Herricks flag football's Lia Bono, Regan Cottrell key first Nassau title in program history
Herricks celebrates its Nassau Class A flag football championship victory over Plainview-Old Bethpage JFK on Saturday, May 23, 2026, at Long Island University in Brookville. Credit: Dawn McCormick
The magical run for Herricks flag football is headed to the history books.
In just its third year as a program, sixth-seeded Herricks made the playoffs for the first time. Now the Highlanders have turned it into a Nassau County Class A championship.
Herricks entered the playoffs with a losing record, but the Highlanders’ Cinderella run hasn’t stopped.
“At Herricks, it feels like we’re always the underdog,” senior Lia Bono said. “Coming off the bus, we just felt it today. Being a 6 seed meant nothing to our team. Everyone on this team has heart and that’s what matters.”
Bono had a receiving touchdown and two interceptions to lead No. 6 Herricks to its first county championship in a 21-0 victory over No. 5 Plainview-Old Bethpage JFK at Long Island University on Saturday.
Herricks (9-7-1) will play the winner of Half Hollow Hills and Sachem East in the Class A Long Island championship game at LIU on May 30 at 10 a.m.
“If you told me six weeks ago we’d be here, I would’ve been like, ‘I don’t know how we’re going to get there,’” Herricks coach Tom Graef said. “But we’ve peaked at the end, and the way the girls came together and believed in each other is special. They are resilient.”
Herricks registered wins over No. 3 Bellmore-Merrick and No. 2 Massapequa, teams it lost to during the regular season, to reach this stage. But standing in its way was Plainview-Old Bethpage JFK, which had won three straight county titles and shut out Herricks, 13-0, during the regular season.
With less than six minutes left, Herricks led 7-0. Plainview’s Aryanna Berger recorded a flag pull to force a turnover on downs.
But on the next play, Bono registered her second interception with 5:38 remaining.
“The adrenaline was just kicking in,” Bono said. “I just wanted to get it to our offense so we could get moving and grooving and score again.”
Two plays later, quarterback Regan Cottrell connected with Hannah O’Brien for a 7-yard touchdown with 4:46 left. Herricks then led 14-0.
“The heart we have is what got us here,” O’Brien said. “We fought this entire way every single playoff game. We all have each other’s backs and this feeling is indescribable.”
Cottrell added a 2-yard rushing touchdown with 2:40 left as the Highlanders took a 21-0 lead. The junior finished with two passing touchdown and four sacks.
“Regan is one of the smoothest athletes I’ve ever coached,” Graef said. “She affects every quarterback we’ve played and she’s dominated as a rusher and as a quarterback.”
Herricks had interceptions from O’Brien and Liana Cerrito in the final minutes and finished with four interceptions on the afternoon.
“Amazing job by Herricks. To be a six seed and get to where they are now is unbelievable,” Plainview-Old Bethpage coach Alec Abramowitz said. “Our seniors got us to this point as a five seed and hopefully we’ll be back. A few mistakes like flag pulling here and there, and you can’t have that against great teams.”
Bono’s first interception set up her 40-yard touchdown reception from Cottrell to give Herricks a 7-0 lead with 7:52 left in the first quarter over Plainview (9-6-4).
The chants of “Whose house? Our house!” erupted on the field, as the Highlanders hoisted the county plaque.
“I knew we had a great group,” Graef said. “We were a team with a 6-7-1 record before the playoffs, and now here we are county champs. I am so proud of this team. They are unbelievable. I can’t wait to have another week with them.”
