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Sweet revenge: 305 OSS wins JB MDL football championship

  • Published
  • By Bryan Swink
  • Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst Public Affairs
JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. --  The sun had set as both teams took the field Monday night to determine the 2010 Joint Base Intramural Flag Football champion.

The 305 OSS lost only one game in the double elimination playoff bracket and matched up against the team that had knocked them into the loser's bracket one week before. All Madden needed only one win to claim the championship, which was clearly in their sight while 305 OSS needed to win back-to-back games.

The first game started with both teams gaining a feel for the opposition. Neither could amount much of a drive until 305 OSS quarterback Lee Barnes scrambled for a 28-yard gain to put his team in scoring position. Two plays later, he found receiver Mark Morrison for a 20-yard completion. After a successful option run by running back Aaron Hunter that put 305 OSS on the 5-yard line, Barnes found the end zone with another scramble.

After a failed two-point conversion, All Madden started their third drive with a completed pass down the left sideline. Unfortunately for them, it was right into the arms of 305 OSS cornerback Joseph Johnson who took the ball 33 yards for a touchdown. Just like that, 305 OSS was on top by a score of 12-0.

Throughout the rest of the game, All Madden couldn't find the offensive rhythm that had gotten them through the playoffs without losing a single game. They did have a glimpse of hope late in the second half when defensive lineman Jason McNair picked off Barnes' pass on their own goal line. With momentum moving in All Madden's favor, they couldn't capitalize on offense. The following drive stalled which ultimately ended the first game.

The second game began much like the first one ended. All Madden went three and out on their first drive and was forced to punt. 305 OSS found themselves in a bit of trouble when their drive began to stall and attempted an unlikely conversion of 3rd and 22. Barnes eluded the All Madden rush and threw a strike to a streaking Ramsey Gonzalez for a 62-yard touchdown. The two-point conversion was a success as Barnes found JJ Rollins in the end zone.

The first half ended with a score of 8-0 as neither team had success advancing the ball. 305 OSS started the second half with three straight unsuccessful plays, which forced them to punt. All Madden started to gain field position with quarterback Norman Love completing short, precise passes to open receivers. They finally caught their first break of the night as Love found Jay Spady 10 yards down the field. Spady turned on the jets and flew into the end zone to give All Madden their first score.

Momentum was building for All Madden as Spady made a huge defensive play on third down to break up Barnes' pass to force a punt. Spady returned the punt for 15 yards which put All Madden in the best starting field position they had all night. The 305 OSS defense stepped up to the plate and forced All Madden's drive to stall.

305 OSS started the possession off with an incomplete pass, but on the next play Barnes hooked up with JJ Rollins for a 47-yard touchdown. Barnes reached the end zone to cap off the drive with a successful two-point conversion. This score put 305 OSS on top 16-6 with just over six minutes left in the game. All Madden needed two scores in the final few minutes to have a chance at winning the ball game.

Even though the odds were stacked against them, All Madden came out firing on their next drive. After a big tripping penalty against 305 OSS, Love completed a strike to Miguel Valasquez to put All Madden well in striking range of the end zone. Love capped off the drive with a 10-yard touchdown pass to Bryan Dozier. It didn't matter they didn't convert the 2-point conversion because they needed another touchdown to win.

All Madden's defense played focused and was able to force 305 OSS to punt on their following drive. This stop set up the drive that would determine the championship. With just under a minute left in the game, All Madden needed to drive more than 40 yards for a touchdown to have any hopes of pulling out a win.

After a few failed attempts at moving the ball down the field, the clock was running and the final seconds were being counted down by the referee. The snap was caught by Love as he scrambled away from the rush. He rolled to his right and just before he released the ball, 305 OSS defensive lineman Raymie Sanchez got to him and pulled his flag. This sack successfully ended the game and secured the championship for 305 OSS.

305 OSS ended their championship season with a record of 17-3 while All Madden finished with an 11-7 record.