ANNA MARIA –The Center closed out the adult summer season last Thursday night with three games played, and Floridian Mortgage come out on top after a hard-fought 29-27 game against team Fishing with Salty for the championship title.
After beating Salty Printing in the semifinal round of play, top seed Floridian Mortgage faced the Fishing with Salty team, which defeated Moss Builders in their playoff game 52-33. It was anyone’s game up to the final seconds, as both teams struggled to find their rhythm on the field.
Floridian Mortgage started the game on offense and quickly made a statement with a bomb by Chase Richardson to Tim Holly for a touchdown on the first play of the game. Right out of the chute, Richardson’s team was up 7-0 after Cory Banks scored the point after the score.
Fishing with Salty’s attempts to put points on the scoreboard were cut short after Dina DeJesus started her team on the right foot with a completed pass. Holly’s interception on the next play stopped the drive.
Richardson could not capitalize on the turnover, throwing bad passes and leading to a three-and-out series.
Taking over on downs, Fishing with Salty was ready as the team steadily marched down the field with short passes. Dylan Doyle, on second down, took the football into the pass-only zone in Floridian Mortgage territory.
Scoring its first touchdown, Jonathan Soultatos squeezed through defenders to score for team Fishing, taking the score to 7-6. Doyle scored the extra point.
With the score tied, Richardson’s first target was Holly for a long run after the reception. Rex Kesten caught the football near the endzone after an injury timeout due to a DeJesus injury.
Tracking the front of the endzone, Tyler Brewer caught the ball for Floridian’s second TD of the game, with the finishing touch by Banks.
Leading once again, Floridian Mortgage played strong defense at their own endzone with their opponent in scoring position. Making the stop, Richardson returned to the field with his team, continuing to struggle.
Richardson overthrew Holly but eventually found Kesten for 6 points. Holly added a point to the scoreboard with a catch in the endzone.
After moving the ball to near midfield, Brewer got the call walking just over the first down line with the football overhead. With the clock down to the final minute of the first half of the game, Richardson found Brewer as a second option receiver on second down with the clock running.
With the football sitting on the 7-yard line, Floridian’s hope of scoring before halftime was dashed with another incomplete throw.
On offense, Fishing with Salty was 14 points behind. Rushing Matt Briley, Holly sacked the quarterback in the endzone for a safety, giving team Floridian two points and possession of the ball.
First pass out, Richardson hit Holly, catching for a first down out-of-bounds with less than 10 seconds on the scoreboard clock. An impeding the rusher penalty for Floridian Mortgage and interception in the endzone by Briley ended the first half of play.
Fishing with Salty had the football to start the half with a short yardage play. The second snap resulted in a bomb to Doyle for 6 points. Soultatos scored the extra point, making it a 9-point ball game.
Three incomplete Richardson throws later, Fishing with Salty was back on offense with catches by Octavious Cole. A critical first down catch by Miguel Rodriguez kept the forward progress moving.
On second down, QB Briley kept the ball for long yardage after a quick pitch back from his teammate under center. With the football at the 7-yard line, Soultatos was alone in the right corner of the endzone for the TD.
After the point after conversion by the Fishing squad, Richardson mixed it up, running with the football after a quick pitch from Holly two plays in a row, resulting in a first down with less than 12 minutes left in the game.
Standing his ground and avoiding a penalty, Holly and Soultatos had a standoff at the line of scrimmage as Richardson searched for an open player down field. After two bad passes, Richardson’s throw on third down was not caught by the intended receiver thanks to tight defense by Fishing with Salty.
Fishing with Salty’s Cole caught a big pass on third down for a TD, advancing the score to 29-27. With a possible win in sight, Brewer’s reception in the endzone denied the additional point to team Fishing.
A mid-air collision took Brewer and Briley out of the rest of the game with critical seconds left to play. Despite all their efforts, Fishing with Salty could not make up the large scoring gap made by Floridian Mortgage early in the game.
The game was not pretty, but team Floridian Mortgage was named the league’s champion, winning over Fishing with Salty by two points.
SUN SCOREBOARD
SEPT. 12
ADULT CO-ED FLAG FOOTBALL
SEMIFINAL
Floridian Mortgage 21
Salty Printing 20
Fishing with Salty 52
Moss Builders 33
CHAMPIONSHIP
Floridian Mortgage 29
Fishing with Salty 27
