Amanda Martone's 31-yard TD grab from Gianna Ponticello gives Plainedge all it needs in Nassau C final
Plainedge after defeating East Rockaway in Nassau Class C flag football final on Wednesday, May 28, 2025. Credit: Neil Miller
Amanda Martone took off down the sideline, stretched out her hands, and made the biggest catch of the night — one she wasn’t even sure she made.
“I really didn’t even think I caught the ball,” the Plainedge sophomore said. “Then I just kept running. I knew the defense was fully capable of holding us in the game from there.”
Martone’s 31-yard touchdown grab from fellow sophomore Gianna Ponticello with 2:00 left in the first half gave top-seeded Plainedge all the spark it needed in a 12-0 win over No. 2 East Rockaway in the Nassau Class C final on Wednesday night at Bethpage.
Martone struck again in the second half, hauling in a 28-yard TD from Ponticello with 16:51 remaining to cap the scoring and secure Plainedge’s second straight county title. The win also marked the team’s sixth shutout of the season.
“This is what we’ve been working so hard for all year,” Ponticello said. “You could see it.”
Plainedge (10-7-1) boasts a young roster filled with energy and determination with just four seniors and seven starting freshmen.
But their defense plays like a seasoned unit, and it showed again against East Rockaway (7-9). Freshman Sarah Abdul-Rassoul tallied eight flag pulls, and junior Kate Franks anchored both sides of the ball, finishing with nine flag pulls of her own.
“The freshmen bring it the whole entire game,” Franks said. “They never stop working hard to set and achieve our goals.”
East Rockaway’s Ava Caradonna kept the Rocks close early with an interception and a key pass breakup, but Plainedge’s defense never cracked.
“We know what we’re capable of,” Ponticello said. “We’ve put all of our trust into everyone on this team. Everyone wants to be here and keep going, and it shows.”
Plainedge will face Glenn in the Long Island Class C final at 4 p.m. on Saturday at Longwood with a chance to earn its first LI title after last year’s loss to Sayville.
“If we keep playing hard and working hard,” Ponticello said. “I know we’ll make it far.”
