MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan -- Defending its tenuous second place standing, the Diamondbacks managed to squash Cougar Bait’s offensive advances, dominate offensively to win 22-0 and push its record to 7-2 in an intramural flag football game at the Northside football field here Nov. 24.
Although the score made the game appear very one-sided, the Diamondbacks defense deserves a lot of credit.
“Defense just stepped up this game,” Joel Montez, Diamondbacks’ quarterback, said. “That's what we really needed to work on.”
And step up the Diamondbacks defense did.
Cougar Bait had several impressive drives including one coming within one yard of the end zone, which was ultimately stopped.
“I encourage the other team into a lull, and then they're so relaxed that I just sack,” said Diamondbacks defensive lineman Charles Welsh.
The sheer speed of the Diamondbacks seemed to overwhelm Cougar Bait’s defense.
Setting the tempo early in the game, on the first drive the Diamondbacks managed to chalk-up a touchdown in two plays.
Starting at the 40-yard line due to a Cougar Bait turnover on downs for its first drive, Diamondbacks quarterback Montez made a quick shovel pass that was flicked back for a gain of about 25 yards.
On the next play, Montez shot a rocket to Diamondbacks’ receiver Sanford Bell who literally snaked through Cougar Bait defensemen like water flowing around rocks in a stream.
Cougar Bait just couldn’t grab Bell’s flags, and he snaked into the end zone putting the Diamondbacks up 6-0. The extra point was no good.
Cougar Bait’s defensive troubles would not end there, but the team did respond with an impressive drive of their own.
Opening the drive, Cougar Bait quarterback Ronrico McGee rolled out of the pocket and scrambled for nearly 25 yards, almost getting to the 40-yard line, which is the half-way point on the flag-football field.
A quick connection from McGee to receiver Christopher Burke generated a first down, and on the next play McGee connected with receiver Isaiah Peart for 10 more yards putting Cougar Bait within striking distance just shy of a first down.
Opting for a quarterback draw, Cougar Bait got a first down plus 8 putting the team about 12 yards from the end zone.
On second down McGee handed off to Burke who sprinted for the end zone, lost his flags and was touched just before breaking the plane.
Third down turned into a catastrophe as the Diamondbacks defense put pressure on McGee who shoveled the ball off to Peart for a loss of yards.
Going for it on fourth, McGee, again under pressure, rolled left out of the pocket and headed for the end zone, but a Diamondbacks defensive lineman snatched his flags a few yards short of the touchdown.
Again, the Diamondbacks established their speedy offensive tempo.
Montez, pushed back into the end zone by a dead ball foul, launched a quick bomb to receiver Bryan Scott for a 30-yard completion.
On third down, Cougar Bait blitzed, and Montez took off to get a first down just past the 40-yard line.
A short pass to Diamondbacks center James Walters on first down put the Diamondbacks 10 yards into Cougar Bait territory.
On second down, Montez made a quick connection with Bell who again slithered through Cougar Bait’s defenses like a cat burglar for another touchdown.
The Diamondbacks went for two, and a quick rocket from Montez to Walters put the score at 14-0.
With 45.4 seconds remaining in the first half, Burke took over as Cougar Bait quarterback.
After a 15-yard completion to Clarence Lampkin, a 22-yard connection with Peart, plus 10 more yards running from McGee, Cougar Bait was 10 yards out with 9 seconds ticking.
Burke connected with Lampkin at the back of the end zone, but after a flag check the referees negated the touchdown due to illegally secured flags.
Cougar Bait was proving to be its own worst enemy.
The second half turned into a defensive battle.
The Diamondbacks managed to come within 20 yards of the end zone on their opening drive, but Cougar Bait’s safety Lampkin picked the ball off ending the drive.
Cougar Bait managed to get to the 40, but then Burke was picked-off by Diamondbacks’ Montez who nearly ran back to where his team had thrown an interception, about 22 yards out from the end zone.
On third down, Montez went for the end zone, but Peart was ready and intercepted the ball for a touchback.
Again, Cougar Bait drove all the way down to within 5 yards of the end zone but came up begging.
On third down, another shot into the end zone was picked-off by Diamondbacks’ defensive lineman Scott.
Cougar Bait had failed to seal the deal. They would not get the ball back again.
The Diamondbacks’ players brought back their tempo from the first half.
On first down, Montez took off and quickly made a lateral to Bell for a first down at the 20.
Ten more yards and a down later, Montez launched the ball 30 yards to Scott whose height proved too much for Cougar Bait’s Peart.
Scott ran another 10 for the touchdown. Going for two successfully, the Diamondbacks ended it 22-0.
“We started out with the option; we always start off like that,” said Montez. “If that's working then that sets us up for the pass, pretty much that's what we killed them on.”