The Baldwinsville flag football team put together an impressive defensive performance on Thursday.
The Bees kept Syracuse West off the scoreboard in a 12-0 victory in the Section III Division I semifinal round.
“Our defense was remarkable. They stepped it up,” Baldwinsville coach Kathy Morse said.
Morse said that sophomore Lyla Weber, who returned from injury the past few weeks, was the centerpiece of Baldwinsville’s defensive attack.
“It made a huge difference for us with Lyla playing tonight,” Morse said. “She pulls flags very well and she helped contain the run game.”
The Bees scored their touchdowns in the second half. Senior Aubrey Rizzo recorded a rushing TD, and senior Gabriella Valentine threw a pass to senior Maddie Simons for another score.
Baldwinsville bounced back on Thursday following a loss to Syracuse West on Monday.
“I’m just so proud of these girls for fighting through injuries and grinding it out,” Morse said. “These kids don’t give up.”
Baldwinsville (9-3) faces second-seeded Syracuse East in the championship game at 7 pm Friday at Henninger High School.
The Bees and Syracuse East split their regular-season series. Baldwinsville won on April 4 and Syracuse East was victorious on May 1.
“It’ll be a great game,” Morse said. “We have to control (Syracuse East) running out of the pocket. Hopefully, we can execute some more passing and running plays as well.”
Syracuse West wrapped up its season at 8-6.
No. 2 Syracuse East 25, No. 3 Liverpool 7
Syracuse East overwhelmed Liverpool on the other side of the semifinals.
Sophomore Ta’kai Baker tallied three touchdowns for Syracuse East. Freshman Legacy Huggins chipped in a rushing TD.
Grace Muller recorded the lone score for Liverpool.
Syracuse East (10-4) goes up against top-seeded Baldwinsville in Friday’s Division I title game.
Liverpool finished its campaign with a 6-6 record.
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