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Game write ups by teams must be emailed to the league by Sunday evening at 8:00pm to be included in that week’s web site publishing of Game Highlights.

On a cool Autumn morning, it took contributions from all 10 Giants to pull out an opening round victory over a very determined and disciplined Rams team. After waiting 2 weeks due to last week's rain out, Big Blue's offense showed no signs of rust taking the opening drive the length of the field in 4 plays to take the early lead on a fine run by Kieran. Choosing to go for 2 on the extra point for the first time this season, the G-men cashed in with great teamwork by Gray, Declan & Kieran running the "Hocus Pocus" to perfection.

When the defense took the field, it was clear the week off didn't deter the Giants D either as Tommy picked off the Rams' first pass to give the ball right back to the offense. The Rams showed they had no intention of giving up without a fight as they stopped the Giants next drive and scored themselves on their ensuing possession. With the ball back, Big Blue answered the Rams with another score of their own as Declan took a sweep the length of the field for the score. On the extra point, Will drew the Rams defense into the middle with a great fake, allowing Kieran sprint into the end zone for 2.

As the second half began, with only extra points separating the 2 teams, the G-men tightened down on defense with Hunter, Max and Jimmy containing everything the Rams offense came out with, pulling flags swatting down passes with abandon. On offense, the Giants used a balanced attack with fine runs from its backs, highlighted by a long run from Crazy Legs Will as the clock wound down, and the passing of Gray, who took several shots in the direction of his favorite receiver Jackson, our center and the straw that stirs the offense.

Hats off to an excellent Rams team on a hard fought game and Congrats to the Giants as they move on to Round 2. Well done everyone

The Rams played a tough Giant’s football team on Saturday to complete a great season

of learning. The Rams remained within striking distance of taking the lead until

midway in the second half; however, the Giants offense proved to be too much scoring

three late touchdowns. The Ram’s offense was led by a combination of playmakers

running back and quarterback, Jared (Mr. Versatility) threw deep to Campbell (Mr.

Playmaker) and Gregory (Mr. Reliable), while juking his way past defensive linemen

on misdirection runs. Campbell (Mr. Playmaker) scored two amazing touchdowns, ripping

long-distance runs along each side line and gave everything on every single play—as

he has done all season long. Complimenting Jared and Campbell, Nathaniel (Mr. Speedy)

the Ram’s offense. Gregory (Mr. Reliable) and Mason (Mr. Excitement) took most

of the snaps at quarterback from two of the best centers in the League, Danny (Mr.

Determination) and Cameron (Mr. Tenacity). Key to the Ram’s offense all season

long has been both fellas' leadership and solid performance in getting the huddle

together and starting each play with a perfectly executed snap. Complementing their

mature play, Hunter (Mr. Tough-man) played both running back and wide receiver and

became the personification of the team’s toughness and endurance. In his first

year playing football, Jack (Mr. Surprise) played on both the White and Blue offensive

On defense, Kelton (Mr. Blitz) simply crashed through defensive lines all season

long, disrupting plays in the backfield and pulling flags. Complimenting Mr. Blitz,

the Ram’s defensive front—Mr. Tenacity, Mr. Determination, Mr. Playmaker, and Mr.

Excitement—attempted to contain outstanding Giant running backs. The Ram’s defensive

backs—Mr. Versatility, Mr. Speedy, Mr. Toughman, and Mr. Reliable—smothered receivers

In the end, an explosive Giant’s offense proved too much and pulled away in the

and hard work all season long, as well as their great parents for their unbelievable

On a blustery Saturday afternoon at Fincastle Field, the 49ers took their first possession of the game, down the field on 3 plays for a touchdown and a 6 to 0 early lead. Da Bears opening possession was fueled by a long pass from Dean Johnson to Coleman Rafferty to get Da Bears to mid field followed by a razzle-dazzle play with C Rafferty at quarterback. C Rafferty handed off left to Zack Burdick who ran wide, stopped and then threw deep to Johnson for Da Bears opening touchdown, knotting the score at 6.

The Bears held tight on the 49ers next series forcing the 49ers offense off the field after three plays. Da Bears second series opened up with Burdick hitting a running Scott Schaffler past the midfield stripe for a first down. On the second play of the drive, Schaffler fired a deep pass to Brandon Rafferty down the right side of the field for Da Bears second score of the day. B Rafferty drew double coverage on the play but was able to rise above the defenders for the score. After a pass to Burdick from Schaffler, Da Bears made the score 13 to 6, Da Bears…

Once again the stout Bears defense held the 49ers to three plays and out. The momentum was clearly shifting in the favor of Da Bears. The third possession of the game for Da Bears would also result in success. A long pass from Quarterback Johnson to a hustling C Rafferty moved the chains for Da Bears just shy of the midfield stripe. After a quick first down pass from Burdick to Johnson, a 15 yard pass from Johnson to Conner Norris resulted in a juggling hand-off-the-head completion, worthy of a Ringling Brothers circus trophy. The drive was capped off by a Burdick touchdown strike to Nick Foresha wide open in the middle of the end zone. Da Bears 19, 49ers 6.

The Monsters of the Midway defense again held the 49ers to three plays and out, turning the ball back over to Da Bears. After a 49ers safety, making the score 19 to 8, the 49ers were in possession of the ball, however the 49ers drive was stymied by an interception from Burdick. After one more exchange from each team, the half came to a close with Da Bears leading the 49ers 19 to 8.

Da Bears held on to the opening possession of the second half for three plays and then were forced to give the ball over to the 49ers. However the speedy defense of Da Bears rose to the occasion yet again on the 49ers opening series. On the second play, Schaffler picked off the 49ers pass giving the ball back to Da Bears at midfield. After a three and out series for the Bears, the 49ers put together a 6 play drive. However, deep in the Bears territory, Da Bears again rose to the occasion ending the 49ers threat by forcing an incomplete pass on third down.

The Bears offense began to click on its 3^rd possession of the second half. Burdick hit a streaking B Rafferty with a long pass well beyond the midfield stripe for a first down. Schaffler then hit Hunter Evans for a fabulous 10 yard catch in front of two 49er defenders to keep the drive alive. The drive was then capped off with another Burdick to B Rafferty touchdown strike in the left corner of the endzone.

After Da Bears and the 49ers exchanged series another 3 times, Da Bears were in possession of a first round playoff win, 25 to 8!

The Seahawks defeated the Chargers in the first round of the play-offs 32-19 in a tightly matched game.
In the first half Joey Oliver threw three TD passes for the Seahawks, one to Alexio Aguilar, another to Jack Shanley and a third to Greg Busey. He also caught a pass on a halfback reverse pass for a TD from Alexio Aguilar.

On defense, Joey DiTomaso intercepted four passes and Justin Bradley ended the game with an interception for the Seahawks, who face the second seeded Steelers on Saturday.

The Bears took the field against the 49ers hoping to make the “second season” more successful than the first. Better than their record, they had confidence they would match up against the 49ers. Further, Coach Dave provided additional motivation, by offering to shave his head should the Bears win two playoff games on Saturday. However, the 49ers had other plans. After about a quarter of scoreless play, the Niners started to take control of the game. While the Bears never quit, they could not match the 49ers on this day. The Bears left the field with heads held high, and Coach

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Game write ups by teams must be emailed to the league by Sunday evening at 8:00pm to be included in that week’s web site publishing of Game Highlights.

Facing a hungry Bear's team, the Rams saw a tough battle with both sides making great game-saving defensive plays. The Bears were the first team to strike with a determined run down the left sideline for pay dirt. However, Ram defensive backs--Nathaniel Brown and Hunter Oakford--rebounded by smothering Bear's wide-receivers for the failed one-point conversion attempt. The Ram's offense next moved the ball to mid-field, behind the quick running of Nathaniel Brown, but failed to gain a critical first down. The Bear's took control of the ball and broke a long run down the right sideline; however, Cameron Korhnak dove for the running back's flag making a terrific touchdown saving play. Getting the ball back, Jared Maile provided his unique "juking"-style of running and moved the ball to mid-field. However, once again, the Bears stopped the Rams from reaching the endzone. In the next series, the Bear's turned to the run and the Ram's Danny Shomali and Kelton Roney made two great plays, quickly reacting to hand-offs and expertly pulling Bears' flags. The first half continued to see-saw back and forth, until the Ram's Gregory Brewster handed-off to Campbell Niehaus, who sprinted down the middle of the field for a long touchdown run. Electing to go for the one-point conversion, Jared Maile made a perfect throw to Campbell Niehaus in the back of the endzone. In the second half, the Bear's combined their running and passing talents to challenge the Ram's defense. Containing the run effectively, Mason Abernethy forced the Bear's running back into his own endzone, pulling the flag at the one-inch line. Getting the ball back, the Ram's offense turned to a little trickery. On successive quick mis-direction plays, Ram wide-receivers, Hunter Oakford and Jack Brewster, made great individual efforts to move the ball up-field. Then. Jared Maile threw two nice passes deep to well-covered Ram's receivers. Tough defenses continued to reign for the later part of the game. For the Rams, Campbell Niehaus, Cameron Korhnak, Jared Maile, and Nathaniel Brown each made outstanding individual game-saving plays to stop Bear running backs, who seemed destined for the endzone. As time drew to a close, the Rams were most fortunate to win the game 7-6, as the Bears were a fierce opponent.

With their defensive coordinator out of town on a cheese-buying expedition to Wisconsin , the Colts young defense were determined to make her proud and they did so with a shutout on the final day of the regular season. Ryder Sousa (four) and Scott Collins (two) combined for a season high six interceptions on the afternoon. Adam Strychowski, Mitchell Lough, Devin Ford and Alex Bradley were pulling flags right and left and Ian Lips, Christian Marker and Ben Garber were defending passes and playing stay-at-home defense.

Lough had quite an afternoon as he threw a touchdown pass to Collins and caught a touchdown pass from Collins. The Colts showing their offensive versatility also had two nice touchdown runs by Sousa. Ford and Bradley had several nice runs against a very tough Ravens defense. The Colts now look forward to the playoffs and sampling some of that Wisconsin cheese.

The Dolphins showed up ready to play football and proved the hard work and perseverance really do pay off. A very determined Dolphins football team pulled together to post a win against the Steelers this Saturday at Choptank field. The Dolphins defense dominated and held held the Steelers to a scoreless first half. Ian and Jackson both made big defensive plays but it was a true team effort which also included Aidan, Alex, and Eric.

Nick was first to score with an outstanding run the length of the field. Drake scored the extra point. Georgio ran the offense and made several big plays as quarterback. Eric played quarteback in the second half and showed off his throwing arm with several great throws down field. Aidan had a good catch and Ian a good run in the second half. Nick set up the second touchdown with another long run.

The second half defense also played well with big defensive plays by Mac and Drake and a two point safety.

The Cowboys entered their regular season finale against the Panthers with 3rd place

in the National Conference on the line, and they responded with their best defensive

effort of the year. The defensive charge was led by S/CB Austin Volpi, who picked

off the Panthers 3 times and registered a team high 7 tackles. For the second straight

Ali and MLB Ben Kara provided tight short coverage all day long, forcing the Panthers

The Cowboys QB rotation of Jonathan Truba, Brian Wuerschmidt, and Jaidan Ali posted

impressive combined numbers, including 13 completions and 3 touchdown passes. The

play of the day occurred when QB Jonathan Truba threw a bullet into tight coverage,

and after the ball bounced back and forth between Cowboys WR Andrew Hoyler and a

“Birthday Boy” Ventrice balanced out the Cowboys offensive production with a combined

An angry wind blew into Fincastle field as the Bears and Giants squared off. The Bears’ stout defense set the tempo early and controlled throughout. On the opening play of the game, middle linebacker Nick Foresha’s blitz forced a quick pass that safety Zach Burdick snagged for the INT (the first of three he had for the game). Following an inside hand-off to Connor Norris, Burdick connected with Coleman Rafferty on a slant and the Bears stormed out to a 6-0 lead. Returning to the field, the Bears defense remained solid, as safety Brandon Rafferty made stops on consecutive downs and Hunter Evans blew-up a play in the backfield. The Bears scored again on the 1^st play of their 3^rd offensive possession when QB Dean Johnson found Burdick down the middle of the field. The combo reversed roles for the PA and the Bears were ahead 13-0. Following this score, outside linebacker Ben Davis orchestrated a three-and-out with a pass deflection and a stop at the line of scrimmage; however, the resilient Giants capitalized on a turnover themselves and narrowed the gap to 13-6. The Giants had a chance before halftime to knot-up the score, but safety Scott Schaffler made a terrific play on a deep ball to end the threat.

On the 2^nd play of the 2^nd half, Johnson connected with Burdick on a highlight reel play. Adjusting in air around the defender, Burdick snagged the pass and streaked into the end zone. Two possessions later, the Giants responded with a touchdown, but the PA failed on a pass defended by linebacker Jeffrey Wallhermfechtel (score: 19-12). The Bears’ 5^th offensive possession resulted in a six play drive, ending in another Johnson-to-Burdick touchdown. The ensuing PA (C. Rafferty to Foresha) accounted for the final points of the contest. The game ended with the Bears on defense as Wallhermfechtel made stops on consecutive plays, wrapping-up a stellar regular season w/ a 6-1 record.

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Game write ups by teams must be emailed to the league by Sunday evening at 8:00pm to be included in that week’s web site publishing of Game Highlights.

The Giants entered their game this week expecting a real battle and got just that from a resilient & disciplined Redskins team. It was a defensive struggle all the way as the teams ended the game just as it started, in a 0 - 0 tie.

While neither team reached the end zone, the Giants offense did have some success moving the ball with solid runs from Jackson & Kieran and some big passing plays from Tommy to Hunter. Will kept the offense on track all day from his center position. On the other side of the ball, the Big Blue Wrecking Crew put up their 3rd shutout of the season. Nick & Declan were all over the Redskins backfield chasing down their QB on pass plays, while Jimmy & Gray kept containment on the outside, denying the Redskins runners any room down the sidelines.

One great fall day and one great football game by two great teams. Nicely done everyone.

On a cold and crisp October morning, the Rams and the Eagles clashed in what promised to be a great game.

The Eagles won the toss and began the game with two strong runs by Everett. After not quite making a first down, it was the Rams turn on offense. After two plays, Liam made a great defensive flag pull to stop the Rams and get the ball back for his offense. The Eagles moved the ball well on the first two plays. On the third play, Kelly dropped back and threw a great pass to Grant Gabaldon who was stopped just shy of the first down. Tyler made two great defensive plays – holding his position and aggressively pursuing the Rams ball carrier – to stop another Rams drive. The defensive battle continued on both sides – Kelly and Grant continued to make positive plays on offense but were thwarted each time from a first down by active defense of the Rams. Brian added other key flag pulls and John also helped cement the right side of the Eagles defense. The half ended in a 0-0 tie.

The Rams started the second half on offense and the Eagles defense continued to be tough – this time led by Everett, Jonathon and Grant. On offense, Drew gave us all a preview of things to come with a couple strong runs. Grant and Dawson kept the defense on track by managing mis-direction plays by the Rams and not allowing a first down. Liam got into the mix from his QB position by dropping back and making a nice pass to Drew – from there, Drew turned toward the end zone and out-ran the Rams defense for the first score of the day!! But – there was more to come…on the next possession, Drew took a hand-off, headed down the right sideline, made a GREAT cut-back into the center of the field and crossed the goal line for the second TD of the game. Liam rolled out, passed the ball to John who was stopped just short of the goal line. On the Rams last drive, Kelly exemplified the heart of the Eagles team – she dove for a flag and after emerging from a cloud of dust, she came out with the flag and stopped the runner!!

In the end, the Eagles continued their ability to play as a team and improve each week. Hats off to the Rams for a tough-fought game

The Rams and Eagles played an extremely tough game on an early, brisk Saturday morning. In the first half, the Eagle's rushing attack was met with an equally aggressive Ram's defense as Danny, Cameron, and Mason successfully contained Eagle running backs, pulling many flags. Kelton blitzed the Eagle quarterback, applying intense pressure and creating confusion, while Ram defensive backs--Hunter, Jared, and Gregory--smothered wide receivers. On offense, Gregory and Mason handed-off to a combination of running backs to include Nathaniel, Jared, Hunter, and Jack. However, a well-coached Eagle's defense allowed very little, as the Ram's offense only crossed mid-field twice throughout the entire game. Late in the second half, the Eagle's got the best of a tired Ram's defense, scoring two big-play touch downs.

The Jets and Colts faced off in the battle for the division lead. Bothteams entered the contest at 5-0. The Colts took first possession and on their first play from scrimmage scored putting the Jets down early 7-0. The Jets offense then wasted no time taking to their run game when QB Patrickhanded Reid on a end around who marched 30 yards down the field for the score. The Jets went for two and Evan took the handoff and scrambled in for the conversion. The Jets led early 8-7. The Jets D led by Connor, Spencer, and Goran made spectacular stops, preventing first downs, and deflecting passess to prevent the Colts from advancing the ball. The Jets offense again went to work on their running game, QB Cole handed to Jesse who faked the pass and ran the length of the field for the Jets second TD and a 14-7 lead. The Jets added one more score to put them ahead at half 20-7. In the second half the Jets offense continued to roll moving the ball when QB Evan found a wide open Goran for a pick up of 20 yards. On the next play Reid took the ball on a reverse and scored on a 20 yard run down the sideline to put the Jets up 26-7. The Colts answered quickly closing the gap to 26-13. On the next seris the Jets using the clock took to the run led by Reed, and Jackson moving the ball to put the Jets in another scoring opportunity extending their lead to 32-12. The Colts scored on a pass play but time ran out and the Jets go to 6-0 with a final of 32-19.

They may call them the Jets, but the impressive Mites flag football team did all of its damage against the Colts Saturday on the ground. The Colts jumped out on top in this “Dust Bowl” match-up of two undefeated teams with Scott hitting Ryder on a short pass on the first play of the game and Ryder danced his way across the field and emerged from the brown fog for a touchdown.

The Colts defense held the Jets on their first two series with Ryder, Adam Strychowski and Connor all getting flags. Despite impressive runs by Alex and Devin during the next series, the Colts could not gain a first down. A touchdown on the final play of the first half, a trademark of the Colts, put the Jets up top 14-7 at the half and the Jets kept right on going in the second half, scoring on four of five possessions with a Scott interception the saving grace for the Colts defense and some impressive flag work by Adam.

The Colts showed great heart with Ben, Mitchell, Ian and Christian all bringing home enough dirt to warrant a Tide commercial. And Scott showed off his arm twice more with touchdown throws to Adam and Ryder. Despite the loss by snack time the Colts were back to their smiling selves and they look forward to a rematch with the Tanks …er … Jets in the playoffs.

On Saturday, on the not-so-frozen tundra of Fincastle field, the Packers snapped a three-game losing streak by beating the Bears, 18-12. After an auspicious startto the game, when the Packers D failed to stop a Bear's reverse for a score, the offense kicked into 1st gear sending Chris on a ground-burning touchdown run to the left. The extra point conversion failed leaving the score tied, 6-6. Later, in the latter part of the 1st half, the Bears caught the Packers flat footed scoring on a throw down the seam and taking the lead once again. With little time left in the half, the Packer offense regrouped and Jack let loose with a 20 yard missile connecting with Chris to tie the game at 12-12. After the start of the second half, the vaunted Packer defense began to take over. Ryan H. and Ryan W. caused havoc in the backfield while their team mates Camden, Jimmy, and Jack stymied the Bear's offensive attack. Late in the second half after a Bears interception, the Packers were faced with a resurging offense knocking at their 5 yard line. Although the Bears got as close as one foot from the goal line, the tough play of David kept them from scoring. With one minute to play, Chris, once again, broke a 35 yard run to seal the win for the Packers. The entire team came through with one of its best efforts of the season.

The Seahawks ran and threw for three touchdowns and their defense scored a safety in a 20-0 victory over the Chargers.

Alex caught a fifteen yard pass from Joey for one score. Jack caught another toss for a long score and Colin scored on a long touchdown run down the sidelines for the Seahawks.

On defense, Chris and Greg combined for the safety to keep the Seahawks in second place, one game behind the Ravens, who they meet next week.

The Junior Division Cardinals were well on their way to sending a pre-playoff message to the rest of the league that they were back on track after snapping their four game winning streak last week. The Junior Division Cowboys were about to spend a week thinking about how things could’ve ended differently had they pulled just a few more flags. But then the perseverant Cowboys roared back and were two yards away from winning the game when the final whistle blew. The Cowboys offense opened up the game under the direction of QB Andrew H., who capped off one long drive with a touchdown pass to WR Brian. From there, Andrew C. perfectly executed a HB option play by finding Andrew H. in the back of the end zone for the Cowboys’ 2nd touchdown of the afternoon. The Cowboys’ 2nd half offense was equally as impressive. The tandem of QB Brian and C Jonathan hooked up for two long touchdowns, with Austin polishing off one of those scores with a tough catch for the extra point. Jibran contributed to the Cowboys offensive output by completing a long option pass, and Lucas registered a few critical receptions at the mid-field line.

The Cowboys’ Doomsday defense showed spurts of promise throughout the afternoon, forcing 8 change-of-possessions (2 interceptions and 6 turnover on downs). Leading the charge for the Cowboys was Jaidan, who led the defense with 4 tackles and consistent leadership. Ben disrupted three pass attempts by jumping up and getting his hands and arms into the Cardinals passing lanes, and also consistently provided motivational pep talks to his teammates on the sidelines. Gino Ventrice, still on a high after his game winning safety last week, capped off the Cowboys’ defensive effort with 1 tackle and 3 passes defended in the end zone.

The Cowboys and Cardinals ended regulation tied at 25. They will have to settle this in the playoffs.

It's a dry breezy "extra dusty" West Texas like day as the Cardinals look to rebound from first loss of season to face the Cowboys. The game starts out with a series of three and out after Cards play good goal line defense with Jonathan and Mason making good defensive plays to keep Cowboys out of the end zone. On Cards second possession, Danny takes an end around and goes the distance of the field for first score of game 6-0.

Denzel makes a nice interception on the next play but the Cards are stopped despite a nice catch and run by Nick. Mason has another nice flag pull as Cards swarming D stops next Cowboys drive. The Cards again go 3 and out and the Cowboys answer with a score to make it 6-6. The Cards answer with a Denzel making a nice juggling catch on a throw from Cooper. On crucial 3rd down Denzel takes a misdirection handoff and runs for the score. Cooper then finds Denzel who makes another fine catch and the Cards go up 13-6 leading into halftime.

The second half starts out with both teams going 3 and out after nice defensive play by Meghan. Andrew then makes a nice throw to Mason who makes the catch on the run for a first down. Danny takes a pass from Andrew but is stopped short of the goal line. The Cowboys then get a nice run from Jonathan to make the score 13-12.

After going 3 and out the Cardinals defense led by Bradley relentless pass rush keeps Cowboys in their own zone and force a 3 and out On the next possession, Danny takes a handoff around end and sets and throw ball deep down field to an open Jonathan who turns on the jets to make a nice catch and go for the score. A great play that leads to a 19-12 lead.

Gerrit then puts the pressure on Cowboys leading to an interception by Andrew. The Cards turn it over on the next play and Cowboys take it in to tie the score at 19-19.

On the next possession Jonathan takes the ball the distance of the field for a nice run and the Cards go up 25-19. The Cowboys then answer with a great run with Denzel making a touchdown saving flag pull on the goal line. The

Cowboys are able to get the score to tie the game 25-25. Danny makes a nice pass defense to keep the score tied at 25-25.

The Cards have one last chance and move the ball down field only to be intercepted. With the seconds ticking off the clock the Cowboys make a nice run down the field but step out of bounds at the 10 yard line and time expires.

It was quite an exciting shootout in the second half in the dust bowl battle ending in a 25-25 tie.

Early Saturday morning the Bears faced-off against the high-powered Falcons. In a game defined by explosive plays, the Bears put up a good fight but came-up short.The Falcons set the early tone by scoring on its first two offensive possessions. Although the Falcons’ quick passes kept the Bears’ on their heels, a number of defensive plays stand-out. Middle linebacker Hunter deflected a pass while applying quarterback pressure, safety Scott made a diving grab to prevent a possible touchdown, and outside linebacker Ben stopped receivers on consecutive plays for short gains. On their third offensive possession, the Bears normally potent offense got on track. QB Dean connected with Zach on a deep out near midfield. Coleman then turned a slant into a long run, setting-up 1^st down deep in Falcons territory. On the next play, Zach calmly fired a pass to Johnson in the end zone. The successful PA (Zach-to-Coleman) tightened the score @ 7 – 14. Throughout the remainder of the half, the Bears’ Jeffrey contributed a number of outstanding plays, including two catches down the middle of the field and a couple of key stops; however, two successful bombs by the Falcons widened the lead, and the Bears entered halftime trailing 7 – 27.

The Bears came out in the 2^nd half determined to turn the game around. Led by the defensive play of safety Brandon (multiple passes defended) and critical stops by linebackers Connor and Nick the Bears forced back-to-back three-and-outs. During their 2^nd offensive possession of the half, the tandem of Johnson-Burdick went back to work, culminating in a touchdown when Johnson found Burdick down the middle on a long toss. Following the PA, the Bears were solidly in the game: 14-27. The momentum felt like it was shifting the Bears’ way when Davis foiled a reverse and Schaffler made another stop for little gain, forcing the change of possession; however, the persistent Falcons kept applying pressure and found the end zone again. The “never-say-die” Bears quickly responded with a touchdown when C. Rafferty hauled in a bomb from Burdick. Following the successful PA (same combo), the Bears made one final stand. Evans was nearly credited with a sack that led to an errant pass and a Schaffler pick; unfortunately the Bears couldn’t muster any more offensive firepower, and the Falcons tacked on one more score to close out the game and hand the Bears their first loss of the season.

The Bears faced the first place, undefeated Browns on Saturday and looked like they would strike first. On the first play of the game, QB Will found Matt deep for 25 yards and then found Cody inside the Browns’ 10 yard line. However, following an interception, the Browns marched down the field on passes of 10, 10 and 25 yards to take a 6-0 lead. And so it went. On the Bears’ next drive, Will hit Michael once and Cody twice down to the Browns 5 yard line but could not score.

The Bears defense worked hard to keep the Browns receivers in front of them. Pressure by Jon and flags by Max and Chris stopped the next drive, but after a turnover, the Browns struck again on passes of 20, 5,10 and 5 yards to make the score 13-0. The Bears continued to rack up offensive yards without reward. Will’s passes to Matt, Cody and Rick on ensuing drives put the Bears in scoring position twice. Finally, Will and Michael connected in the endzone, but a penalty nullified the score. The Browns struck once more on a 35 yard bomb to take a 19-0 lead into the locker room.

QB Jon took over in the second half and continued to move the chains for the Bears. Jordan and Bradley were his favorite receivers with eight catches between them. Finally, down by 32, Jon connected with Brad in the corner of the endzone for six. Late in the game, Jon went deep and Chris made a leaping catch for another Bears’ score. However, despite keeping up with the Browns in first downs and yardage, the Bears’ difficulty in punching it in left them on the wrong end of a 38-12 final score.

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Game write ups by teams must be emailed to the league by Sunday evening at 8:00pm to be included in that week’s web site publishing of Game Highlights.

It was three yards and a cloud of dust Saturday as the undefeated Colts, behind 18 running plays, grinded out a 13-0 win over the Raiders. The Colts got all the offense it needed in the first half on two long pass plays from QB Scott to WR Adam , the second coming just before the half. Scott found Ryder in the back of the end zones on one of the PAT attempts. The rest of the afternoon the Colts ate chunks of the clock with Alex, Devin, Ben, Mitchell, Connor, Ian and Christian taking turns with the pigskin. Bradley had two highlight reel runs of 30 yards to set up possible scores but the Raiders played tough defense to keep the game close.

The Colts defense was stingy all afternoon, allowing just one first down in the game. Multiple times during the dusty contest, the Colts came up with, not one, but two flags pulled at the same time in an example of good swarming team defense. Collins came up with a nice second half interception. Ford led the way on defense with 3+ flag pulls. The balanced Colts defense featured nine players with at least one pull and seven players with multiple pulls including Sousa, Thompson, Bradley, Collins and Garber.

In a tough "see-saw" battle with the Cardinals, the Rams won their first game of the year, 24-20. Scoring two touchdowns early in the game, Nathaniel and Campbell managed to break free from Cardinal defenders and scamper for long runs. With only six players available for the game--due to the holiday weekend--the Ram's offense played very disciplined, tough football. Behind Danny at center and Mason at quarterback, Hunter, Nathaniel, and Campbell combined their collective talents in the first half to spark the offense. Responding to the Ram's early lead, the Cardinal's potent offense responded with two touchdowns of their own, challenging Ram defenders with deep passes and well-executed miss-direction running. In the second half, the Cardinal's continued their hungry efforts and scored an early touchdown with an outstanding run, taking the lead. The Ram's defense, though, was not dismayed, stiffening their resolve and learning from their earlier mistakes. Blitzing from the secondary, "Mighty-Man" Kelton created havoc in the Cardinal's backfield, while Hunter broke-up two deep passes in the secondary. When the Cardinals turned to the run, Danny and Campbell contained two critical hand-offs. In short, more disciplined play on defense allowed the Ram's offense to go back to work. Digging even deeper, the Rams moved the ball down field, scoring two touchdowns on gutsy, tough runs by Campbell. With a couple of ticks remaining on the clock and needing a long touchdown to win, the Cardinal's offense looked to score quickly. However, as the Cardinal passer threw deep for a potential game-winning reception, Ram defender Nathaniel broke-up the play as time expired, sealing the Ram's first victory of the season. Coach Abernethy commends each of the Ram's players for their continued hardwork and commitment, during last Wednesday's practice and, even more so, during the game. The Cardinals were a very tough team and the game proved to be a battle. Great job, fellas!

Week 5 brought a lot of excitement as the Eagles challenged the Bears at Choptank.

On offense, Drew got things started by taking a handoff and going down the left sideline for a long TD run. Jonathon played a great game at QB – setting and running the offense and making several long downfield passes. Dawson added a long TD run by taking it down the right sideline and into the end zone. Dawson also made a great catch of a long pass that resulted in a key first down. John took a handoff, stepped back and zipped a pass to his receiver that was deflected by the Bears defense and was nearly caught by Drew – so close...

On defense, Grant played LB and CB and anchored his side of the field by closing in on runners, turning them back into the middle of the field and aggressively pulling flags. Everett started at LB and effectively contained the run and then moved to CB where he made a crucial interception to stop a Bears TD drive. Drew continued his solid work on defense by using his speed and to defend multiple passes while adding several key flag pulls. Brian played his usual stellar game on defense – at LB and CB – letting no long runs or passes happen on his side of the field. Dawson played a tough CB, letting no receivers past him for long plays, and supporting the run when needed. More defense was added by John from his right linebacker position, making multiple stops of running plays before they ever had a chance to get going. Jonathon rounded out the solid defensive performance by playing a tough middle LB.

This week was a story of 7 players rising to the occasion – an ‘iron man’ test of playing much more than usual- and playing as a unit to get the 12-0 victory against a talented Bears team.

The Saturday morning game between the Cowboys and the Giants ended in what will probably be classified as the most dramatic finish in week 5. The Cowboys'

starting QB "Birthday Boy" Ben struck early by throwing a touchdown pass to WR Andrew on the Cowboys' second offensive play of the game. From there

the Cowboys' defense just dug in their heels and held on for dear life. Austin led the Cowboys with 7 tackles and 1 interception. Andrew was

right behind him with 6 tackles and one difficult interception that should earn him a spot on the ESPN Top 10 Plays of the Day. Additional defensive help was

turned in by Jaidan who had 1 tackle and 1 interception, Jibran who registered a key third down sack, Andrew who out-hustled just about

everyone on the field, and Lucas who broke up two passes. The scoreat the half was 6-6, and that would not change until there was 1 minute left in

the game. The Giants regained possession of the ball at their own 5 yard line with 1 minute to go when Cowboys' S "G-Diddy" Gino raced in and

sacked the Giants quarterback for the go-ahead safety. The Cowboys ran the time off the clock from there and felt extremely fortunate

The Seahawks scored twice in the first half and held on to beat the Bengals, 13-6 for their fourth win in five games. Joey threw to Jack for one touchdown and scored another on a pass from Alexio. Greg scored the extra point on a pass from Oliver. On defense, Justin had two interceptions and Colin one, as the Seahawks held their opponents to one touchdown or less for the fourth time this season.

From the Cardinals perspective…..The game started with both teams going 3 and out. On Falcons 2nd possession Mason has a nice flag pull to slow down the

Falcons but they marched down the field to take 7-0 lead. The Cardinals respond with a long drive of their own. Danny makes a nice end around run

for a first down to keep the drive alive. Garret caps off the drive by taking a pass from Andrew and sprinting to the corner of the end zone for a

TD to make the score 7-6. On the next possession, Michael Johnson takes the ball the distance for Falcons score and a 13-6 lead. The Cardinals take over and Bradley makes a

nice catch as Cooper unloads after avoiding the rush. The drive stalls and Falcons take over and go deep on 3rd down to go up 19-6. Cardinals have

several nice offensive plays including Garret with a nice run and Andrew making a nice pass to Jonathan but drive falls short of first down. Danny

then makes a nice flag pull to keep the Falcons from running for the first down and setting up the Cardinals for one last chance before half time.

Cooper sends a deep ball to Jonathan who makes the catch and avoids the secondary but it stop short and Cardinals run out of time.

The 2nd half is all Falcons. Danny makes another nice flag pull on Falcons first drive but the Falcons once again go deep and make score 25-6.

The offense struggles and turns the ball over on a nice interception by Michael Johnson (his Dad Bill was sitting next to me so I had to write

this). Despite some nice defensive plays by Mason and Meghan the Falcons score again to go up 31-6. The Falcons continue to play a solid game on

both sides and finish the game off for a 45-6 score ending the Cardinals hopes of an undefeated season. The Falcons played great "D" in the 2nd

The Saints marched into town late Saturday to face the Bears dominating defense. Keyed by Safety - Brandon’s two first half interceptions, Da Bears recorded their second shutout of the season. Pass-rushing specialist Nick hounded the Saints’ quarterback all afternoon while the outside linebacker rotation of Connor, Ben, Jeffrey, and Dean maintained the necessary containment to limit big plays from the flats.

The Saints provided stout defense of their own, leading to a seesaw struggle during the early going. The Bears finally found an offensive spark on its 3^rd possession when, on third and long, QB Johnson hoisted a bomb to wide-out Zach. Zach caught the ball behind the outstretched arms of a defender and raced untouched into the end-zone for the 6-0 lead. On the Bears’ next offensive possession, QB Scott spread around the ball to his various weapons. Wallhermfechtel turned a short pass into a decent gain and Davis then juked his way to a first down. On the third play, Schaffler arched a pass to a wide open Hunter. Hunter hauled in the pass, in stride, and dashed in to make the score 12-0.

The Bears’ defense set the early tone in the 2^nd half when Evan’s pressure resulted in a pick by Schaffler. A run by Coleman took the ball to midfield. Two plays later, Johnson again hooked-up with Burdick, this time on a slant across the middle. Burdick turned the corner and zipped down the sideline for his second touchdown of the game. The Bears’ 4^th offensive possession of the half resulted in their most sustained drive. Foresha made a tough grab in traffic and Norris kept the drive alive with a first down. Faced with 3^rd down, Burdick fired a pass to the back of the end zone and C. Rafferty made a diving catch for the touchdown. Burdick then connected with Johnson on the PA to bring the score to 25-0 and the final points of the contest.

Coming off last weeks impressive win over the Eagles, the Bears were ready for revenge against the Jets who beat up on them to open the season. The Bears started out strong. Following their game captains’ (Rick and Max) winning the coin toss, the Bears struck quickly with a short pass from Will to Cody who took it 43 yards down the sideline for a 6-0 lead. Then, after Chris batted away a sure Jets’ first down pass and Jon stopped a run for no gain, Will hit Matt on a crossing route for a 40 yd TD. Before they could blink, the Jets were down 12-0.

The Bears defense remained tight, with Jordan intercepting a pass on the Jet’s next possession, and Bradley making a diving flag pull at the 5 yard line, before the Jets final found paydirt. However, the Bears struck right back on a 30 yard scoring pass from Will to Cody to increase their lead to 18-7.

The Bears defense continued to control the line of scrimmage and nullify the Jet’s quickness. Jon kept pressure on the Jet’s QB’s all day and registered several sacks. Jordan and Max covered the flats and middle like Ray Lewis and Zach Thomas. Meanwhile, Brad and Chris played a tight backfield. Brad made several score-saving tackles and Chris had an interception and several key tackles. However, the Jets adjusted to the tight coverage and started going over the top of the Bears D. After two deep TD throws and the only extra point of the day for either team, the Jets were up 19-18.

Then, just before halftime and following a Jets’ turnover on downs, the Jets defense was slow to take the field. The Bears offense was ready. Rick, who snapped perfectly all day, snapped to Will who quick-hit Cody in the flat. Cody blazed down the field with the Jets’ surprised D unable to keep up the pursuit. The Bears took a 24-19 lead into the half.

In the second half, the Jets’ consistently threw deep and over the Bears defense, tallying 30 unanswered points. It wasn’t until the Bears’ final possession did the offensive magic from the first half return. On their final drive, the Bears moved the ball to the Jet’s 10 yard line with athletic catches by Matt and Rick. Will then hit Cody for the fourteenth time of the afternoon on a ten yard scoring strike, Cody’s fourth TD of the game. The Bears 2 point conversion catch by Michael, who had several key catches during the game, ended the scoring at Jets 49 – Bears 32.

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Game write ups by teams must be emailed to the league by Sunday evening at 8:00pm to be included in that week’s web site publishing of Game Highlights.

A great game on a beautiful fall day as the Colts fell behind on a safety and touchdown by a spirited Dolphins team to trail 8-0 at the half, but the blue-and-white boys rallied to remain undefeated with a 20-14 victory.

The Dolphins threatened to take a two-score lead on the first drive of the second half, but back-to-back flag pulls by Adam kept the fish out of the end zone. On the very next play Colts QB Scott found WR Ryder with a perfect pass that resulted in a length-of-the field TD. A two-point try failed but the Colts were fired up and after the defense held on a nice flag pull by Sousa just before the first down marker, Collins moved the team down field again, first a long pass play to Strychowski and then on a short TD pass to Strychowski to make it 12-8. A two-point pass from Collins to Sousa made it 14-8. The Dolphins fought back and tied it at 14-14 with a nice drive, but the Colts were on a roll now and they made it three TDs in three second half drives as QB Mitchell Lough hit Sousa on a 10-yard pass play and then on the next snap, Sousa broke through the line of scrimmage and streaked down the sidelines with only a fantastic Dolphin flag pull from behind saving the TD. On the next play, Sousa swerved into the end zones for the game-clinching scored.

That left the Colts defense some work to do to preserve the victory and the quarterback rushing of Devin and Ben, the rock-solid, stay-at-home defense of Alex, Connor, Ian and Christian left the passing lanes covered for the Dolphins on four passing attempts in the final two series. The only pass to find a grasp was an interception by Strychowski. It should be noted that the impressive center work of Lips, Marker and Lough continues as they have now gone four games without a bad snap.

The Mites Giants could not pull off a third straight shutout when they came up against a hungry Rams team on Saturday, but did put forth a very solid, all around effort to come away with victory number three, 21 - 6. Brothers Tommy & Jimmy were the Giants' captains and both played a big part in the scoring story for the G-men. With Tommy at QB, the offense got things going on the second play of the game as Kieran took a handoff all the way for the opening TD. Tommy & Kieran connected on a pass for the extra point as well to put Big Blue up, 7 - 0. The defense got in on the scoring this week as well, when Declan pulled a Ram flag in their end zone for a Safety: 2 points and the ball back. Jackson got the offense going on the second drive with a nice run up the middle to get the ball moving. Tommy & Jimmy hooked up right after that on a long pass down the right side to push the score to 15 - 0. The extra point attempt was halted by the Rams. The defense kept the pressure on throughout the half with Gray making a terrific second effort pull and Nick catching a Ram RB to save a break away score. Jimmy ended the scoring for the Giants with a TD run to go with his TD reception, making the score 21 - 0. Will, with great snaps all day at center, did his part to keep the offense going in the 2nd half, making a nice gain on a run up the middle. On the defensive side, Hunter made an excellent pull to stop the Rams before they could pick up the first down at mid field, while Max made several key stops as well. The Rams offense proved a determined unit as they put up a long TD run of their own to tighten the score to 21 - 6, which was the final score as well. Two great teams and one great day for everyone.

An explosive Giant's offense scored two quick touchdowns before the Ram's defense stiffened, allowing only one additional score the rest of the game. Leading a resurgent Ram's defense, Campbell Niehaus and Danny Shomali contained multiple attempts to run wide, while Cameron Korhnak and Mason Abernethy performed much better job in the second half. Blitzing the Giant's quarterback, Kelton Roney played his best game of the year, disrupting both the run and pass. When the Giant's turned to trickery and attempted a quarterback wrap-around hand-off back to the center, the Ram's defense quickly recovered and stopped a potential touchdown. Jared Maile, Gregory Brewster, Hunter Oakford, Nathaniel Brown, and Gregory Brewster were challenged all day by the Giant's accurate passing ability. The Giant's receivers were likewise fast and could catch the long ball. On offense, the Rams moved the football in the second half with much better disciplined play. On a critical third down play to cross mid-field, Mason Abernethy completed his first pass of the year to Cameron Korhnak. Additionally, Jared Maile completed four big-time passes to Campbell Niehaus and Danny Shomali. Campbell Niehaus eventually scored for the Ram's late in the game on very determined long run along the right sideline. In the end, the Giant's quick offensive strikes within the first five minutes of the game proved to be the game winning difference.

The 2-1 Saints came marching into their game against the 1-2 Cowboys with high hopes for continued success, but unfortunately for them, they ran smack into a vastly improved Cowboys team hungry for a win. The Cowboys got off to a fast start behind QB Jonathan. Jonathan found Andrew in the back of the end zone for one score and then Andrew scampered the length of the field on a run for another touchdown. Jonathan ended the first half by firing a bullet to Austin, who then navigated around all of the large rocks in the ground to find the end zone. The score at the half had the Cowboys up 18-12. The Cowboys offense didn't miss a beat in the second half under the leadership f QB Lucas. Lucas hit Jaidan in the middle of the field on third down, and then Jaidan displayed great concentration to pull in the bobbled ball. From there, Jaidan ran past the entire Saints defense en route to his longest tuchdown of the season. Lucas wasn't done yet. Two drives later, he found Austin on a crossing pattern which led to Austin's second touchdown of the game. Not to be outdone by his older brother, Jibran registered the game's last touchdown by taking a handoff 20 yards to paydirt. Ben solidified theCowboys' win by running out the clock with three hard runs directly into
the depleted yet courageous Saints defense. Lost behind the Cowboys high powered offensive performance was the play of their ever improving defense. Safeties Brian and Gino harassedthe Saints all day long with their unrelenting blitzes and CB Andrew shut down the entire left side of the field by playing smart football.