Underdogs take the titles: Youth flag football season comes to an end

After eight weeks of regular season play through the rain and cold winds of winter, youth flag football at the Anna Maria Island Community Center came to an end Friday night with three battles for the championship. In each match up, the number three seed team in the playoffs played against the first seed team. As no one could have predicted, in each game the underdog was the victor – the Super Bowl Champions. These outcomes are prime examples of parity in the leagues, where any team could come out the winner.

8-to-10-Year-Old League

#1 Buccaneers 28
#3 Bears40

In the first game of the evening, the Buccaneers, coached by Gary Harlan, came out ready to take the season title, but the Bears would see the game differently. Coached by David Johnston, the Bears were determined to end the season with a win. With a solid quarterbacking effort, Gavin Johnston completed seven out of 10 passes and scored two rushing touchdowns. Brett Balais and Kiera Johnston both added to the Bears’ scoring record with catches that ultimately found them in the end zone. Alayna Leestma scored two points on an extra point conversion. Two receiving touchdowns by Billy Jackson helped to seal the deal for the Bears.

The Bears’ victory would not have been possible without the team’s strong defensive effort. G. Johnston contributed with four flag pulls and one interception. Nicholas Yatros also had an interception and two flag pulls. Charlie Faul added two pulls, while Dante Tilelli topped the charts with five defensive stops. Balais added to his statistics with a single pull of the Bucs flag.

The Bucs were not without their chances to win the championship title. The strong arm of quarterback Caleb O’Connor got his team to the Super Bowl. He showed his talents with eight complete passes on 11 attempts. It was the passing game that kept the Bucs in the ball game. With three passing touchdowns, Quinton O’Connor led his team in receiving yards and scoring. Jeremiah Sculco and Ashton Hoy both added a touchdown to the Bucs’ scoreboard. Q. O’Connor and Payton Harlan also added two point conversions to their game statistics.

Sculco and Harlen worked to keep the score close with two flag pulls for each of the Bucs players. C. O’Connor led the team with three pulls, and Hoy had a single pull in the game.

The turnovers and strong defensive plays seemed to make the difference in the end of the season game. Despite the spirited effort, the Buccaneers just could not keep the Bears out of the end zone and lost the game by 12 points.

11-to-13-Year-Old League

#1 Saints25
#3 Bucs 31

In a much anticipate rematch, the Saints, coached by Darren Horesh, met the Bucs, coached by Roger Guthrie in the second Super Bowl battle of the night. During the regular season, the Bucs were the only team able to defeat the number one seed Saints. Like the first championship game, the final score was determined by a critical turnover. With nearly error free quarterbacking by Dalton Guthrie, who threw nine complete passes out of 10 attempts, the Saints’ defense just could not stop strong receiving and running by Andrew Proctor. Proctor scored three of the four touchdowns for the Bucs, with the fourth by Daniel Zollar. Andrew Zollar scored the lone extra point for the Buccaneers.

On defense, the Buc’s line stopped the speed of Hannah McCracken and Jackson Hayes, a feat the other teams in the league were unable to do during both the regular season and playoffs. Proctor notched eight flag pulls. Both Zollars had two pulls of their own. Guthrie added a defensive stop and sack to his game stats. The game changer play came from Tyler Brewer with an interception that was run back more than half the length of the field for a touchdown to cap the victory for the Bucs.

The Bucs’ victory did not come easy. Saints quarterback Tuna McCracken also had a near perfect game with seven complete passes out of eight attempts. Jackson Hayes took the option and threw two complete passes. Eli Brashear added critical rushing yards. The Saints spread out their scoring with Hayes, Morgan Horesh, David Daigle and H. McCracken each scoring a touchdown. Hayes scored the lone extra point.

The Saints’ defense remained strong. Hayes pulled three flags. Daigle made a single stop, and H. McCracken continued her defensive attack with four flag pulls and two sacks. But the effort came just short as the game ended with the Bucs the victors.

14-to-17-Year-Old League

#1 Redskins 27
#3 Eagles 32

In the final match up of the evening, the underdogs once again showed the number one seed that they could be beat. It was a battle of the quarterbacks with 29 passing attempts between both teams. Quarterback Jeret Rojas led the Eagles, coached by Matt Ray. Completing 12 of 15 passes, the team racked up receiving yards by Dylan and Ryan Doyle, Michael Lattimer, Steele Quinard, and Anthony Mannino. Lattimer and Mannino both contributed to the Eagles’ victory with rushing yards. Lattimer led the team in scoring with two touchdowns, with the Doyles close behind with a single touchdown each and Mannino’s single score.

Defensively, four of the Eagles players stood out. Three flag pulls by Lattimer, two by D. Doyle and two by J. Rojas made the Redskins work for every yard. The defensive difference came from R. Doyle who had three sacks, three flag pulls, and one interception. The strong offensive and defensive team effort led to the Eagles’ Super Bowl win.

The equally matched Redskins, coached by Joey Carder, did not make it easy for the Eagles. Quarterback Alex Martinez also had a nearly perfect game completing 13 out of 14 passes. Chris Johnson contributed for the Redskins with receiving yards, including a touchdown and extra point. Toni Spurduto put an extra point on the board for his team, as did Lucas Paquin in addition to three catches in the game. Jacob Robertson scored a touchdown and caught five passes for the Redskins. Corey Jacques also put six points on the scoreboard for the Skins and had two receptions.

While on defense, the Redskins were able to keep the score close with a good team effort. Jacques’ two sacks and three defensive stops complimented Paquin’s two flag pulls and interception. Spurduto and Martinez each had a single flag pull, and Johnson pulled three.

Despite the strong effort by the Redskins, the Eagles took the Super Bowl Championship. With the last click of the time clock, the winter youth flag football season came to a close.

The Sun Scoreboard

18 & Over Adult Co-Ed Flag Football League Semi-Final Results

#1 Slims Place Falcons 40
#5 Giants24

#2 Saints 31
#6 Sato Real Estate Rams 16

18 & Over Adult Co-Ed Flag Football Super Bowl – March 18 8:00 p.m.

#1 Slims Place Falcons vs. #2 Saints

30 and Up Adult Co-Ed Flag Football League Semi-Final Results

#2 Poppos Chargers 36
#3 Chiefs 14

#1 Raiders 44
#4 Packers 24

30 and Up Adult Co-Ed Flag Football League Super Bowl – March 19 8:00 p.m.

#1 Raiders vs. #2 Poppos Chargers