By Martin Paredes/reporter
Day two of the regular season gave South Campus flag football fans an ample taste of what to expect when the playoffs kick off Oct. 14.
Five teams put on a show that included creative offenses, stout defenses, a bit of controversy and one bloody nose.
Game one was a 41-9 win for the Blazers over the Spartans. The Blazers, led by quarterback Juan Juanes, put on an offensive and defensive clinic.
Juanes was not shy when talking about his ability, boldly stating, “I can do it all!”
Juanes showcased his versatility on the Blazers’ first offensive snap where a running back pass caught the Spartans off guard, resulting in a 15-yard catch and run for the Blazers quarterback.
He later had a 12-yard rushing touchdown and, along with his two passing touchdowns, was responsible for all but one of the Blazers’ scoring plays.
Even after the Spartans scored early in the second half, a few momentum-killing drops and penalties prevented them from making this competitive.
The play of the game was an 80-yard catch and run by Alvin Taye, who caught a five-yard curl route, eluded the first Spartan defender along the left sideline and then ran past two more Spartans on his way into the end zone.
Ben Holliman of the Spartans remained positive after the game.
“We just needed to practice more,” he said. “I think we can get them next time.”
In the second game, Balls Deep prevailed 34-6 over Nike.
Despite the score, both teams had optimal chances, but Balls Deep’s opportunistic defense and creative offense was the deciding factor.
Balls Deep wasted little time marching the length of the field and scoring. Michael Marinas completed a five-yard pass to Tad Do, who danced through three or four pairs of Nike players and raced for a 45-yard touchdown.
Nike quarterback Lloyd Hunter then put together an impressive drive to will his team back into the game.
A seven-play drive that saw the quarterback rush for a first down was capped off with an eight-yard back shoulder throw placed perfectly for wide receiver Quinton Radford to snag out of the air before tiptoeing both feet inbounds for a touchdown.
In the end, however, Nike threw two crucial interceptions to birthday boy Kenny Tran (who also caught a touchdown) and could not stop Balls Deep once in the second half, leading to a bitter defeat.
Tyron Nguyen had a big day catching three touchdowns, but the MVP was undoubtedly Tran. His four pass breakups were the most on the day, and his two interceptions were key in stopping Nike’s rhythm.
After the game, Tran credited “teamwork” and “spreading the ball around” to his team’s success.
The final game of the day matched the Cowboys and the Blazers, who were allowed to play a third game for winning their earlier game.
Although this game started off promising for the Cowboys, it ended up finishing 38-6 in favor of the high-powered Blazers.
Game one hero Juanes had the Blazers in enemy territory, but a miscommunication with one of his receivers led to an interception for the Cowboys. The interception was only Juanes’ second incompletion of the entire day.
A Blazer defensive back who referred to himself as Ferd, shut down the first half with his second pick-six, this time for 80 yards, after the Cowboys finally began to move the ball offensively.
The Cowboys quarterback talked about that drive after the game.
“Once we named ourselves the Cowboys, one of us joked that we would be cursed,” he said. “Now I know how Tony Romo feels.”
