Mackenzie Hughes’ three TDs power Patchogue-Medford flag football

Patchogue-Medford quarterback Mackenzie Hughes stood tall in the pocket, scanned the field, and unleashed one perfect throw after another.

It was the kind of performance that has defined the Raiders’ flawless season, as Hughes led Pat-Med to a 20-0 win over North Babylon Monday.

The Raiders improved to 8-0, remaining undefeated in Suffolk I.

“She’s got one of the best arms in the county, if not on the island,” coach Brad Weinman said. “She’s a special kid.”

Hughes, who tossed for 183 yards and three touchdowns, opened the game with a commanding 12-play, 66-yard drive capped by a 3-yard lofted pass to freshman Ella Melo in the corner of the end zone. A 21-yard run from freshman Brielle Papaleo and a 19-yard reception by senior Angelina McGrath helped fuel the early momentum.

North Babylon (3-4) was forced to punt on its first possession and, although Madison Snee came up with a deflected interception on the next drive, the offense turned the ball over on downs.

Hughes wasted no time capitalizing. She hit Paige McGowan with a 32-yard dart, then Papaleo for 15 more. She finished the drive with an 11-yard touchdown to McGowan, who ran a speedy post-corner route to beat the Bulldogs’ zone coverage. Hughes found McGowan again for the conversion, putting Pat-Med up 13-0 just before halftime.

“I’m pretty quick, so I feel like most of the time I’m able to outrun and trick the defense,” said McGowan, who caught six passes for 58 yards. “Kenzie’s so accurate and she makes me a better player. She pushes me to run the right routes, because I know she’ll put it exactly where it needs to be.”

North Babylon’s Kariyana Pernell picked off a pass before halftime, but McGrath’s early second-half interception flipped the momentum back to Pat-Med. Six plays later, Hughes connected with Kelsey Vargas on a 1-yard pass as she spun into the end zone to cap the drive. The duo linked up again for the conversion to make it 20-0 with 10:35 remaining.

Marie Cataldo led the team with seven catches for 49 yards. McGowan also added 33 yards on the ground, while Skyler Smith anchored the defense with three sacks.

Sophomore quarterback Madison Murdocco completed 19 of 30 passes for 103 yards for North Babylon.

“We have Ella Melo coming out of the backfield or off the line, Cataldo at center, McGowan — if one’s not working, we’ve got five others,” Weinman said. “That’s a nice option to have.”

Hughes, a long-time softball player who made the switch to flag football last season, smiled when asked about her arm strength: “I’ve always had that in me with softball… now I can sling it down the football field.”