MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan -- Another week of the Intramural Flag Football season started with the Hawks soaring over the Ready Group 19-13 in double overtime at the North side football field here Monday.
It was a slow start for the Ready Group, who fell behind early 7-0. The first half of the game was somewhat of a defensive battle with both teams driving down field and turning the ball over time and time again, ending the half with the Hawks in good position to win with their one touchdown lead.
“Offense was clicking for the most part, but we just didn’t have all the gears moving in the right direction,” said Brandon Mumme, coach and receiver for the Ready Group.
The Ready Group went into the half down by seven but came out fired up and ready, driving the length of the field to put up six.
However, they were unable to convert the extra point so were still down by one at 7-6 with 13 minutes left to play.
With less than three minutes remaining in the game, the Hawks found themselves looking at yet another victory if they could just hang onto their one-point lead.
They marched down field, crossing the half, and with 2:49 left to play, quarterback Clayton Walker made a gutsy decision to throw the ball down the middle of the field in double coverage where it was picked off and returned to the Ready Group’s 35.
After the interception and down by one, the Ready Group had control of their own destiny with 2:49, the ball and 45 yards to the lead. It didn’t take long before the Ready Group found their groove and got moving.
They drove down to the Hawks’ 10-yard line, and on 3rd and goal, Stephen White, offensive lineman for the Ready Group, found himself wide open in the end zone for a touchdown and the lead for the first time in the game 12-7 with 53.4 seconds remaining.
With a good extra point conversion, the Ready Group found themselves on top 13-7, but they may have scored too soon, leaving the Hawks with the ball and almost a minute to comeback.
The Hawks took the ball over at their own five, and a few plays later with 41.6 seconds left, they were at midfield. Walker then, with time running down, made a hard call which drove the Ready Group’s defense offsides, bringing the ball to the Ready Group’s 15 with 22.3 seconds.
On the very next play, Walker, with no receivers open, scrambled to the five before his flags were pulled with 12.7 seconds left in the game. With 7.6 seconds left, the Hawks scored to tie the game up at 13-13 and had an opportunity to win if they could score the extra point, but that wasn’t the case as Walker’s pass was knocked down.
Both team captains met to see which team would get to take a shot at the end zone first. In overtime, each team is given only four downs to score from the 20-yard line.
The Ready Group went first and thanks to the Hawks’ “Stone wall” defense they went four and out. Once again, the Hawks had the ball and their fate in hand.
With a second and goal from the 20, Walker completed a pass to the five, but the very next play, his pass was batted down by a Ready Group defender.
With 4th and goal, Walker scrambled left for the end zone but was stopped short, and the game went to a second overtime.
In the second overtime, teams are placed at the 40, and the team that drives closer to the end zone wins.
Once again, the Ready Group went first and managed to get inside the Hawks 20 to the 18 but failed to go further, stopped again by the Hawks’ “Stone wall.”
On the very first play for the Hawks, Walker took the ball from the 18 and scrambled to the 33, setting up the final play of the game — an 8-yard pass to bring the Hawks over the 40 and give them a comeback finish 19-13.
“It was a heart-wrenching loss to lose in double overtime,” White said.