Medics finally win flag football title Published Nov. 16, 2012 By Mike W. Ray Tinker Public Affairs TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- The 72nd Medical Group finally captured a base flag football championship, beating the perennial powerhouse Gym Rats in back-to-back games Nov. 8. In the first duel, the Rats rallied from a 13-point deficit in the fourth quarter to knot the game at 19-19, sending the game into overtime. Because neither side scored in the extra period, the winner was determined by yardage gained during each team's sole possession in overtime. The Medics edged the Rats by the length of Head Referee Dave Nicholson's right foot. (The Gym Rats sneaked past Reserve White in similar circumstances Sept. 18, winning a tie game by 5 yards.) In the rematch, the Med Group came from behind to tie the score in the third quarter, tallied again late in the fourth quarter, and intercepted the Rats to seal the victory, 21-14, as time expired. The Gym Rats had a 6-1 record going into the double-elimination playoffs; their lone regular-season loss was a forfeit when only the quarterback showed up for a Nov. 1 game. The Med Group entered the playoffs with an unblemished record, but were stunned by the Rats, 27-12, in a quarterfinal game Nov. 7. In another quarterfinal game, Reserve White bested Contracting, but forfeited immediately after the match because injuries to several players precluded them from competing in the semifinal. In the semifinal game, which also was held Nov. 7, Contracting lost to the Med Group. The Rats were the base flag football league champs three times in the past four years. The Medics were runners-up three times in the past four years, and placed third in the spring 2012 season. "I felt like I was the LeBron James of flag football, like I would never get one," Marques Mitchell -- quarterback of the Medics all those times they came in second or third -- said of his first flag football title. "This is a good feeling. Even though we didn't get a trophy, just to know we won the championship -- and did so by beating the Gym Rats -- was good enough." In the opening series of Game 1, passes from Mitchell to Justin Blunt moved the Medics from their 4 to the Rats' 4. Mitchell advanced on a quarterback-keeper to the 1, where he was stopped by Gym Rat Quinten McLeod, but he fired a pass to Willie Hart for a touchdown and a 6-0 lead. Two plays later Mitchell intercepted Gym Rat quarterback Thomas Cheek at the Rats' 26. A pass to Blunt picked up 21, and Mitchell had a 5-yard run for another TD. An extra-point pass to Stephen St. Hilaire was on target and the Medics increased their lead to 13-0. Cheek responded with a pass to Chris Garza, who lateraled to Taylor Lamar, for a substantial gain, and a pass to Lamar produced a Rats touchdown just as the first quarter ended. The score was now 13-6. On the Medics' next possession, Mitchell fired a fourth-down pass to David Howells that picked up 30, a pass to Blunt added 2 more, and Mitchell scored on yet another keeper. The Medics led, 19-6, at the half. The third quarter was scoreless. In the fourth, a 10-yard pass from Cheek to Ro Russell produced another Gym Rats TD. After the Medics stalled and punted, Cheek passes to McLeod, Garza, and Elbert Craig Jr., along with a quarterback keeper, had the Rats at the Med Group 10. With a 9-yard pass to Craig the Rats were at the Med Group doorstep. A quick 1-yard aerial to Garza was good for a score, and Craig caught the extra-point pass that tied the game. In overtime, each team was given four plays to score. Since neither did, the winner was decided by tape measure. The Med Group won by a literal foot, forcing a second game. In Game 2, the Medics again scored first, on a 24-yard pass from Mitchell to Blunt, and a quarterback keeper produced a 2-point conversion. The Medics led, 8-0. Cheek responded with a 25-yard scoring strike to Lamar, and a PAT pass to McLeod narrowed the score: 8-7. The Medics had to punt on their next possession, and Cheek capitalized with a scoring pass to Craig and an extra-point pass to McLeod. The Gym Rats led at the half, 14-8. After the intermission, Lamar intercepted a Mitchell pass and returned it to the Med Group 26. On third down, Hart, prowling in the end zone, stepped in front of a Cheek pass and ran it back the length of the field for a Med Group touchdown that tied the game at 14-14. In the fourth quarter, Mitchell intercepted a pass at the Med Group 25 and reached the 38 before he was stopped. With passes to Blunt and St. Hilaire interspersed with quarterback sneaks, the Medics proceeded downfield. On fourth down, from the Gym Rats' 3-yard line, Mitchell zipped a TD pass to Hart, followed by a PAT pass to St. Hilaire that raised the score to 21-14. On the Rats' next possession, Mitchell intercepted a Cheek pass to secure the win.