By Eric Poe/sports editor
With the District Cup around the corner, the fight for who would represent SE Campus in the annual flag football championship heated up Nov. 5.
The day marked the first of two Saturdays of playoffs in a single-elimination format. Eight games narrowed the field down to four semifinalists.
The first game of the day featured Noobs beating Mansfield 19-8. Mansfield was plagued by turnovers with Noobs quarterback/safety Mariano Marquez intercepting three passes. Marquez kept the offense moving as well, tossing a couple of touchdowns. He described his team’s strategy, or lack thereof.
“We really don’t have plays. We just try to score,” Marquez said. “It’s just backyard football for us.”
The second game was a forfeit between Jihad and So Icey. Jihad failed to have enough players for the start of the game, giving So Icey a free pass to the next round.
The next game was a blowout as Peacemakers defeated Locs 36-8. Peacemakers player Gabriel Patterson came to play, recording an interception and two touchdown receptions.
“When I was playing, they underestimated me ’cause of my size,” he said. “Not bad for a guy at 255 pounds.”
Ban and Forever Love Money played a tight game next with Ban prevailing 19-14. Ban receiver Toby Adalumo caught the game-winning touchdown pass with just minutes left.
Adalumo said the game was literally in his hands.
“It was the hardest game ever,” he said. “Either I catch it, or we lose.”
Noobs then played their second game of the day, facing No L’s. The left-handed Marquez led the Noobs’ attack with his best Michael Vick impression, throwing for six touchdowns and always threatening to run. The Noobs prevailed 35-15, clinching their place in next weekend’s semifinals.
So Icey, rested after not playing earlier because of the forfeit, took on Beast Mode and won 34-16. So Icey receiver/cornerback Montai Surrel played out of his mind, catching seven passes for three touchdowns while also contributing an interception on the defensive end. He said he was making up for his last game.
“I had three drops for touchdowns last week,” Surrel said. “It was a bad game.”
Peacemakers then played defending district champions AK. The Peacemakers’ Cinderella run came to an end, however, as AK was too much for their defense. AK won 36-6.
“We had a good run,” Peacemakers quarterback Nicholas Scarpinato said. “Pretty good for not having our first win in the playoffs.”
The last game of the day was an intense one as Goon Squad and Ban played to decide their fates.
“This is the game to watch,” Adalumo said. “They’ve been talkin’ trash to us since school started.”
Goon Squad prevailed 22-21 in a game that featured down-to-the-wire heroics and some great football.
“That was one of the better games,” SE instructional aide Ian Ussery said. “That was pretty intense.”
The semifinals and final will take place Nov. 12 with So Icey playing Noobs and AK taking on Goon Squad. The winners of those games will play for the SE championship.