Fourth-seeded Lehman Lions (11–2) were down just four points, with a chance to grab its first lead in the Public School Athletic League flag football semifinals Thursday night on Randall’s Island.
Enid Rodriguez, of the Fort Hamilton Tigers (12–1), watched Lehman quarterback Janee Tucker carefully, looking for an advantage and a chance to quell the Lions growing momentum. The Tigers’ senior defensive back checked Tucker’s eyes and then her hands, trying to figure out where she was going to throw the ball
“I just followed the quarterback,” said the ultra-athletic Rodriguez, who also plays wide receiver.
She guessed right. Jumping up perfectly to intercept the pass thrown to Chole Walton, Rodriquez ran the 10 yards into the end zone for a momentum swinging score. Lehman was never in position to take the lead again and No. 1 Fort Hamilton held on for a 55–51 win.
“When I was watching [Walton’s] hands reach for it, it was telling me to get there before her,” said Rodriguez, who also caught two touchdowns while playing offense.
The win earned the Tigers their desired return trip to the championship game. The Tigers, last season’s city runner-up, will play No. 2 Tottenville at 4:30 pm on June 4 at Aviator Sports Complex. Fort Hamilton wants nothing more than to erase the memory of the 46–40 loss to John F. Kennedy in last season’s title game.
“There are not words to describe how bad we want this,” Rodriguez said.
The Tiger’s first-year starting quarterback Maria Papadakos, a sophomore, tossed six touchdowns and ran for another on a 40-yard playing field. Her learning curve has been quick. She threw two first half touchdowns to Maria Anthoulis. Her 2-yard strike to Aroubah Iqbal put Fort Hamilton up 35–25 on Lehman in the first half and her 1-yard scoring run made it 55–45 with less than 2 minutes to play.
“Every game she is trying learn the game,” Fort Hamilton coach Richard Sherry said. “She’s going through her reads, which is pretty impressive for a 15-year-old girl.”
Papadakos played behind senior Virginia Mancuso last season. She saw part-time duty, coming in when the Tigers needed her strong arm for a long and accurate throw down field. Since then Papadakos has become a complete player, making all the throws and feeling confident in herself.
“Quarterback is a position for leadership, so I carry the team in way where I set an example for everyone else,” Papadakos said.
She needed a little help from her defense in the season’s biggest game to date. In her mind, as well as Sherry’s, Rodriguez interception changed everything. It provided the spark that carried over throughout the game.
“It [made] the game for us,” Papadakos said. “We knew we had it.”
Reach reporter Joseph Staszewski at jstaszewski@cnglocal.com. Follow him on twitter @cng_staszewski.
