The Columbia High School girls flag football team defeated Albany, 34-12, in the inaugural Section 2 Division I final at Troy High School on Wednesday, May 22, 2024. (Photo by Kevin Wang Photography – Columbia Athletics)
EAST GREENBUSH, N.Y. — Columbia University junior Alivia Lundy still vividly remembers when the first application forms were handed out this winter seeking applicants to join the school's new flag football team, which will compete in its inaugural Section 2 season.
“When the applications opened up, there were only about four girls, so it wasn't very popular at all,” Lundy said in an interview at Nicholas Badowski Field just before practice Thursday afternoon.
That gradually grew, Randy recalled, and within a month the number approached 30 and then topped 50 by the time of tryouts before the start of the season in April.
Since then, the growth has gone from gradual to exponential, and it didn't happen on paper, but rather in the film room and on the field: In Year 1, Columbia advanced to the Final Four after winning its first-ever district title, followed by its first-ever NYSPHSAA Division I Regional Championship.
“The plan when it started was to get as many kids together as we could. We had kids from a variety of sports and non-sports, so when we got the kids together, the coaches had a plan and we had goals,” Cavotta said Thursday. “Did we think we could achieve it? Not at first, but the kids had high expectations of themselves, and that made it more fun and more successful as the season went on.”
“It feels like a lot of things are happening really fast and honestly it's important to remember what we've done, where we started and what we're going to do going forward,” Lundy added.
Columbia's pioneering campaign has seen the team post a 14-1 overall record so far, but they'll face Section VIII's Plainview-Old Bethpage JFK, an established powerhouse in an emerging sport, in the state semifinals this Saturday at 9:45 a.m. at Cortland High School.
The Hawks have won 36 straight games over the past three seasons and have already won two state titles in the emerging sport, including last season when they were Class A at the time.
“The kids know that,” Cavotta said, “They just want to go out there and have an opportunity. They've worked hard to get in this position, so we'll see what happens.”
“We just understand that every game is 0-0, what's in the past is in the past and we're not going to win forever,” Randy added of his mindset going into the game. “We're going to be on the field because we tie our shoelaces the same way, and we can't hide anything on the field, so we'll just have to wait and see what happens.”
“We always strive to live up to expectations, but of course we don't know everything and we can always continue to learn. So we're definitely going to take the 'good' and note the 'bad' and stay true to ourselves.”
The Blue Devils are newcomers to the sport, but they also had to get used to the rules of the NYSPHSAA championship tournament, which differ from the usual Section 2 regular season and postseason, and Cavotta said that adjustment was made clear last Saturday as they claimed the regional title with a 12-0 win over Corning Painted Post at Shenendehowa High School.
“State has different rules on defense and you score a lot differently on a one-yard rush instead of seven, so we've had to adapt quickly as we've played differently all year,” Cavotta said. “We've had two practices leading up to the regional game and now we have a week. It's a lot harder to move the ball on a one-yard rush, so we're trying to run different things offensively and that adaptation also allows us to run more different things defensively.”
“It was good that it was 0-0 at halftime. We were doing what we needed to do defensively, but we struggled to move the ball. We knew that was going to be an issue,” he continued. “To play in the state semifinals, we obviously have more work to do. We've got to move the ball and be able to score more on offense.”
Defense hasn't been a big issue for Colombia, who have allowed 20 or more points in a game (unofficially) just three times this season.
“I preach defense a lot to my guys because I think it's a little bit different. It's a little bit harder to play defense in this game, but the guys have really embraced it,” Cavotta said. “We emphasize defense, we practice a lot of defense, we practice defense really hard. I really push the guys hard on the defensive side of things, and the guys have responded to everything the coaches have done, which has been awesome.”
The Blue Devils have also proven strong through the air, with sophomore Ava Tran catching four touchdown passes in a 34-12 district championship win over Albany and Lundy catching the game-winning touchdown pass from senior quarterback Bella Satarino in the regional championship game.
“Eye contact is so important. You can tell at this point when she's going to make eye contact with you and when she's not. I would say we've developed a bond. If I'm not open or guys start to focus on me, we have other great players and I think that's another big thing for our team. Some teams don't understand that. You can focus on one of us, but then the other guy is open,” Lundy said of connecting with his quarterback.
If there was any doubt that Columbia had forgotten about the third phase of the game, Lundy silenced it, adding a punt return for a touchdown to the line in last weekend's win over Corning Painted Post.
“I remember the kicker, she seemed to have a pattern of kicking to the left and kicking to my right, so I had a feeling the ball was going to come to me, but the chances of scoring on the punt return were slim, so in my mind I was like, 'I'm just gonna kick the ball, go and see what happens next,'” Lundy said, recalling the play that ultimately led to the Blue Devils' 12-0 victory and a trip to this weekend's Final Four.
“I didn't hear the whistle while I was running with the ball, but I kept running until I got in the end zone.”
Overall, the team has come a long way since this winter’s entry wish list, and it made it to Cortland, N.Y., on the final weekend of its inaugural campaign in 2024. But Columbia’s greatest strength, according to the team, isn’t found in the “X’s and O’s.”
“Bringing kids together from all angles, bringing them together, working together as a team, trying to come together. To me, that's what football is all about and they've embraced that,” Cavotta said proudly.
If the Blue Devils win Saturday, they'll advance to Sunday's NYSPHSAA Championship final to face the winner of Saturday's Division I semifinal (Scarsdale vs. Clarence). No matter how the weekend ends, history will surely have been made for a program and sport that's just getting started.
“They're setting the standard for how this program is going to go forward. Some of our (five) seniors feel like this is their only chance. They want to leave their mark and leave that for the other kids,” Cavotta said. “They're going to leave a legacy here that teams can follow in the future.”
“Especially at the beginning, a lot of people were like, 'Oh, flag football is just another sport,' but now we're in the state tournament so it's obviously more than just a sport,” Lundy added. “That means a lot and it just shows that flag football is becoming more and more popular, especially as we continue to make this run.”
