Eve Girardi named Section 1 Flag Football Player of the Year

Eve Girardi finished as the most complete player in Section 1, and the coaches’ vote backed up the numbers. The Tappan Zee quarterback-linebacker was named lohud’s 2026 Flag Football Player of the Year after a season that produced 2,832 passing yards, 55 touchdown passes, 1,125 rushing yards, 16 rushing touchdowns, 77 flag pulls, seven interceptions and a pick-six.

That production explains why Girardi became the standard-bearer for a section that kept getting deeper around her. Section 1 grew to 36 flag football teams in 2026, a jump that underscored how quickly the Lower Hudson Valley has turned into one of New York’s strongest regions. With New York State Public High School Athletic Association championships already expanded to three divisions in the second year of the girls event, the level of play in Section 1 kept rising with the opportunity in front of it.

Girardi’s selection also sat inside a larger all-section picture shaped by coaches’ nominations and input. In Class B, Yorktown’s Sydney Soliz was named Defensive Player of the Year, Mahopac’s Maria Garofalo earned Offensive Player of the Year and Yorktown coach Mike Rescigno was picked as Coach of the Year. In Class A, Hope Ziogas of New Rochelle was Player of the Year, Chase Harris of Mamaroneck was Offensive Player of the Year, Sarah Sherman of Mamaroneck was Defensive Player of the Year and Anthony Vitti was Coach of the Year. The spread of honors showed how many different teams were producing top-end talent, not just one dominant program.

The postseason confirmed it. The Section 1 finals were held at Lakeland High School on May 23, with Mamaroneck beating Scarsdale 13-7 for the Class A title and Yorktown winning the Class B championship. Yorktown then turned that section crown into a state run that ended with the 2026 NYSPHSAA Class B championship, while Westlake/Briarcliff also pushed into the state semifinals. In Class A, Scarsdale’s 2025 state title, a 22-6 win over Half Hollow Hills, remained the section’s first championship benchmark after the program launched when Section 1 began the league in 2022.

Girardi’s next stop adds another layer to the story. Her move to Central Connecticut State for women’s soccer reflects the crossover profile of the sport’s best players, the ones who can throw, run, cover and finish plays in space. In Section 1, that combination is no longer a novelty. It is the new baseline for elite flag football.