To win OSSM’s Annual Junior vs. Senior Flag Football Game a team must start quickly and maintain momentum. The seniors scored early and frequently to claim a 30-12 victory.
It only took two plays and less than two minutes for the senior girls to post the first score. Sami Roberts took the handoff and scampered to the sideline where cruised past all defenders to the end zone for a 6-0 lead. The PAT (points after touchdown) attempt failed.
However, the junior girls tied the game when Kirsten Anderson launched a pass in the direction of Nadia Iranpour, who shoe-stringed it. She stumbled, regained her stride, and picked up an obliterating downfield block to complete the 32-yard touchdown reception. The PAT failed and the quarter ended in a 6-6 tie.
The second quarter belonged to the boys. The senior boys scored on their opening drive when quarterback Aarib Azeem used a mixture of runs and passes to set-up his 9-yard scamper for the score. The PAT failed, and the seniors led 12-6.
Moving the ball – but unable to sustain any momentum, the juniors were unable to answer and stalled. Kunal Patel took off from the line of scrimmage with a burst of speed that left his defender in his dust. Azeem recognized the separation immediately and heaved a perfectly placed ball into Patel’s hands for a quick-strike 45-yard TD. The Pat failed, but the seniors had extended their lead to 18-6 at the half.
To start the third quarter the junior girls picked up a couple of first downs, but a fourth down pass fell just out of reach among a group of receivers. The seniors ran a few plays before rushing Roberts to her left. Again, she sprinted the sideline and raced toward the end zone for her second score – this time from 19 yards out. The PAT failed and the seniors were surging ahead, 24-6. The juniors tried new personnel and established a nice drive, but an Anderson fourth down pass to Iranpour, who had nothing but daylight in front of her, fell slightly out of her reach amid a tumbling group of arms, legs and ponytails.
The senior boys took over at the spot of the previous play to start the final 12-minutes of play. They wasted little time moving the ball downfield. Azeem, running from the 18-yard line, edged the nose of the ball across the goal line for his second rushing TD. The PAT failed, but the seniors led 30-6.
As is common in these contests, the junior boys found rhythm late in the contest. Not about to be shutout, they ran the two-minute drill to perfection with short passes and a Jimmy Kim run that moved the ball effectively to establish their only score. David Yao found Landon Estes in the end zone for 33-yard reception and TD. The PAT failed.
Final score: Seniors 30 Juniors 12