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By Steven Zaitz

It was all smiles for the Northport flag football team during their pre-game warmup before facing Harborfields on April 19.

The sun was shining, it was the Friday afternoon before spring break, and the Lady Tigers were coming off their third straight win – a dominating 32-12 destruction of crosstown Commack. 

With the second-division Tornados coming to town, Northport was poised to win their fourth game in a row and inch closer to the playoffs in their second year of existence. 

But then the game started.

On the very first play from scrimmage, Harborfields quarterback Kate Lysaght hit receiver Scarlet Carey with a short pass in the left flat. 

Carey dodged two Northport defenders, cut to the middle of the field, and in a flash, was gone. It was a 60-yard touchdown catch and run and it put the Tigers in an immediate 6-0 hole. The smiles, so bright and omnipresent on the Northport sideline just seconds before, were suddenly gone.

“She [Carey] is very fast, but we had a few chances to grab her flag on that play, but we just missed it,” said Northport head coach Pat Campbell. “We work on grabbing that flag in practice and we have gotten a lot better at it, but not on that play.”

The Tigers, anxious to counter, spent most of the first half moving the ball and picking up first downs but they had nothing to show for it. 

Blossoming superstar quarterback Grace Gilmartin, a sophomore, is leading all of Long Island in total yardage with 2,056. But she couldn’t punch it in after a long drive on the Tiger’s first possession and threw an interception in the Tornado end zone with five and half minutes to go in the half. 

“We’ve learned that it’s very hard to score in flag football.” said Campbell. “It’s 20 yards for a first down and you need to convert on explosive plays. For most of that first half, we couldn’t do that.”

Most of the half – but not all.

With under two minutes left in the half, the Lady Tigers faced a third down from the Harborfields 20. Gilmartin dropped back and just as she was about to be sacked, found center Nina Corbett,  short over the middle. Corbett reached up high and caught the very back end of the ball and collected herself, Deceptively quick, Corbett ran away from Carey, cut to her right, and scampered past Tornado defensive-back Annie Aguilar at the pylon for a touchdown. Northport wide-receiver Sarah Power converted the extra point that gave the Lady Tigers a 7-6 lead. They would never look back, dominate the second half, and win the game 27-6.

“Grace got rushed but we were able to connect just before they got to her,” said the sophomore Corbett. “She is always able to make the tough throw under pressure or run when she has to. That was a huge play and I was really excited when I realized I scored to tie the game.”

Corbett, who is almost always smiling, finally gave the home team and their fans a reason to do the same. It was her second touchdown of the year.

“Nina’s smile is contagious,” said three-way star and captain Hazel Carlson. “Her touchdown was very important for our team and brought us so much energy for the rest of the game.“

Carlson, who plays middle linebacker, receiver and punt returner, had 27 combined flag pulls in the games against Commack and Harborfields. The sophomore is the orchestrator of the Tiger defense that allowed next to nothing after the Tornados blew in for their early touchdown. She also had 54 yards of offense and a 42-yard punt return.  Carlson is in the Suffolk County top ten in both rushing and receiving on offense, and in flag pulls on defense. 

“Hazel is exceptional,” said Campbell. “She sees the ball carrier and always takes the right path. She plays on all three phases of the game, always plays hard, and is just fun to watch.”

Also fun to watch is the evolution of Gilmartin as a quarterback. Last year as a freshman, her information processing and decision-making was, well, freshman-like. There is a stark difference in her play in 2024. She has mastered the run-pass-option X and is playing with much more confidence and zeal.

“This year, Grace is as good a thrower of the football as there is in the county,” said Campbell. “When she sets he feet and squares her shoulders, she throws darts.”

Gilmartin has a quarterback rating of 100.8 after the Harborfields win; a very good number and a 25-point improvement over 2023.

“The more games I play, the more I’ve become aware of what is a good throw and what is not,” said the lead-by-example Gilmartin. “I feel more comfortable with my decisions this year.”

Another change for the Tigers this year is the addition of defensive back Kate Pitfick, who is tied for the county lead with six interceptions. Along with Carlson, right cornerback Dana Restivo, outside linebacker Stephanie Milanos, and pass rushers Caroline Bender and Ella Laposta, the Northport defense has been virtually leak-proof. They have given up an average of seven and a half points a game over the last four contests.

The senior Pitfick is happy she decided to play flag football this year.

“The girls and coaches are all amazing and made me feel so welcomed.” said Pitfick. “I played football in the street with my brothers growing up and they usually stuck me on defense.  I owe a lot to them.”

 Power had nine catches for 141 yards, including a 58-yard touchdown, and two extra points. She is second on Long Island in receiving with 576 yards. She also has the second-most extra point conversions with seven, Gilmartin had 300 yards of total offense against Harborfields and accounted for three touchdowns. Gilmartin and Pitfick also had long touchdowns in the second half and Campbell finally had plenty of the explosive plays he was looking for.

“It feels great to be part of a winning team,” said Pitfick. I’ve made such great friends during this time.”

With their fourth straight win and their first-ever playoff berth a developing possibility, Pitfick, and her Lady Tiger friends, have great reason to smile.