FAIRLESS HILLS, PA — It was a few years ago, yet they can remember almost every detail, from their go-ahead touchdown, to the devastating feeling of being sprawled on the ground left crying on a last-play touchdown.
Conwell-Egan juniors Sarah Beck and Brianna Jackson were freshmen on that team, which lost on the final play of the 2024 Catholic League game against Archbishop Wood.
So, on Wednesday, in front of a good crowd on an overcast day, Beck and Jackson got their revenge, combining to score all three Eagles’ touchdowns in a thrilling 20-14 overtime victory over a very good Wood team in the Philadelphia Catholic League semifinals.
Conwell-Egan, the No. 1 seed in the Philadelphia Catholic League (PCL), will now play Archbishop Ryan for the PCL 2026 flag football championship on Monday, May 11, at 6 p.m. at Cardinal O’Hara High School. Ryan, 13-7 winners in the other semifinal game over defending PCL champ Lansdale Catholic, will be playing in the finals for the first time.
This will be the second trip for Conwell-Egan in three years to the PCL championship, with the first coming in 2024, when Wood beat Conwell-Egan, 20-19, on the final play of the game.
“Oh, I remember it, they had the ball on the 15, and they won it on the last play of the game,” said Beck, who scored the Eagles’ two touchdowns against Wood in regulation. “I scored (the go-head) touchdown with 40 seconds left (in the 2024 PCL finals), and Wood came right up the field. There was 7 seconds left when they beat us on the last play of the game. We were all in tears. We were that close. We were determined to come into this game ready.”
It was a back-and-forth game, with Conwell-Egan striking first, when Olivia DellaVecchio flung a pass down the middle of the field that was snatched up by Beck for a 35-yard touchdown.
Wood came right back, when the Vikings tied it on a 38-yard TD pass from Angella Kiss to Paige Savage with 1:17 left in the first half. It looked like Conwell-Egan would break the game open after a Dora Reddington interception at the outset of the third quarter, but the Vikings’ defense held at the Wood five.
Taking advantage of good field position, the Eagles went ahead on Beck’s second touchdown, a 5-yard pass from Fran Simeone, which put Conwell-Egan ahead, 14-7, with 8:15 left in the third quarter.
Again, Wood responded.
After being inside its five, Kiss found Brigid Johnston for a 38-yard reception, setting up Savage’s second score, an 18-yard pass from Kiss in the corner of the end zone for a 14-14 tie with 2:09 left in the third.
That set the stage for Jackson, a standout guard and two-year starter for Conwell-Egan’s basketball team.
The Eagles had been winning this season on their ground attack. Conwell-Egan coach Dan Friscia mixed his plan up on Wednesday.
“We all got together after we lost to Ryan (during the regular season) and we have come together so much more,” Jackson said. “We trust each. We didn’t have as much confidence earlier this season as we do now.”
Conwell-Egan managed to cause the Wood defense to drift right, while Jackson snuck below and came out on the left side of the end zone wide open. Simeone dropped it in and the celebration was on.
“I was the intended receiver on that play,” Jackson said. “We tried the same play before and I was open then, too. We just couldn’t complete the pass, because the wind blew the ball. We did well my freshmen and sophomore years, and I definitely remember losing to Wood with 7 seconds left. This win was a lot more than just a win. There was a little revenge involved, and it felt very nice.”
Beck, a soccer player, was introduced to flag football out of curiosity her freshman year. She has taken to flag very well. She’s been the Eagles’ go-to receiver this season.
“I was crying after that loss to Wood (in the PCL finals), because we were that close,” Beck said. “We thought we had the game won. There were zero seconds left on the clock and I remember (Wood) scoring in the right corner of the end zone.”
The semifinal loss ended a highly successful season for Wood, which received very strong performances from Savage and Johnston.
Wood won the PCL in 2024, and lost to Lansdale Catholic in the PCL championship last year. It’s the first year the Vikings will not be in the PCL finals.
“It’s always a street fight with Conwell-Egan, and Dan has done a really nice job in his first year,” Wood coach Jim Savage said. “All the girls play hard, and it’s impressive to see. It was a great battle, but we were on the wrong end of it this year. Sometimes, that’s what happens.”
What happens next for Friscia and his team is a date in the PCL championship next Monday.
“The strength of our game has been running the ball, and throwing over the top, and we really don’t change anything regardless of opponent,” Friscia said. “We stick to what we do, and make other teams adjust to us. That was a designed play with Brianna in the corner. We had to wait for it to develop, and Fran made the throw.
“Ryan is a top team. The difference in this game was Nana (Anna Zoryea, who had six sacks). She’s the MVP of our defense, and she was out the first time we played Ryan. She makes a difference in every game we play, and she’s the reason why we are able to float around on defense.
“Our main concern was watching Johnston and Savage. Those girls are great players, and they made great plays. We just had to limit the great plays they made. I was fortunate to come into a program with established stars and the goal has been since Day One to win a Catholic League championship.”
The Eagles are in a position to do just that next Monday night.
Scoring Summary
Archbishop Wood 0 7 7 0 0-14
Conwell-Egan 0 7 7 0 6-20
2nd Quarter
CE – Sarah Beck 35 pass from Olivia DellaVecchio (Beck pass from Fran Simeone), 6:00
AW – Paige Savage 38 pass from Angella Kiss (Brigid Johnston pass from Kiss), 1:17
3rd Quarter
CE – Beck 5 pass from Simeone (Beck pass from DellaVecchio), 8:15
AW – Savage 18 pass from Kiss (Savage pass from Kiss), 2:09
OT
CE – Brianna Jackson 18 pass from Simeone
Joseph Santoliquito is a hall of fame, award-winning sportswriter who has been covering high school football since 1992 and is the president of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Follow EasternPAFootball.com on Twitter @EPAFootball [twitter.com].