CORTLAND - River Hawks' flag football carried a one-score lead the majority of the game, but gave up a touchdown late, before coming up an extra point conversion short in overtime, falling to Pioneer, 13-12 in the NYSPHSAA Class C State Championship.

The Class C State Final was what would be expected from two top tier programs, as both teams brought solid game plans, with neither giving up much ground in a defensive slugfest.

OFA forced Pioneer to punt on the opening possession. Despite starting with solid field position  on their first drive, Owego turned the ball over on downs after going for it on fourth and zone.

Owego's Ashlyn Dalton and Elizabeth Reigle came up with some big flag pulls on defense though, forcing Pioneer off the field with a three and out. 

That's when the River Hawks struck for the first time. On their next offensive possession, quarterback, Kylie Grippen launched a deep pass to Lexi Herceg, hitting the senior wideout in stride for a 56-yard touchdown. The extra point attempt failed however, but OFA grabbed the lead, 6-0.

The Panthers couldn't get any momentum of their own going, as Eliana Vasquez made a tackle for loss, while Keira Henry showed great coverage in the secondary to help the Owego defense once again force Pioneer to punt. 

Owego tried to go back to the air attack on their next drive, but stalled. Pioneer took over and with a big gain on a passing play, pushed the ball down inside Owego territory. The River Hawk defense once again showed their stuff, stopping the Panthers on fourth and goal.

Both programs failed to put any offense together the remainder of the half and Owego carried their 6-0 lead into the break.

OFA started the second half on offense with a mix of Dalton, Herceg and Olivia Dodge making drive extending plays, but multiple penalties stalled the drive. 

Reigle continued to be a force defensively for the River Hawks, knocking down a Pioneer third down conversion attempt on one possession, then intercepting a Panther pass on the next.

Dodge and Bella Silvestri combined to move Owego down to the goal line with 8:01 left in the game, but Pioneer made the stop they needed on fourth and goal to take over possession. The Panthers then went the length of the field, only this time it was Owego who would make a stand, stopping Pioneer on fourth and goal from the 10-yard line.

The Panthers were able to regroup however, getting the ball back and scoring through the air with just 53 seconds left. Owego stuffed the extra point attempt, making things 6-6 and the Class C State Championship was headed to overtime.

In overtime, both teams were given four downs each to score from the 20-yard line going in. OFA won the toss and elected to play defense first. Pioneer started their overtime possession with back-to-back run plays with minimal gain. On fourth and seven, the Panthers completed a slant pass to score, as well as converting the extra point on a completion to go ahead 13-6.

Owego went to Dalton on a short run to begin their overtime drive. The following play, Grippen took a shot to the end zone, but the ball was batted down. On third down, Grippen hit Olivia Dodge on a completion to the 8-yard line. Now fourth and goal, Grippen showed patience in the pocket, before flicking a pass out to Silvestri who scored. The extra point conversion failed, however, ending the game and an incredible run by OFA flag football.

Grippen finished with 164 yards passing and two touchdowns. Herceg and Silvestri hauled in touchdown receptions, while Dodge and Dalton combined for 113 yards of total offense.

Defensively, Dodge led the way with 12 tackles. Dalton wasn't far behind with nine, while Reigle pulled seven flags to go with an interception. Silvestri had nine tackles and Kylie Craven tallied six pulls as well.

"Obviously losing at this stage stinks. There's no way to sugar coat it. With that being said, we have to keep our heads held high. Pioneer is a phenomenal team, well coached, and for us to be ahead for 49 of 50 minutes in the state championship is an incredible accomplishment," said coach Rusty Virkler.

"I could not be more proud of this team. I couldn't ask for a better group of players and staff to be with day in and day out."

"This team has become my family and I will be forever grateful for them. I am so proud of everything these girls have accomplished this season. They are the reason for all the success," added coach Virkler.