Upsets dominate flag football playoffs

An unprecedented week of upsets began the playoffs for the Anna Maria Island Community Center's Flag Football program. Out of 12 playoff games last week, there were six upsets.

The adult co-ed division kicked off the playoffs on Thursday night, March 1. In spectacular fashion, all four games were determined in the last seconds. The fourth place Feast Falcons defense held off the fifth place Galati Yacht Sales Chargers from scoring at the end of the game to win 35 to 31 in the AFC. Beach to Bay Construction Texans defense stopped a last second extra-point by Sato Real Estate Browns to hold onto victory 20 to 19 in the NFC.

With eleven seconds left to play, sixth place Agnelli Pools & Spa Packers scored to upset third place Tyler's Ice Cream Vikings 27 to 23 in the AFC. With 54 seconds left to play, sixth place Waterfront Restaurant Bills scored to take the lead 21 to 18, and then with eleven seconds left the Bills intercepted and returned it for a TD to upset third place Edgewater Real Estate Broncos 27 to 18.

The youth divisions capped off the first round of playoffs on Saturday, March 3. In the Division II (10-12-year-old) East League, the third place Eat Here Bears upset the second place Sand Dollar Steelers 33 to 14. The fifth place Jessie's Island Store Steelers upset the forth place First American Bank Ravens 26 to 15 in the Division I (13-16-year-old) league.

To cap off a fantastic first round of the playoffs there were two upsets in the Division III (8-9-year-old) league. Fifth place Gettel Toyota Texans upset fourth place Waterfront Restaurant Raiders 14 to 6. In the biggest upset of the day, the sixth place Pink & Navy Boutique Cowboys upset the third place Southern Greens Jets 36 to 6.

According to Community Center athletic management team, this flag season has been one of the most exciting and equally teamed seasons ever. The standings showed how well parity was spread throughout the leagues, and now the playoffs are revealing that there are no easy games on the road to the Super Bowl championship. Any team can win on any given day and the unimaginable upset can really happen.

Adult Flag Football stats leaders:

Passing Yards TDs

C. Buky 2,098 38
T. Bekkerus 2,046 40
M. Piermarini 2,043 41

Rushing Yards TDs

N. Coleman 405 4
R. Moss 198 0
P. Calvary 121 0

Receiving Yards TD's

T. Tyrell 843 15
B. Laudicina 765 19
D. Murphy 727 10

Extra Points Total

S. Dell 10
D. Dejesus 8
B. Hartwig 7

Interceptions Total

A.J. Brown 10
P. Calvary 8
M. Morgan 7

Flag Pulls Total

E. Gledhill 24
J. Moss 24
M. Morgan 23

Sacks Total

J. Brisson 6
E. Argeros 5
M. Simpson 4

To view all the adult leagues individual player stats and team standings go to the Community Center's new sports page at hometeamsonline.com/amicc.

 

California, here I come

I'm somewhere above South Carolina on my way to New York to be one of the main speakers at the New York Vegetarian Festival. My dad, in his final years, liked to say, "It's all a dream." I've been feeling that a lot lately. What a week it has been, and it's not over yet. At some point, Mike, the publisher of the Sun said to me, "Ellen, you've become the story." What better way to write about it than in first person.

Some of you may remember when my book was a little idea in my head. One of my Island friends who was very encouraging said, "Yeah, you should write about your ability to beat the odds of cancer in your family, and then just include a few recipes. 150 recipes later (which would get reduced by editors), the book hangs in as my publisher's #1 seller and gets me speaking at the largest vegetarian festivals in the U.S. and Canada.

One of my best friends in college, my co-anchor at KOMU-TV in Columbia, Mo., in 1976 where we both had our first real jobs while carrying a full load of classes at the University of Missouri, always preached that if you stick to your values, everything else falls in line. I've remembered his passion about that often.

All I set out to do when I wrote the book was to show the world – OK, let's be real and show my three daughters that turning 50 doesn't mean a life sentence to all the diseases that have claimed family members – diabetes, heart disease, cancer and Alzheimer's. By the time I had children, my parents were so sick and diseased, they couldn't lift my kids, let alone babysit them. Doctors told me I needed to do things differently if I wanted to escape that fate.

I've since learned that genes take a trigger. Disease as we know it, does not have to be a destination. To that end, doing things differently, my last week went like this: On Saturday I ran the Senior Games and got three gold medals or first place. I had competition this year, since it was a qualifying year. That means you have to qualify to go on to the regional and national games in 2013. Every first place win qualifies for regionals. I did the 50, 100 and 400 meters…around a track one time.

Then on Sunday, I placed first in my age group in a 5K (3 miles) in the Take Stock in Children in Lakewood Ranch. I'm not training much at all this year with my traveling to large book-signing events. So my times could be a lot better.

I'm now a regular guest on the "Dr. Don" radio show about alternative health. When I mentioned my activities last weekend, he said, "Well of course you could do that. A plant-based diet gives you energy, and mainly you recover so well you don't hurt."

During the week, I received an e-mail from Ellen DeGeneres' and Portia's personal trainer, John Pierre. Pierre's response came after I appealed to him on a friend's Facebook page.

Pierre e-mails, "Contact me so I can promote your book." I call John in Los Angeles. He told me he's trying to spread a healthy vegan diet to the celebrities who can carry the message even more effectively. He would try to get the book on Ellen's website, since she's vegan. Pierre said that celebrities often go through personal trainers very quickly. "So I'm trying to use my 15 minutes of fame the best way I can," he said. How cool was that?

Another e-mail came in from Mary McDougall, the wife of Dr. John McDougall, who runs a clinic in Santa Rosa, Calif. Many doctors send their worst patients to Dr. McDougall, and he puts them on a plant-based diet with some exercise and gets great results. Mary and John have written more than a dozen cookbooks over 30 years, and I mentioned him in the dedication of my book. They have quite a following, and she asked if she could post recipes from my book in their monthly newsletter. And then would I consider coming out there to do a cooking demo at one of their advanced study weekends that they do twice a year. And they would pay me. Next weekend: Los Angeles. Gotta run.

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.