With back-to-back home wins, the Bonac girls flag football team is 2-2 — their win percentage at .500 — for the first time in four years. They beat Smithtown Christian 19-13 on April 14, after shutting out Southampton 50-0 on March 31.
“This is our first two in a row. Our first two. It’s a big two!” said Erin Gillott, the head coach. “Our first season we had one win out of the gate. It was our first year of a brand-new program. Second season, we had two but we were just discussing it doesn’t really count because one of them, the other team forfeited. And then last year, everyone knows we went 0 and whatever.”
In spite of the winless record last year, Coach Gillott says quite a few girls came back to play this season. In the last two wins, the scoring has come from those seasoned players and rookies alike. The first touchdown of the game against Smithtown Christian was a freshman-to-freshman pass from Callie Amicucci to Jackie Geehreng.
“Jackie Geehreng is a freshman and so is our quarterback Callie Amicucci. They have improved so much,” Josh Brussell, their assistant coach, said. “Callie threw interceptions. I told her to shake it off. She did a little ‘Taylor Swift’ — it was awesome. They’re really learning how to play and not worry about it. Even when they drop the ball, the pass was on, the receiver was right there. It’s incredible to see they’re actually starting to get football knowledge. And Evie [Geehring]! Evie had a huge interception. They were all doing great! Denisse [Vinansaca] is always a beast. Everyone had an effect today, which was cool.”
Vinansaca and Evie Geehring, Jackie’s older sister, are both senior captains. Evie had an interception that set the tone. “It was pretty early on in the game,” she said. “It’s important to get those because it deters them from trying to throw the long ball and then we can focus on defending the shorter runs, which tire them out more.”
In just their fourth season, the girls are getting to know both the game and one another, making plays and communicating. Vinansaca thinks that will make the difference going forward. “We have to work on some things on offense, but we’re better now. We have good teammates. We are good friends. We’re a family now. Everyone can help each other. We communicate a lot. I think the key to winning is being a good teammate and communicating with your team.”
Their coaches believe their humility is the other key ingredient, “Our girls are humble. Even when we’re losing, they play to the bitter end,” Coach Gillott said. “That’s what we’re trying to instill in them, but it always feels good when they win.”
