The Fayetteville-Manlius flag football team is in its first season as a program.

It’s been a learning experience for the Hornets, but it has all come together as they trudge through the Section III Class A playoffs.

F-M, the fifth seed, started by knocking off fourth-seeded Baldwinsville in the quarterfinals on Wednesday. Baldwinsville was the defending sectional champ.

>> Fayetteville-Manlius flag football pulls off “full-team win” to stun defending champ Baldwinsville

The team followed up with a 9-8 win over top-seeded Syracuse East in upset fashion on Saturday in the semifinal round.

“It was a phenomenal win for the girls,” F-M coach Ryan Aldrich said. “They’ve been working really hard since the beginning of the season. You honestly couldn’t ask for a better group to come out and play in our first year.”

Syracuse East beat the Hornets twice in the regular season. This time, F-M’s energy was different.

“They were fired up and locked in,” Aldrich said. “Across the board, the girls were on a mission.”

F-M cracked the scoreboard first in the opening half on a safety recorded by sophomore Lacey Teaken.

With the Hornets up 2-0, Syracuse East went up 8-2 in the second half when Ta’kai Baker ran a short distance to the end zone.

The Hornets, however, had the final say in the waning minutes of the contest. Sophomore Freedom Umstead notched a touchdown run, then Carlye Bryant tacked on an extra point.

“We played our game and performed at our best,” Aldrich said.

Aside from the Hornets keeping previously unbeaten Syracuse East to just eight points, Aldrich credited Ashley Seidberg as the lead flag-puller.

“She was a big difference maker in the game,” Aldrich said. “Our defense played amazingly overall. Syracuse East is a good team, so we decided that we were going to execute on the field the way we needed to. We did that on both sides of the ball today.”

F-M (8-5-2) faces second-seeded Cicero-North Syracuse in the Class A sectional final at 5 p.m. Tuesday at Henninger High School.

The Hornets and Northstars played to a 6-6 tie in their lone matchup during the regular season.

“C-NS is a good team. They’re dynamic,” Aldrich said. “We have to put it all out on the line. Like we always say, we have to go for broke.”

Syracuse East finished its season with a 13-1-1 record.

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