SECTION 4 FLAG FOOTBALL: HORSEHEADS RALLIES FOR WIN OVER ELMIRA (24 PHOTOS) (April 28, 2025)

By Brian Fees
Southern Tier Sports Report
HORSEHEADS — Down 12-6 at the half, the Horseheads flag football team got two scores in the final 10 minutes to top Elmira 19-12 on Monday night.

Elmira got long touchdown passes from Mariah Matias to Madi Jones and Ella Devlin in the first half.

Horseheads got a touchdown pass from Jessica Als to Shiloh McInerney, the first touchdown catch of the sophomore’s career.

“It was very exciting, especially against Elmira,” McInerney said.

With time ticking away in the second half the Blue Raiders went to the run game. Blunt broke off a 37-yard run in the second half, and then with 9:18 left she ran in from three yards out to tie the game at 12.

“When we get those runs like that it helps bring our confidence up,” Blunt said. “I was like I’ve got to get this. When I got to our run I was like this is our time to shine. We have got the blocks down, we have the run.”

The Blue Raiders came through on defense then as Emma Kamas picked off an Elmira pass. Elmira’s defense also had an interception in the half as Matias picked off a pass.

With 3:46 left Kamas made her mark on the offensive end, hauling in a touchdown pass from Als. Als then hit Maddie Ribble on the one-point extra point to make it 19-12.

For Kamas it hadn’t been the best night, but she came up clutch in big moments.

“I knew I wasn’t having the best of games today,” she said. “And to have that final moment and have my team still believing in me and giving me the ball in that time period was something super special and heartwarming.”

The Horseheads defense came up big one more time as Maggie Sullivan intercepted a pass in the final seconds of the game to seal the win.

“It was good because I saw my team celebrating me and it felt good,” Sullivan said. “I was very excited, very happy and happy I could do that for my team.”

Just like the last time they played Elmira, when Horseheads won a close game, they knew they would be in for a tough test again on Monday.

“It was definitely hard work,” Kamas said. “Like last time, we came into the game knowing it wasn’t going to be easy it was going to be a battle to the end.”

Winning this game is a big boost for the Blue Raiders.

“It definitely boosts our confidence,” Kamas said. “Beating Elmira, beating any rivalry game, any win for us is a big win. We like to celebrate each other’s successes.”

With another game on Wednesday at Union-Endicott the win just adds some confidence going into that game.

“It just boosts our confidence,” McInerney said.
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PHOTOS BY BRIAN FEES

PHOTO GALLERY FROM THE GAME:


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