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Navy Security beaten but unbowed in flag football

  • Published
  • By Mike W. Ray
  • Tinker Public Affairs
TINKER Air Force Base, Okla. --  President Theodore Roosevelt famously asserted that "credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because ... if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly..."

Those words sprang to mind Tuesday after Navy Security played a flag football double-header.

After losing -- badly -- to Air Force Reserve White, Navy Security volunteered to play the VQ-3 Ironmen immediately afterward -- and were trounced even worse. Over the course of the back-to-back games, Navy Security was outscored 110-14.

Yet the Sailors never cried foul and didn't give up, even though they could have invoked the "mercy rule" at halftime of their second contest. These stoic warriors included Andy Kochera, Kevin Jones, Jesse Zanbrano, Richard Ramirez, Declan Conway, Arnold Mitchell and William Pittman.

Security's troubles were manifested on the third play of their first game, when a pass by Jones was tipped and intercepted by White's Mike Templeman, who finally was stopped at the 1-yard line. White quarterback Larry Mansell promptly threw a touchdown strike to Jim Gasaway, and Templeman caught the extra-point pass, making the score 7-0 after just five plays from scrimmage.

Navy Security scored on their second possession when Kochera raced down the right sideline into the end zone, and Jones zipped across the goal line for a 2-point conversion, putting the Sailors in the lead, 8-7, for the first and last time.

The Airmen punted twice, then scored on offense and defense alike. Jeremy Allen intercepted a Navy pass and ran it back for a touchdown and caught a TD spiral from Mansell; Mike Rosenthal and Templeman each caught a TD aerial; Mansell scored on a quarterback keeper; and Rosenthal, Brian Van Curen and Brett Nims all caught PAT passes from Mansell.

Although the final score was 41-8, Navy Security exerted pressure to the very end. On the last three plays of the game, Conway registered a quarterback sack, Pittman a sack and an interception.

In the second game Tuesday, VQ-3 was not charitable toward its fellow service members. The Ironmen massacred Security, 69-6. Navy Security turnovers included a safety and six interceptions.

Security opened their first possession with two incomplete passes and a quarterback sack by Ironman Brandon Ward, and were forced to punt.

VQ-3 quarterback Phillip Akeem Thomas, who recently returned from an eight-month deployment, scored on a 4-yard keeper and a 2-point conversion.

Security again bogged down and had to punt. Thomas, on first down, fired a TD pass to Victor Jean, but the point-after attempt failed. On Security's next drive, Thomas intercepted a pass and returned it for a touchdown, and James Hinnenkamp snagged the PAT pass.

On Security's next possession, the quarterback dropped the ball in the end zone, resulting in a safety. One play later, VQ-3 field general Thomas, standing at his 5-yard line, launched a TD aerial to Jacob Jones.

Security stalled once more and VQ-3 took over on downs at the 8-yard line. Hinnenkamp gained 6, and from the 2 Thomas lobbed a TD pass to Lindsey Key. Next, Ironman Lance Paquette intercepted a Security pass, putting VQ-3 at Security's 15, and two plays later a shovel pass from Thomas to Shayne Hughes produced a touchdown. VQ-3 led 41-0 at halftime.

Navy Security finally got on the scoreboard on the second play of the second half, when Kochera grabbed a pass from Pittman and darted into the end zone. However, the point-after pass attempt was intercepted by Jean.

On VQ-3's first possession after the intermission, Key scored on a pass from Thomas and Jean tacked on a 2-point conversion. Paquette then intercepted another Navy Security pass and returned it to the 10-yard line. Jeremy "Mongo" Parks scored on a pass from Thomas, then added the PAT, as well.

Jean intercepted another Security pass early in the fourth quarter and dashed to the end zone, then caught the PAT pass, too. Thomas got his second interception of a Security pass, and a shovel pass from Thomas to Paquette resulted in the final TD.

The 965th AACS was scheduled to play VQ-3 on Tuesday, but only two Eagles players were present at game time. Meanwhile, the Ironmen and Navy Security were scheduled to play Nov. 1. To avoid any forfeit or rescheduling, Navy Security agreed to play the Ironmen on Tuesday in lieu of the Nov. 1 game.