As a Harrison native, Blue Tide flag football coach Dan Nankivell has long believed his home town is one embodied by its toughness and grit.
The recent NJIC Tournament showed that his flag football team have those same attributes in spades.
Twice in a span of three nights, Harrison found itself trailing only to fight back. First, in the semifinals on May 19, the Blue Tide overcame a 12-point halftime deficit to defeat rival Secaucus, 14-12, on a pair of fourth quarter touchdowns. Then, on May 21, at Veterans Park in Edgewater, Harrison rallied back from an early deficit, then went on to defeat Leonia, 12-6, in overtime to capture its second NJIC championship in three years.
Harrison now waits for its opponent for the North Jersey tournament, which is set for June 5. The four-team format includes the NJIC champion as well as the yet to be determined SFC North, SFC South and Big Central conference champions.
“Those two playoff wins just kind of encapsulates what we pride ourselves on in Harrison,” Nankivell said. “It’s toughness, grit, and never giving it up until it’s over.”
If that mentality can be summed up in one player it would be quarterback Thalia Sosa. Sosa missed the last three games of the regular season due to a knee injury and remained sideline for the start of the semifinal against Secaucus.
It was only when down 12-0 to a Patriots team that eliminated the Blue Tide in the final a year ago, that Sosa entered the game. The junior delivered the spark her team desperately seeked when she threw a pair of fourth quarter TD passes to Mya De Jesus.
In the final, Sosa threw a touchdown to freshman Adama Sowe to even the game at 6-all. In overtime, it was one of the state’s true breakout stars who delivered the game winner when junior Kasandra Rodriguez took an end-around for the winning touchdown.
The run was Rodriguez’s 11th touchdown of the season and while she’s had a fine year offensively, it’s on the defensive side of the ball where she has emerged as a true game-changing talent.
Rodriguez has an eye-popping 38 sacks, not a typo, to go with 30 tackles for loss and 85 total tackles as an edge rusher. Seven of those sacks have come in Harrison’s two playoff games.
“I can’t believe it is an actual statistic,” said Nankivell about Rodriguez’s 38 sacks. “Every time we punch in the stats after the game, I have to quadruple check myself. Did she have 14 tackles today? Did she really have five sacks today? And she did. She’s all over the field.
“I can’t remember watching a season that’s been this explosive by a player on both sides of the ball. She is a game-changer. Kasie has shown up in such a big way and become this force.”
Lining up on the opposite side of Rodriguez as a rusher is junior Sarah Dasilva, who has seven sacks.
At linebacker is Harrison’s most high-profile player in De Jesus at linebacker, who was one of 32 players nationwide selected to play in the NFL FLAG Girls High School Showcase at the NFL Pro Bowl. De Jesus, who also plays for Jets Flag Elite, recently committed to play Division 1 flag football at Manhattan University.
With six interceptions, 12 passes defended and 58 tackles, De Jesus is truly capable of erasing a large part of the field for opposing pass offenses.
“Mya being on the field has changed the game for everyone else,” Nankivell said. “We ask Mya to do things that most athletes might not be able to do. When you have a linebacker who can cover basically the entire middle of the field and respond to the run at the same time, that makes the life of everyone else out there so much easier.”
Sowe, who is destined for big things in both flag football and soccer, starts at the other linebacker position.
At the two cornerback positions are seniors Danna Gomez, who has three interceptions, and Hanna Medina, a Caldwell University commit for flag football.
At safety is Nada Bana, a junior who has been selected to Moroccan National Team’s extended roster. Bana will be working with them this summer in hopes of being a part of the country’s 2028 Summer Olympics team.
Junior Romina Sosa and freshman Anisa Mena have provided additional depth in the secondary, while juniors Gabriela Torres Celleri and Oriana Velasquez have made a presence as reserve rushers.
As a team, Harrison’s defense has allowed just 54 points in 12 games.
On offense, the Blue Tide has employed a strength in numbers, with many of their skill players playing in multiple positions.
As a team, Harrison has rushed for 2,046 yards, with Rodriguez (603 yards, 11 touchdowns) leading the balanced attack, along with De Jesus (560 yards, five touchdowns and Bana (441 yards, four touchdowns. Both Thalia Sosa and Gomez are running threats at the QB position.
Nankivell credits starting center Julia Soares as the “unsung hero,” of the Blue Tide offense, particularly in the running game.
Sowe, who Nankivell admits might be playing out of position at the moment as a tight end, leads the team in receiving with 268 yards and five touchdowns on 14 catches. De Jesus has added 16 catches for 204 yards and six touchdowns. Rodriguez, Bana and Medina have also caught TD passes this season.
Adding to Harrison’s depth on both sides of the ball are senior Samantha Mira, juniors Genesis Samayoa, Darla Cedillo, Maria Pires and Laila Harvey, sophomores Valentina Mejia Alzate and Julia Martins and freshmen Mariana Martiinez and Laryssa Da Rocha.
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Jason Bernstein | Observer Sports Writer
Jason Bernstein joined The Observer as its sports writer in March 2022, following the retirement of Jim Hague. He has a wealth of sports-writing experience, including for NJ Advance Media (nj.com, The Jersey Journal, The Star-Ledger.)