CHESTNUT HILL — St. Mary’s flag football team (19-0) may be young on paper, but its players are wise beyond their years on the football field.
After defeating Leominster, 18-13, in last year’s state championship game, the two programs met for a third time in as many years to settle the score after Leominster won the 2023 matchup, 13-12.
Thursday at Alumni Stadium, on the campus of Boston College, the Spartans captured their second consecutive state title with a 20-13 victory.
Both teams breezed their way to the finals with St. Mary’s beating Boston Latin Academy (32-6) and Peabody (26-0). Leominster took down Westford Academy in the quarterfinals and then Greater Lowell.
In the championship game, Leominster scored first on a wheel route, but failed to convert its extra-point attempt (6-0).
The Spartans answered back on their next possession when Sophia Lafontant – the evening’s Most Valuable Player – connected with Janae Holmes in the corner of the endzone. Kaileigh Patterson caught a shovel pass from Lafontant for the conversion (7-6).
After St. Mary’s stopped Leominster on downs, Lafontant found Patterson in the endzone for a 14-6 lead before a Juliana Conte conversion.
Lafontant and Patterson had it going all evening long.
“She always knows where to put the ball and where only I can go and catch the ball,” Patterson said. “I love it because we have a strong connection on the field. When she throws the ball, it’s going to be in a place where only I can make a play on it.”
Unfortunately for the Spartans, on the very next play, Leominster scored on a deep ball to get back to within one point.
In the second half, Conte – a two-way sniper from 3-point range on the basketball court – came up with a timely interception as Leominster was threatening to score.
“We’re a young team, but we had three seniors this year that are new to the game. We’ve got a senior on our team, Juliana Conte, who was on the state championship basketball team this past winter. She brings not only championship pedigree to these younger girls, but also really does a great job by leading by example,” said St. Mary’s Coach Terrell Patterson, Kaileigh’s father. “She’s not the biggest ‘rah rah,’ but it’s a player like her that keeps these girls in line. She shows really great leadership and that’s something this team needs.”
Both teams locked in defensively in the second half. The Spartans had chances to score, but couldn’t convert.
But with 2:15 remaining in the game and St. Mary’s clinging to a one-point lead, the Spartans decided to run a trick play on third-and-goal.
The next thing you knew, Kaileigh Patterson caught a triple-pass touchdown to give St. Mary’s a 20-13 cushion.
“We have a young quarterback that’s probably the best quarterback in this part of the country and she’s in ninth grade. We also have a great player in Kaileigh, who is also one of the best players on this side of the country,” Terrell Patterson said. “These girls are young, but they’re poised. They’ve played in big tournaments and played in big moments.”
Lafontant touched upon the “trust” she has for Kaileigh Patterson.
“I trust her a lot to get open. The best part about her is that not only is she super athletic, but she has a smart IQ,” Lafontant said. “So, if she sees the defense playing up, she knows to go behind. When she gets the ball, she knows how to make them miss in the open field.”
Leominster turned the ball over on downs, crowning St. Mary’s as back-to-back state champions.
“Bend – don’t break. We actually focus a lot on defense. My philosophy is that we have great athletes that are going to move the ball and eventually get in the endzone. At the end of the day, you can’t win a game if you don’t stop people from scoring,” Terrell Patterson said. “Our strength is our defense and the emphasis is our defense. I’m really proud of how they clamped up. They (Leominster) are a great team. You saw how many points they were putting up.”
St. Mary’s and Peabody squared off in the semifinals and although it was the third time this season the Spartans got the better of Peabody, Tanners’ Coach Chris Lanning enjoyed the growth of his program.
“I’m super proud of this team. They’ve improved so much from where they started to where they are today. It takes a whole mix to make it all happen,” Lanning said. “They’ve played great all year. We just haven’t found a way to beat those guys yet, but we will.”
Thursday was Peabody’s third time competing in the tournament. The Tanners defeated New Mission, 36-14, in the quarterfinals. A highlight was when quarterback Mia Norton threw a touchdown to Daria Alic. As the ball headed toward Alic, a New Mission defender broke it up, but Alic didn’t give up on the play and retrieved the ball for a timely touchdown.
