after another, one more player in the spotlight, the smiles spread around the field for the John Jay varsity flag football team.

The Wolves had reason to smile as five different players scored five touchdowns to build a 32-0 lead by halftime, and John Jay cruised to a 38-6 victory over Eastchester at home on April 7.

“Everyone played, we tried to spread the ball around, teaching them to do a spread offense, how to attack the defense, and they’re doing a great job picking it up,” John Jay coach Jimmy Clark said of his team. “They played a very strategic game, played great and had a lot of fun.”

John Jay got rolling on its second possession of the game as Lina Halaifonua hauled in a touchdown pass from quarterback Jaime Bartley-Cohen for a 6-0 lead.

It didn’t take long for the Wolves to strike again, this time from the defensive end as Sadie Walworth intercepted a pass and returned it for a touchdown, and Bartley-Cohen carried it in for the extra point and a 13-0 lead.

Next up it was Gianna Pelosi as she scored on a long touchdown pass from Bartley-Cohen to make it 19-0.

On its next possession, John Jay struck again. After a long pass from Bartley-Cohen to Walworth set up the Wolves with a first-and-goal situation, Nonie Whelan hauled in a pass over the middle and stretched out to reach the end zone and make it 25-0.

John Jay wasn’t finished yet for the half with one more possession and a minute left to play. Bartley-Cohen carried it in herself for the touchdown in the final seconds, and she connected with Julie Berisha on the extra point to make it 32-0 at the half.

Bartley-Cohen continues to shine leading the offense for the Wolves, but Clark feels the win over Eastchester really showcased how everyone is getting involved making the Wolves a tougher team to defend.

“She fits the mold as a quarterback, tough, athletic, she makes plays, makes good decisions, there is a lot on her plate every play and she’s doing it really well,” Clark said of Bartley-Cohen. “All the girls are playing their role and we’ve seen tremendous growth, getting open and making plays.”

What a difference a year has made for the John Jay program. Last year was the first year of varsity flag football and the Wolves won one game. This year, after the win over Eastchester, John Jay is off to a 4-2 start overall.

“It’s been great, definitely the kids want to compete and win, and at the same time have fun,” Clark said of the fast start. “We’re coaching them to put them in position to be successful and for us to see the growth they’ve made learning the game has been tremendous. They love the game and they’re having a blast.”

John Jay opened the season with a convincing 40-20 victory over rival Somers, and that helped convince the Wolves that they had the chance to make this season a lot different than last year.

“That was the game that showed we have some potential, Somers is a good team with a couple of years of experience, and for us to start the year like that was a real confidence builder,” admitted Clark. “We didn’t talk about wins starting the year, it was about learning the process, and they showed it in that first game.”

The Wolves defeated Somers a second time to prove the first win wasn’t a fluke by a score of 19-6. John Jay also defeated Poughkeepsie 40-13, and suffered a pair of tough shutout losses to Yorktown 8-0 and Lakeland 13-0 to stand at 4-2 overall.

One reason Clark is optimistic is the performance on the defensive side of the ball as the Wolves continue to shut down the opposition, even a strong Lakeland team that advanced to the finals last year and were the sectional champs the year before.

“Our defense has been most impressive, they fly around and get to the ball and the defense has really stepped up,” said Clark. “Against Yorktown we didn’t have Jaime and played them tough, and Lakeland is a powerhouse and we played them tough. We’re in the mix, we have to keep working, keep progressing and enjoy the process.”