MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan -- Marine Aircraft Group 12 and Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron faced off in an annual flag football game known as the Fall Classic at Penny Lake here Sept. 17.
MAG-12 reclaimed the title after destroying H&HS 24-6. They lost it last year, falling to H&HS 26-20 after having broken H&HS’s 10- year Fall Classic flag football game-winning streak the year prior.
Needless to say, they were ready and hungry for victory.
“We pretty much knew we were going to beat them pretty bad,” said Steve Debruyn, quarterback for MAG-12. “We expected to win by 20.”
The Fall Classic kicked off with retired Master Gunnery Sgt. Richard Redick singing the national anthem followed by the invocation given by Lt. Robert Mills, station chaplain.
H&HS started off on a good note, winning the coin toss and electing to take first possession; however, that may have been the only highlight of the game for them.
After H&HS quarterback Mikal “Crabby Patty” Patterson threw an interception, MAG-12 took the ball on the H&HS 35-yard line and never looked back.
MAG-12 effortlessly marched down the field and put six on the board, but unfortunately couldn’t manage the extra point conversion to make it seven.
“Honestly, there was absolutely no difficulty whatsoever,” said Debruyn. H&HS got the ball after the touchdown and once again couldn’t manage anything, giving the ball up to MAG-12.
MAG-12 took the ball and command of the game with a 50-yard drive that ended with Nathaniel Rozzelle, wide receiver for MAG- 12, making a leaping catch for another six to make it 12-0.
“Nobody on this field can out-jump me,” said Rozzelle. After the touchdown, H&HS again received the ball and managed to drive 70 yards to MAG-12’s front door and punched it in for 6 to make it 12-6.
Unfortunately, H&HS couldn’t capitalize on the extra point conversion. However, on MAG-12’s next possession, H&HS did capitalize with an interception and just enough time to try to punch one in for the lead with 1:11 in the half.
H&HS managed to again knock on MAG- 12’s door; however, MAG-12’s stellar defense stuffed H&HS’s lunchbox with a serving of interception to end the half 12-6.
“I wasn’t worried. I know that it was going to be close, but defense stepped up and that won the game,” said Rozzelle. H&HS hopes of making a comeback ended with the half.
MAG-12 got first possession of the ball going into the third and was pretty much handed a touchdown on a silver platter after killing most of the clock, extending their lead 18-6.
MAG-12 posted another six in the fourth, leaving less than six on the clock and a 24-6 deficit to overcome for H&HS.
H&HS decided to change it up a bit by throwing in Michael “The Skipper” Coletta as quarterback.
However, with the little time and lots of ground to make up, Coletta was forced to make a risky move, and the superb defense of MAG-12 earned yet another turnover.
MAG-12, rather than run the clock down, went deep on three consecutive plays but couldn’t make a play and on fourth and 20 were sacked and turned it over on downs.
With 1:05 left, H&HS finally stopped MAG-12; however, it was too little too late as they still couldn’t get the wheels moving on offense, thus handing over the title to MAG- 12 with a 24-6 defeat