Bishop Kearney flag football defeats Greece Athena to reach sport's first state tournament

Bishop Kearney's high-scoring flag football offense needed to get around a Greece Athena defense that has walled off a number of teams from end zones Thursday night.

The Kings found ways around Athena's barriers at East Rochester, and made sure the Trojans never crossed the goal line to win this playoff between Section V champions 31-0.

Kearney quarterback Greta Brezenski led the runaway win by the undefeated Kings to a spot in one of the new high school state tournaments.

Player of the game

Brezenski, a senior at Kearney, was borderline spectacular when it came to her arm strength, the accuracy of her passes and her ability to dodge her way to spots to throw. Four of her throws went for touchdowns. She also had a short touchdown run.

Play of the game

Bishop Kearney's second touchdown that gave the Kings a 12-point lead with 5:21 remaining in the first half. The Kings put together a drive to the Athena 1-yard line, where Brezenski received a snap two yards behind the offensive center and ran down a lane to the end zone.

Class B2 championship: Bishop Kearney remains undefeated with Section V flag football title

By the numbers

3 – Interceptions by Bishop Kearney defensive player Nela Lopusanova, who also was a frequent first-choice target as a receiver for Brezenski.

4 – Interceptions by the Kearney defense, including one snagged in the second half by freshman Cady Kowalow that stopped a potential drive for an Athena touchdown.

6-0 – Lead taken by Bishop Kearney after an eight-yard touchdown pass on 4th-and-zone from Brezenski to Lopusanova at the end of the team's first offensive drive. A one-point conversion pass attempt was tipped and intercepted by Emilee Montagliano on the Athena defense.

10:26 – Time remaining in the first half when the Athena defense forced a turnover on downs, while the score remained 6-0.

19 – Seconds on the clock in the first half when the Kings pushed their lead to 18-0. Brezenski threw one of her many short passes to freshman Chloe Brinson, who would line up in the offense's backfield with the quarterback.

21:50 – Time remaining in the game, early in the second half, when Lopusanova, a sophomore, backpedaled then tracked an Athena pass to make an interception she returned to about the Athena 35-yard line.

20 – Yards in a touchdown pass play from Brezenski to Kowalow with 20:28 to play. The Kings were ahead 24-0 after Kowalow ran to her right across the field and outran a defender, as she made the catch.

18:28 - Time remaining when Lopusanova made her second interception.

7 – Yards for a touchdown pass from Brezenski to Brinson, who again ran out of the Kearney backfield during the play. Lopusanova then caught a pass for a one-point conversion to give the Kings a 31-point cushion with 8:39 to play.

What's next

Kearney takes on Section VI champion Pioneer, a team in the Buffalo region, at 11 a.m. Saturday in a regional or state quarterfinal round game at Sweet Home High.

James Johnson, a native of the city of Rochester and a graduate of Edison Tech in the Rochester City School District, has worked as a full-time journalist covering high school sports for the Democrat and Chronicle since 1996. Follow him @jjDandC on X (Twitter). You can contact him at JAMESJ@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Bishop Kearney wins Section V flag football state qualifier