Dolphins are Super Bowl champions

After 10 weeks of hot summer flag football action, the Agnelli Pools & Spa Dolphins are crowned Super Bowl champions. Eight teams vied for the illustrious Community Center championship this year, which came down to a showdown between the second place Dolphins and the undefeated first place MartiniVille Saints.

The Saints won the toss and started with the football first. The usually high powered offenses of both teams took a while to settle down, but both defenses came ready to play. The Saints and the Dolphins offenses could not get anything going for the first two series.

The turning point of the first half was when Zach Schield, of the Dolphins, intercepted a pass and returned it all the way to the five yard line. Two plays later, the Dolphins struck first when Tim Shaugnessy threw a jump-ball pass to the corner of the end zone to Pat Calvery for the TD. The extra point was no good, score 6-0.

Each offense went three and out again. The only first down of the game, to this point, was on a Dolphin's roughing the passer penalty with less than three minutes left in the half. This seemed to spark the Saints and on the next play they picked up a 22 yard first down on a pass to Nate Talucci.

On third down and goal, Ryan Moss threw a TD pass to Jonathan Moss with one minute 30 seconds left. The resilient Dolphins bounced back and picked up a key first down and then called timeout. With eleven seconds left, Tim Shaugnessy threw a 22-yard go route TD pass to Frank Agnelli. The try for point was unsuccessful, score 12 to 6 at halftime.

The Dolphins started with the ball first in the second half and marched right down the field. They capped off the drive with a 7-yard touchdown pass from Tim Shaugnessy to Eric Gledhill. The extra point was no good, score 18 to 6. The Saints marched right back down the field and scored on a two yard post corner pass from Ryan Moss to brother Jonathan. Extra point was good on a Ryan pass to his father Ed Moss, score 18 to 13.

With the Saints within a score of taking the lead, the Dolphins offense responded. In just three quick plays, Mike Shaugnessy found his son, Tim, in the back of the end-zone for a nice TD pass. The extra point was good when Tim passed to Agnelli, score 25 to 13. Great Dolphin defensive pressure by Monica Simpson and coverage by Pat Calvery forced the Saints to a big three and out.

The Saints needed a huge play on defense and got it when Jonathan Moss intercepted a pass at mid-field. A big-time catch by Emily Moss took the Saints down to the three yard line. The next play Ryan Moss again found his favorite sibling target Jonathan in the end-zone for the TD. The extra point was no good, score 25 to 19.

The Saints defense stepped up again and forced the Dolphins three and out. This gave them the ball back with one minute and forty-six seconds left and a chance to win. The Saints converted on a first down pass, but the Dolphins defense held strong and did not allow the Saints to score. The Dolphins ran the last seconds off the clock and secured the nail-biting Super Bowl victory, final score 25 to 19.

Orientation prepares parents

Local schools are in session or about to be with kids getting what they need to begin another year of readin' and writin.' This isn't your grandmother's one-room school house.

I had the pleasure of going with my daughter to freshman orientation at USC. Folks here think that is South Carolina. But it is Southern California. Yeah, she was an overachieving runner, cheerleader, student class leader who refused to take no for an answer. That whole do-your-passion-thing. (Comes by that honestly, eh?) She made a half dozen videos that were cute beyond cute and pestered the admissions officers until they finally said "uncle." Her grades were pretty amazing too. But lest I digress.

Orientation was incredible. Made me wish that I'd had the opportunity to go to one before my older two children went to college. Made me want to go to college again. With the advent of social media and technology, I've been hugely curious what schools are teaching these days – generally and in journalism, my major many decades ago.

For the most part, parents were separated from children. This was probably to get parents used to the idea, since the kids were in countdown mode.

I buddied up with another mom who was heavily connected to her freshman son. We went to some great sessions, including a mock class with a philosophy professor (they still teach that, or is that just a California thing?), and a session learning that you have absolutely no rights to your child's records of any kind, unless he or she gives them to you. Good luck with that.

I've heard stories since of parents paying $350,000 toward their kid's $400,000 degree only to find out the last semester that Johnny Angel has flunked out and is now a bartender in Queens. We can thank Congress for that hair-brained legislation. Seems to me, if I'm going to give any child a penny toward his/her education, the condition is that they let me see their grades, or the money stops.

The most useful and they warned us, emotional class we went to at USC was the one devoted to parents. We were asked how we felt about our kids leaving and basically were told to seriously consider getting a life. They passed out tissues at the end of every aisle. My new friend raised her hand to answer a question, and couldn't finish, breaking down into a million pieces. She still had another child at home and even a career. But she wanted more, and sending a child off to college for her, as it is with so many, brings into focus the huge gaps in our lives that are left when birds fly the nest.

Another class prepares us for what to do and who to call at the university if we get those middle of the night calls from our kids. Keep the numbers by your nightstand, they said.

I have rarely gotten those calls from my older two. Even with daily texting that some parents do with their kids, I feel lucky when a child plays "Words With Friends" a few times a week. (For those of you without a smartphone, that's an app that is like a miniature version of Scrabble and highly addicting.)

Online videos show my alma mater University of Missouri School of Journalism confessing that they were intimidated by the incoming classes 10 years ago who were "innately tech savvy." Universities like Missouri have kids using Apple's Macs, and for the artsy fartsy majors, it is the laptop of choice. UMC seemed to be a 50/50 split. But my daughter said most of her friends use Macs over PCs.

Meanwhile, back in reality, I return to a final week of helping coach the Manatee High School girls cross country team. I know that for many of them, affording college will be the challenge of their lives. With their dedication and hard work in cross-country, everyone of them deserves to go.

And in the empty nest department, I settle down to the getting a life thing. With my book soaring the bestsellers lists faster than anyone thought would happen by now with no promotion, I rehearse my slide show for the international book tour that starts in September. It is a new beginning for all.

You can follow Island resident Ellen Jaffe Jones on her Facebook page and keep up with her just released book:,"Eat Vegan on $4 a Day," or her website: www.vegcoach.com. She is also a nationally certified personal trainer and running coach. For training in a gym or private hire, contact Ellen at ejones@vegcoach.com or 941-704-1025.