Top-ranked teams dominate in flag playoffs

ANNA MARIA – With the close of the first round of playoff action concluded at The Center of Anna Maria Island, the top-ranked team in each of the three leagues easily defeated their opponents.

In the 8- to 10-year-old league, top-ranked Sato Real Estate won their quarterfinal game against SynLawn with a final score of 47-12.

Scoring 18 rushing points and 12 receiving points, the Sato team spread the scoring around the squad. QB Brandon Sato found his brother, Dylan, for a scoring reception and six points.

Sato finished the game with four defensive flag pulls on the other side of the football.

Silas DeWitt was the other B. Sato target for a receiving touchdown. DeWitt made three stops on defense and had two one-point conversions in the game.

Scoring on the ground, B. Sato got the call and scored six points. His run of scoring included two pick-sixes and a two-point conversion after a Sato Real Estate score.

With a total of three interceptions, defensively B. Sato was on fire, adding six flag pulls to his game stats.

Kellen Reed kept it on the ground and scored 13 points with two touchdowns and a single one-point conversion. With a single flag pull, Reed added to his team’s 14 total defensive stops in the Feb. 27 game.

SynLawn’s Nolan Anderson stayed on his feet for 12 rushing points for his team. Anderson made five huge defensive stops with his flag-pulling skills.

Oliver McCallister made a single catch in the game. Teammates Will Breslin, Tanner Pippins and Luther Sasser each had key flag pulls against Sato Real Estate.

The strong efforts of team SynLawn just were not enough against the tough Sato squad.

In this week’s action, Sato Real Estate went up against team Moss Builders. Moss Builders, ranked sixth at the end of the regular season, finished last week against third-ranked Island Real Estate with a win.

On the same night, Solid Rock Construction faced Westfall’s Lawn Care & Pest Control in quarterfinal play in the 8- to 10-year-old league.

Playing last Tuesday night at The Center in the 11- to 13-year-old league quarterfinal action, top-ranked Pineapple Market Place solidly defeated the Chick-fil-A team with a score of 39-20.

No upsets in the first round of playoffs with Moss Builders winning over Intentional Resilient Intuitive. Shady Lady Horticultural Services won over Storage Building Company by 14 points.

In the semifinal round of play on March 7, Pineapple Marketplace saw Shady Lady Horticultural Services on the gridiron. Moss Builders played Solid Rock Construction for the final spot in the championship game.

In the first round of adult co-ed flag football playoff action, there were no surprises in last week’s play. First seed Luxury Services kept Ugly Grouper out of the endzone, with a final score of 96-0.

Finishing the regular season in second place, Moss Builders easily won against Gulf Drive Café, up 25 points at the final whistle.

Team Solid Rock Construction beat sixth-ranked The Banks Home Lending Team, while The Briley Mortgage Team secured their spot in the next round of playoffs with a victory over The Sandbar.

This Thursday, four adult flag football teams take to the Island’s football field to determine who goes on the final game of the season.

On Thursday, March 9 at 7 p.m., Luxury Services vs. The Briley Mortgage Team will start the night off. Solid Rock Construction and Moss Builders meet in the second game of the night.

In all of The Center’s flag football leagues, there can be only two teams that battle it out for the title “champions.” The end-of-season victors will be named in the coming weeks.