Torkham Flag Football League
Predators 10, Hit Squad 4 Friday night's game was the second game played on the new field. Again, it did not help the Hit Squad any better as they lost their fifth game, moving them one step closer to not winning a game all season. However, the Hit Squad is in the right league not to win a game. In any other league their season would be a huge disapointment, but in the TFL, with only four teams, every team makes the play-offs. So each team has an equal chance at the championship. The Torkham bowl, expected to be played on Christmas Day, could be anybody's for the taking. The Hit Squad still has not found their quarterback as five interceptions were thrown. Hull took four of them, while Martin snatched the fifth. The ten points the Predators scored were spread around the team, Willard and Banicki each scored a touchdown a piece, and Patton still having the most with four. Martin and Hull also scored a few touchdowns. The first trade in the TFL was between these two teams, but neither team played their traded player. McIntosh did not show up to play, while Patton (Predators, TC) sat Verner against his former team and Swenny was injured. In the trade rules it states that if a player plays in a game with in the 24 hours that (s)he is traded, that game is under review if the trade does not go through. The trade was final Friday night at 8:00. With only one more game for each of these two teams to play, both teams gear up for the play-offs. The Hit Squad and Predators are the first two teams to reach five games while the other two teams sit on three games a piece. Predators 10, Slayers 2 Todays game was supposed to be a battle between the two first place teams; but instead of having their first loss handed to them by the Demons, the Slayers took a shot from the Predators. The Demons and Slayers battle of first place was supposed to be the highlight of the week Tuesday night. However, Peterka (Team Captain, Demons) decided that his five players that had committed to playing this game wouldn't be enough. With players out on mission or attending business elsewhere in the country, Walson (Team Captain, Slayers) did his best to put his team on the field for the "game of the week". But it wasn't the Demons that came out to play the Slayers, it was the Predators. "I just love to play," Patton (Team Captain, Predators) said, "and if there is a team willing to play, we'll be there." Walson decided early in the day that he would be able to play today with his strained hamstring, but only as quarterback. No doubt ably because he was trying to get the battle for first out of the way. He would be the fifth person on the offence and he would have just enough to play his defense. By the end of the game Walson had five interceptions spread out to each of the players of the other team, Patton managed two of them-- one in which he made in the end zone and took it all the way back for the score. Hull picked off a sixth thrown by Dawson on a quarterback option. With the Predators starting quarterback attending previous engagements elsewhere in the country for the next few weeks, Banicki stepped to the plate. "I have to be honest with you, I wasn't sure how he was going to do." Hull commented after the game. The Predators were quickly up 4-0. Though four points were scored on interceptions, Banicki lead a commanding game throwing 11 completions in 20 attempts. McIntosh came out for his TFL debut and he looked good. Intercepting and returning the ball for a touchdown was just the highlight of his defensive plays. McIntosh shut his man down, as did the rest of the Predator defense. While we're on the subject of sharp defense, the leagues hidden treasure, Willard gained six more tackles. He is trailing only behind Patton, who guards all the leagues best receivers. The Predators defense made for a short game summary for the Slayers. On a short pass to Webb on the Slayers own ten, Webb danced and juked his way 50 yards scoring half of the Slayers points. The only other Slayer to score a touchdown was Copeland. You can probably count on Nale playing in the rest of the Slayers games. With the offense that we saw Tuesday night, it's doubted that they'll play again without him. "I owe Banicki an apology for doubting him," Hull continued, "He did an awesome job and without Brisky, there is no one I'd rather have in the position." To finish the game off, the Slayers blitzed Banicki on first down. In a mad scramble to grab Banicki's flags, the rookie quarterback managed to elude the Slayers completely and come out for a 55 yard run for the end zone, ending the game. In a replacement for the game of the week, the Predators/Slayers game time just extended over an hour (1:08) and made the league take a more serious look at the Predators. The Predators are expected to play again Thursday night verse the only team they have left to beat, the Demons. After Thursday, the Predators will only have one game left in the season, the Hit Squad. Predators 10, Hit Squad 7 With one game left before half of the season (six game season) is complete, places are being set. The Predators took control of third place last night as they beat the Hit Squad in a battle for third place. Somebody had to be 0-3 at the end of the day and everyone on both sides of the field were trying their best to make sure it wasn't them. The game started out with the Predators quickly up 2-0. It was a quick score on the first drive and an interception by Hull (5) to start a drive that ended in a touchdown, to put them up by two. Brisky left the game for a few minutes of the game to tend to some business and the Hit Squad took advantage scoring twice during the couple of minutes Brisky was missing in action. During that time, Verner returned an interception for a touchdown. Durkin took his turn of intercepting the ball in their own end zone, the very next drive, returning it for touchdown. With the Hit Squad only down by one, 7-6, Brisky came back in. He pitched back to Patton who tucked the ball to run, pulled back and ended up throwing a 55 yard pass to Hull in the end zone to take back the momentum. Chirs lead the Hit Squad on a drive, going for his fifth touchdown, to the Predators end zone. On fourth down the first penalty of the game as thrown and it was a big. Defensive pass interference was called on Strickler for pushing Verner near the end zone. That gave the Hit Squad five chances to make the score. With only three yards to go, the Predators defense bore down and fought, holding them to the fifth down. The Hit Squad managed to pull out their seventh point, a new team record, but held it to only seven. The ball went back and forth several times before the Predators scored their ninth point. With the game 9-7, the new time rule was now a variable. Because of the two and a half hour game between the Predators and Slayers on Thanksgiving, the commissioning committee decided on a two hour time limit to finish the games. The Hit Squad's drive for their eight point was stopped and the Predators tried to move the ball down the field with under ten minutes of play. But time proved to not be a concern because on the fifth down Brisky passed to Patton in the front left corner of the end zone, where Patton managed to squeeze the ball, for his personal and team record setting, sixth touchdown to win the game. Team Captain Comments: Patton on the win: "Its good to get our first win! I think it should have come a little sooner because we let the first two teams of the hook late in those games. A couple of our players are really improving and its fun to watch the progress they are making. Now that we finally put it all together for one win, more will follow!" Jennings on 0-3: "I drafted pretty solid players. Once we learn to work together, we're going to be a pretty solid team." New: Team Statistics for the Predators Slayers 11, Predators 9 - Thursday, 22-Nov In the first "over time" game, the Slayers manage to pull of the win. Going into the Predators second game of the day, endurance and injuries proved to be a "needs improvement" mark on their report card. After two hours of rest, the Predators came out to play for just over two and a half hours straight. Though they managed to get an early lead (6-3), injuries and fatigue wore into them. Brisky (21/31), the quarterback, had to come out early has he jammed his wrist, moving three different quarterbacks in for a try (Moore, Patton, Hull). None seemed to be a successful substitute for the first round draft pick, as until Brisky came out, the Predators had not needed to punt and they only managed to score three more times. The Slayers again used the team very widely hitting and using everyone on the team. The quarterback options and wide varitey of plays gave them the edge as they came back and tied at nine. After three more turn-overs between the two teams, the Slayers gained another touchdown, after a debatable "pass interference play" that allowed them the ball at the Predators five yard line and first down. This touch down gave them the lead. In a do-or-die situation, Hull was put in for quarterback. A quick screen pass to Patton gained them thirteen yards, only to be taken back ten yards on a call for "flag guarding" and a loss of the down. The next attempts were unsuccesful, as they punted off to the Slayers. In turn the Slayers drove the ball to the end zone for the game winning touchdown, resulting in their second win of the season and the Predators second loss. Other Notes: Moore (Predators) also left the game with a strained ankle. What the Team Captains Had To Say: PATTON: In reference to the pentalties: "To be honest with you, it shouldn't have mattered about the penalties. We should have had this game. We were up, we should have walked away with this game." WALSON: "In the begining we struggled because of a lack of focus and dropped balls. But no one gave up and we regained our composure. Toward the end of the game our defense capitalized on their offence. I never had any doubt that my guys would drive back and win this game." When asked if he thought his team would be 2-0 right now he said he didn't have any doubt. Demons 10, Predators 8 - Thursday, 22-Nov Thanksgiving Day half way across the world wasn't too much different than one in the states. Turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie decorated the tables and football was ever so present in a land almost forgotten. Though it wasn't the Lions and the Cowboys that entertained the troops this Thanksgiving, it was the Demons, Predators, Slayers and the Hit Squad. And to start off the holiday the Predators and Demons started the day early at 9:00. The Predators won the coin toss and ended up with the ball first. Brisky's (Predators) first throw of the game, landed three feet short of the receiver, leaving an uneasy feeling in the bottom of Predators' fans stomachs. Though after a couple more passes and moving the ball down the field, Patton brought one (of five all game) in for a touchdown. The game kept at it neck and neck until around the fourth point. Espejo got passed Hull twice for two touchdowns, giving the Demons a one point advantage. In an attempt to make up for it, Hull intercepted his first of two, but the attempt ended at the five yard line. In the next drives Baniki and Hull each had an interception, only to be answered to two interceptions from the Demons. In an attempt at the Predators ninth point, a flag was thrown on the one yard line for pass interference on the defence. Peterka (TC) talked to the officials and after the officials talked it over, it was deemed not pass interference. The spotlight turned to the Predators who could not make it into the end zone. The Demons drove the ball the 55 yards it takes to score the next drive to win the game. Comments: Hull on the pass interfernece call: "Thats the official's call to make, he threw the flag. It just looks really bad when an official throws a flag and after a team captain talks to him, he reverses it." |
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