Flag football dominates in home game against Hartwick
The Knights’ flag football team delivered a dominant 41–19 senior night victory over Hartwick, powered by a five-touchdown performance from quarterback Ella Koopman and a standout all-around showing from Natalia DiPalma.
Photo courtesy of Geneseo Knights
This past Saturday, Apr. 11, the Knights’ flag football team took on Hartwick at home. The team emerged victorious with a staggering score of 41-19, which put the Knights at 10-3 overall and 5-1 in the Empire 8 Conference. Before the game, the Knights acknowledged their four graduating seniors: Soleil Zgoda, Abigail Uhrich, Megan Howard, and Riley Griffin. The seniors were honored with flowers in the pre-game ceremony for senior night.
Starting the first quarter off with a bang, within the first few minutes, sophomore quarterback Ella Koopman managed to find freshman wide receiver Natalia DiPalma amongst the field, who carried out a 39-yard touchdown pass, during which sophomore defensive back Caitlyn Schutte had a fourth-down tackle—a tremendous show of talent from DiPalma, Koopman, and Schutte alike. Koopman sought out DiPalma again and earned another touchdown, this one being 18 yards to complete the first-half hat trick when an offensive player scored three touchdowns in a single game
The Knights continued on their warpath during the second quarter, scoring two more touchdowns, with one being scored by junior center Corina Dunn and the other by DiPalma. The Knights’ tremendous performance in the first half allowed them to enter halftime with a score of 27-7. DiPalma rushed 13 times for 73yards, and she also had three catches for 76 yards and three touchdowns. In addition, Dunn had seven catches for 72 yards and a touchdown.
Kicking off the third quarter, a 12-play 73-yard touchdown was achieved by none other than Koopman. Koopman ran the ball herself towards the end zone. The touchdown then brought the score to 34-7, putting Hartwick even further in the Knight’s rear view. To end the game in the fourth, senior running back Megan Howard managed a fourth-down rushing touchdown. However, junior defensive back Emily McLouth captained the defensive effort with an interception and 11 tackles.
This game highlighted the immense talent of the Knights’ flag football team, especially from Koopman, who went 17-24 for 216 yards with four touchdowns and also rushed 148 yards for another touchdown. Hartwick simply could not keep up with the Knights through the game, leading to the final score of 41-19. Hartwick only put up six points in the second quarter and 13 in the fourth quarter.
Flag football is a recent addition to the athletics hosted by Geneseo. It was introduced in the fall of 2024, and it has certainly not been a disappointment to the school or its viewers. The team continues to put on incredible shows of dominance on the field, and there is no doubt that they will continue to do so. The coaching staff that has led this talented team is headed by Rob Currin. Currin is incredibly experienced in flag football, having worked with the “U.S. National Teams as a Talent ID Field Core Coach,” and has also been a “USA Football Master Trainer since 2014.”
If the flag football team can maintain the incredible show of dominance they demonstrated during their game against Hartwick, there is no doubt that they will emerge victorious in their next match against Villa Maria on Tuesday, Apr. 14 at home. Villa Maria is currently 14-2 overall and 10-0 in the Empire 8 division, meaning they will certainly pose a challenge, although the Knights were able to beat Villa in their previous game on Apr. 7 with a score of 32-18.