Women's Flag Football | 4/21/2026 10:23:09 PM
No. 2 seed SUNY Brockport and No. 4 Elmira College will meet for the inaugural Empire 8 Women’s Flag Football Championship game after earning victories in the E8 Semifinal round on Tuesday, April 21. SUNY Brockport pulled away to defeat No. 3 Hartwick College, 47-18, while Elmira scored the final 28 points to stun top-seed SUNY Geneseo, 34-28.
SUN Brockport will host Elmira in the 2026 Empire 8 Flag Football Championship game from Bob Boozer Field at 6 p.m. on Friday, April 24. Brockport won both previous meetings during the regular season, 31-6 in Elmira on April 3 and 38-12 from Bob Boozer Field on April 14.
NO. 4 ELMIRA 34, NO. 1 SUNY GENESEO 28
Elmira College hit the road for its first ever Empire 8 playoff game as they took on the Knights of SUNY Geneseo in the Empire 8 Championship Semifinals. The Soaring Eagles pulled off a remarkable comeback, overcoming a 20-point deficit to come away with a 34-26 victory.
The Knights' offense started strong, marching down the field on a seven-play, 66-yard drive that resulted in a Koopman rushing touchdown and an early 7–0 lead. SUNY Geneseo forced an Elmira punt on the Soaring Eagles' first drive before extending their lead to 14–0 with a 41-yard touchdown drive ending on a second Koopman TD. With Elmira College back on offense and facing 3rd-and-26,
Hannah Smith found
Faith Ingber for a 32-yard completion to spark the offense. After a 12-yard completion to
Amarionah Dixon, Smith connected with Dixon again on a short reception in the end zone to make it 14–6.
The Knights responded with a strong ground attack on the next drive, putting together a long march to regain their 14-point advantage. Elmira was forced to punt again, and SUNY Geneseo followed with another impressive drive—this time through the air—to extend their lead to 20. The Soaring Eagles refused to back down, as Smith completed passes to Dixon and Ingber for a combined 40 yards before capping the drive with a 21-yard touchdown pass to Dixon. Elmira entered halftime trailing 26–12.
Elmira came storming out of the break, with Smith completing passes to Dixon and
Kylie Hook before hitting Dixon on a deep 30-yard reception and then a touchdown. After a successful two-point conversion, EC cut the deficit to six and quickly forced a Geneseo punt, which Ingber returned for 43 yards. The Soaring Eagles were unable to capitalize, however, turning the ball over on downs in the red zone. The EC defense responded with a fourth-down stop of its own, and the third quarter ended with the Knights leading 26–20.
Elmira tied the game early in the fourth quarter as Smith found Dixon in the end zone once again. After another fourth-down stop by EC, the Soaring Eagles offense stayed hot, putting together a 70-yard drive in under two minutes. Smith spread the ball around, completing passes to Hook, Ingber, Dixon, and
Nyla Capen before ultimately finding Hook for a 10-yard touchdown. Elmira also converted the two-point attempt to take an eight-point lead. On the final drive of the game, the Elmira defense stood tall, keeping Geneseo out of the end zone to secure the 34–26 victory.
Hannah Smith threw for 354 yards and 5 touchdowns on 35 completions.
Amarionah Dixon had a dominant game, catching 15 catches for 178 yards and four touchdowns. Defensively,
Jenica Jones led the way with 3 tackles for loss and 13 total tackles.
Nyla Capen and Dixon each recorded an interception.
NO. 2 SUNY BROCKPORT 47, NO. 3 HARTWICK 18
The No. 2-seeded Brockport flag football team earned its first postseason victory with a decisive 47–18 win over No. 3-seeded Hartwick at Bob Boozer Field. After defeating Hartwick last Saturday to secure home-field advantage, the Golden Eagles completed a season sweep of the Hawks in dominant fashion.
Addy VanDewater delivered a standout, season-best performance, accounting for three total touchdowns on both sides of the ball. At wide receiver, VanDewater recorded six receptions for 80 yards and two touchdowns, while adding a 31-yard interception return for a touchdown on defense. The freshman also contributed eight tackles and two tackles for loss in a complete all-around effort.
Quarterback
Megan Gerber led the offense with an exceptional performance, completing 16 passes for 207 yards and four touchdowns. She also made a significant impact on the ground, rushing for 168 yards and a touchdown.
Trelani Harper emerged as Gerber's primary target, setting career highs with eight receptions, 123 receiving yards, and two touchdowns to lead all Brockport receivers. The sophomore also recorded a long reception of 34 yards and extended her streak of games with at least three catches.
Defensively,
Cymbri Jefferson paced the Golden Eagles with nine flag pulls, while
Jaianna Byrd added seven tackles from the safety position.
Hartwick opened the game with an impressive 13-play, 62-yard drive, advancing to the Brockport seven-yard line before the Golden Eagles' defense forced a turnover on downs. Brockport responded by scoring on each of its first two possessions.
Gerber capped a 10-play, 76-yard opening drive with a 16-yard touchdown pass to
Lauren Cundra and added the one-point conversion to give Brockport a 7–0 lead. Following a Hartwick three-and-out, Gerber connected with VanDewater for an 11-yard touchdown, and then converted the one-point try on the ground to extend the lead to 14–0.
The teams traded touchdowns heading into halftime, with Gerber adding a three-yard rushing touchdown and the ensuing one-point conversion to give Brockport a 21–6 advantage at the break. Although Hartwick found the end zone twice in the second half, Brockport maintained control by scoring twice in both the third and fourth quarters.
A second touchdown connection between Gerber and VanDewater extended the lead to 28–6 before VanDewater's 31-yard interception return pushed the margin to 34–6, effectively putting the game out of reach.
Madison Beardsley provided a spark off the bench, completing four of five passes for 73 yards and a touchdown. Her 25-yard touchdown pass to Harper capped the Golden Eagles' scoring and sealed the 47–18 victory.
Lauren Cundra contributed on both sides of the ball, totaling three receptions for 56 yards and a touchdown while adding four flag pulls and a key interception on defense.
Ava Seelbach also made her presence felt defensively, finishing with four flag pulls in a strong overall performance.
2026 Empire 8 Women’s Flag Football Championship Schedule
Tuesday, April 21 - Semifinals
No. 4 Elmira defeated No. 1 SUNY Geneseo, 34-26
No. 2 SUNY Brockport defeated No. 3 Hartwick, 47-18
Friday, April 24 - Championship
No. 4 Elmira at No. 2 SUNY Brockport -– 6 p.m. – VIDEO