Horace Greeley Girls Varsity Flag Football off to a Winning Start in 2025
by Warren Rosenberg, MetroSports Magazine - March 27, 2025
Thursday, March 27th was opening day for the 2025 New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHAA) varsity girls flag football season. Among those teams in NYSPHAA Section 1 taking to the field that day were the Horace Greeley High School Quakers and the visiting Poughkeepsie High School Pioneers. On the weekend preceeding this season opener, all teams of NYSPHSAA Section 1 Flag Football participated in a clinic with members of the NFL’s New York Giants held at Somers High School.
From the looks of this opening game’s passing, receiving, running, and defensive play, these athletes have learned well the fundamentals of the game. Commenting on the Giants’ support of girls high school flag football, Tara Belinsky, Manager of Community Relations and Youth Football for New York Giants, has noted that, “Girls want to play football. We (the NY Giants) want to remove any obstacles and give them that opportunity. Once we did that, these schools took complete ownership, and what you’re seeing today is the result — athleticism, competition, and sportsmanship.”
On a cool but sunny afternoon, both teams took the field in Chappaqua, NY, with high aspirations for the coming season of play. It took Greeley just under five minutes to score first on a quarterback run by Hera Isakaj and follow-up with the extra point on a pass to take a 7-0 lead. Less than two minutes later Greeley scored again and, as the first half was winding down, with just under six minutes remaining, scored once again bringing the score at half-time to a 20-0 Greeley advantage.
Horace Greeley senior, Campbell Gavin, expressing her thoughts on the game said, “This was a great start to my senior year of flag football. I am proud to be apart of such a wonderful, dedicated and passionate group of girls. We came out strong and showed what we want to accomplish this season. We will only improve, by getting faster, smarter and closer as a team.”
Poughkeepsie achieved the first touchdown of the second half and then both teams traded goals bringing the score to a 27-12 Greeley lead with just under 6 minutes remaining in the game.
But the Quakers weren’t done yet! In the final minute, Greely scored once again with Hera Isakaj running it in for a touchdown followed by the extra point conversion and finishing an outstanding team performance in their opening game with a final score of 34-12. Junior, Maya Vohra, stated that “the way we, as a team, have started to connect really showed on the field today, and our chemistry both on and off the field will hopefully lead to more wins!” And, the next day it did as Greeley went on to defeat Peekskill High School by the score of 13-6.
Sophomore Hera Isakaj was the dominant player of the opening game for Greeley accumulating a total of 118 yeard rusing and 53 yards passing when positioned as QB. She noted that, “Our win today really shows our hard work in practice and sets a great foundation for our upcoming season. I’m excited to continue growing as a team.”
Also contributing to Greeley’s scoring drives was Leighton Rigger who threw for 55 yards and one touchdown.
Above: Leighton Rigger (#5) gaining yards on the ground toward her 55 yard total. Below: Isabella Flores (#12) on one of her many offensive runs.
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