Beekmantown's second-half rally falls short in state semifinals

HOMER | Beekmantown's remarkable run through the flag football state playoffs concluded in the semifinals. The Eagles suffered a 38-33 loss to Section IV's Owego Free Academy on Saturday, June 7 at Homer High School. Beekmantown finished its season 19-2, and Section VI's Pioneer outlasted Owego 13-12 in overtime for the state championship the next day. The Eagles trailed by as much as 32-14 with 14:03 remaining, but Beekmantown rallied to pull within 32-27. Payton Parliament broke free for a 49-yard touchdown run, and she hooked up with Grace McCasland for a 9-yard TD pass. The River Hawks got their lead back to two scores with 5:01 left, when Kylie Grippen hit Lexi Herceg for an 18-yard touchdown strike. McCasland hauled in her second touchdown pass, this time on a 69-yard play, to get the Eagles to 38-33 with 3:42 to play. But Beekmantown was unable to take its first lead down the stretch. Owego came out strong in the first half, jumping to an early 26-14 lead behind the play of Olivia Dodge and Ashlyn Dalton. Dodge opened the scoring with a 21-yard run, followed by Dalton's 22-yard touchdown reception from Grippen. Despite a few missed extra points, Owego kept the pressure on, with Dodge adding an 8-yard touchdown catch just 11 seconds before halftime. Parliament anchored the Eagles from both sides of the ball. She rushed 18 times for 126 yards and two touchdowns while also completing 12-of-21 passes for 214 yards and three more scores. McCasland led all receivers with six catches for 152 yards and two touchdowns. Emily Burke added a touchdown reception. Parliament also made an impact on defense, pulling a team-high 13 flags. Jillian Hagadorn, McCasland and Natalie Stone each added six pulls. Grace Blazina recorded Beekmantown's lone sack, while Hagadorn grabbed an interception. The Eagles entered the game No. 3 in the latest New York State Sportswriters Association Class C rankings. They defeated Section II's Holy Trinity 13-12 and Section III's Oneida 56-21 to reach the final four. — Owego Free Academy 38, Beekmantown 33 Beekmantown 14 19 — 33 Owego 26 12 — 38 First half O- Dodge 21 run (conversion failed), 22:10. O- Dalton 22 pass from Grippen (conversion failed), 18:42. B- Burke 3 pass from Parliament (conversion good), 15:25. O- Dalton 16 run (conversion good), 11:01. B- Parliament 4 run (conversion good), 6:02. O- Dodge 8 pass from Grippen (conversion good), 0:11. Second half O- Dodge 23 pass from Grippen (conversion failed), 14:54. B- Parliament 49 run (conversion good), 14:02. B- McCasland 9 pass from Parliament (conversion failed), 11:26. O- Herceg 18 pass from Grippen (conversion failed), 5:01. B- McCasland 69 pass from Parliament (conversion failed), 3:42. Individual statistics Rushing B- Parliament 18-126, 2TD. Passing B- Parliament 12-21-214, 3TD. Receiving B- McCasland 6-152, 2TD; Hagadorn 2-39; Svendsen 2-16; Stone 1-4; Burke 1-3, TD Flags pulled B- Parliament 13; Hagadorn 6; McCasland 6; Stone 6; Blazina 3; Burke; Ebere; Hooker Sacks B- Blazina Interceptions B- Hagadorn

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Beekmantown's second-half rally falls short in state semifinals

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