Browns bounce back, Bears bomb

Bombs were blazing at the Anna Maria Island Community Center for the Sun sports game of the week. The deep pass, AKA the bomb, was used often in the final minutes of the featured game between the Coastal Orthopedics Bears and the Lobstahs restaurant Browns in eight-to ten-year-old flag football action.

The Coastal Orthopedics Bears started with the ball on offense. Two consecutive running plays to Jackson Hayes picked up a first down and got the team to the 19-yard line. On third and goal from the 10-yard line, Morgan Horesh intercepted a pass in the end zone to stop the Bears drive.

The Bears defense held the Lobstahs restaurant Browns to a three and out and gave the ball back to the Bears offense. On the very first play, Jackson Hayes took a handoff and swept left down the sideline and in for the 45 yard touchdown. The extra point was no good, 6-0.

The Browns needed a big play on offense to get things rolling and got one when quarterback Nathan Hyman threw a 21-yard third down pass to Parker Storey to pick up the needed first down. Two plays later Hyman found Morgan Horesh in the endzone for a 16-yard touchdown pass. The two-point conversion was good when Hyman connected with Horesh again and gave the Browns the lead, 8-6. The score remained the same at halftime.

The Browns start with the ball on offense in the second half. Hyman had a 25-yard run that got his team within striking distance. On third and goal from the five-yard line, Hyman again connected with Horesh for the TD. The two-point conversion was no good, 14-6.

The score remained the same in a defensive battle all the way until only one minute and 43 seconds remained. The Browns defense was led by interceptions by Jack Barnes and Nathan Hyman. While the Bears defense was led by Adam Carlson with three flag pulls and Jackson Hayes with four pulls.

With less than two minutes left in the game, quarterback Tuna McCracken started his aerial attack. He threw his first bomb to Jackson Hayes, who got behind the defenders, for the 45-yard touchdown. The two-point conversion was good when McCracken found Gavin Johnston in the endzone and tied the game 14-14.

The Browns bounced back with one minute and 19 seconds remaining, and Hyman threw a 13-yard strike to Jack Barnes in the back right corner for the TD. The extra point was good on a Hyman pass to Horesh and gave the lead back to the Browns, 21-14.

After a 13-yard pick on a McCracken to Johnston pass, McCracken went over the top again. Hayes ran a nice double move, stop and go pattern, which again got him behind the defense and caught the 32-yard bomb for another TD. The extra point was good on a McCracken to Hayes down and out pass and tied the game 21-21 with only 56 seconds left.

The Browns used a little trick play where Horesh threw a pass to Hyman who zigzagged 32 yards. With first and goal from the 17-yard line and only 31 seconds left, it looked as if the Browns were going to score and win, but McCracken had different plans for the Bears team. On the next play, McCracken came up with a big interception that gave the Bears back the ball.

With only 21 seconds left, McCracken again threw the bomb pass to a streaking Hayes on a post pattern who took it 34 yards to the house and the go ahead touchdown. The extra-point was no good and the Bears took the lead 27-21.

The Browns still had 21 seconds left, but could not capitalize and went three and out. This exciting game saw four touchdowns scored with less than two minutes in the game and left the fans applauding both teams after the game was finished. The Bears won with a final score 27-21.

Adult co-ed league Results

Beach to Bay Construction Ravens  27
BY Construction Bears  12

Florida Discount Signs Colts  35
Slim’s Place Patriots  14

Waterfront restaurant Dolphins  43
Harrington House Bucs 18

Southern Greens Seahawks  26
Duncan Real Estate Cardinals  14

Duffy’s Tavern Raiders  26
Lobstahs Lions  21

Agnelli Pools & Spa Giants  47
Sato Real Estate Browns  24

The Island Sun Bills  34
Tyler’s Ice Cream Vikings  20

Adult co-ed Flag Football Schedule

Jan. 16, Wednesday, 7 p.m., Slim’s Place Patriots vs. Harrington House Bucs
Jan. 16, Wednesday, 8 p.m., Waterfront Restaurant Dolphins vs. Agnelli Pools & Spa Giants
Jan. 16, Wednesday, 9 p.m., Sato Real Estate Browns vs. Lobstahs Lions
Jan. 17, Thursday, 6 p.m., The Island Sun Bills vs. BY Construction Bears
Jan. 17, Thursday, 7 p.m., Beach to Bay Construction Ravens vs. Duffy’s Tavern Raiders
Jan. 17, Thursday, 8 p.m., Florida Discount Signs Colts vs. Southern Greens Seahawks
Jan. 17, Thursday, 9 p.m., Tyler’s Ice Cream Vikings vs. Duncan Real Estate Cardinals

14 –17-Year-Olds Flag Football Results

West Coast Surf Shop Bucs  33
Walter & Associates Bears  32

Integrity Sound Falcons  49
Eat Here Packers  14

 

What every mayor should do

The headline reads, “Transform your life.”

Stories breaking this week say, “A weekend of transformation awaits in the Piney Woods of east Texas. Learn about the endless benefits of a healthful, compassionate and sustainable plant-based lifestyle.

“Gain inspiration from 15 of the world’s most influential and sought after speakers, athletes, and best-selling authors. Learn delicious recipes at vegan chef led cooking demos. Work it off with a boot camp session led by a Hollywood fitness guru.

“Learn how to lose weight, increase your energy, prevent cancer, reverse heart disease, get fit and conquer type 2 diabetes. All of this and more await you in the historic downtown of Marshall.”

This is not an ad. By the time you read this, I will have already been there. Yup. That reference to the world’s most influential and sought after speakers, athletes, best-selling authors – I’m on that list of 15.

Most influential? Oh, I don’t know. When I was a financial consultant at Smith Barney, I was often told, “This is not like investigative reporting. You don’t have to be right. Just have an opinion.”

When it comes to food, you bet I have an opinion. How could I not? I was the youngest of three girls by a long shot. Since my aunt died of cancer in our home when I was 5, I had a lifetime to see what worked and what didn’t. I had years to take seriously the dire warning I received from doctors after I almost died of colon blockage 32 years ago, or after facing a hysterectomy (which I never got) from persistent hemorrhaging fibroid tumors.

“You better do something very different with your life unless you want to end up like everyone else in your family,” the doctors sang in unison.

And that is just what I did. A plant-based diet saved me from sure death. Or at least a hysterectomy and a miserable life. Living decades with heart disease, diabetes and cancer is not fun. Or cheap. So I chose to run away from all of that as fast as I could.

I had to tally up results recently for an article someone was writing about me. Forty-one age group placements since 2006 in 5K races or longer. Those don’t include the recent placing third in state in the Senior Games in the 200, 400 and 1500 meter races. I guess after 32 years of running and eating a plant-based diet and writing a best-selling book, I must know something.

It was all of that, plus speaking around the country about my book, that got me invited to speak at Get Healthy Marshall. The mayor went on a plant-based diet, reversed his heart disease and last year, decided the entire town of Marshall, population 23,000, ought to have a good exposure to what healthy feels like.

So I’ll be joining a line-up including T. Colin Campbell, author of best selling nutritionbook, “The China Study,” Dr. Michael Greger, creator of

nutritionfacts.org, and Gene Baur, co-founder of “Farm Sanctuary.”

Fitness sessions will be led by bodybuilder, Robert Cheeke and Ellen DeGeneres’ celebrity trainer, John Pierre.

The three-day festival will bring several hundred visitors into Marshall from as far away all over the US.

In addition to my standard “Beans are way healthier/cheaper than meat” talk, I’ll be doing a workshop on injury prevention, a fitness panel with the two other exercise experts, and I was invited to be a celebrity runner at a 5K the mayor is organizing for the town. My exercise prevention class will demonstrate my warm-up and cool down exercises and stretches I’ve used for 32 years, plus my standard line, “Listen to your body!”

After all this, my hubby reminds me to eat humble pie. As a former TV reporter who understands there’s no money in broccoli and that most docs don’t get a single nutrition class in medical school, how do you shout my plant-based accomplishments from the rooftops without hiring a publicist? Being an author sure doesn’t come with instructions. Back to the pie.

Can you imagine if every mayor in the US did this? If the mayor of Marshall can do this for 23,000 people, imagine what so many other cities could do! Do try this at home!

You can follow Island resident Ellen Jaffe Jones on her Facebook page and keep up with her just released book:,"Eat Vegan on $4 a Day," or her website: www.vegcoach.com. She is also a nationally certified personal trainer and running coach. For training in a gym or private hire, contact Ellen at ejones@vegcoach.com or 941-704-1025.