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Contracting rallies to beat M.F.R. in flag football

  • Published
  • By Mike W. Ray
  • Tinker Public Affairs
TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. --  T.J. Ablay punctuated his promotion to captain Monday by leading Contracting to a come-from-behind flag football victory over M.F.R. that evening. Ablay finished the game with two pass interceptions, two touchdowns, including the go-ahead score, and three extra-point catches.

M.F.R. scored first, on its opening drive. Quarterback Charles Norden gained 16 yards on a keeper, then heaved a 38-yard pass downfield -- against a 20 mph headwind -- to Briante Brown, who was stopped at the Contracting 5. A pass from Norden to Wayne Downing produced a touchdown; the point-after attempt failed but M.F.R. led, 6-0.
Contracting QB Zach Rasmussen responded with a TD pass to Jeremy Starkey, and Ablay snagged the PAT pass, putting Contracting in the lead, 7-6.

In the second quarter, Norden gained 34 yards on a quarterback keeper, passed to Brown for 16 yards, picked up 19 more on another keeper, and dashed across the goal line for the second M.F.R. TD. The PAT pass was overthrown but M.F.R. regained the lead, 12-7.

Contracting stalled on its next possession and had to "punt."

Norden got a first down, advanced M.F.R. past midfield with a pass to Downing, then picked up 25 yards on two keepers before he was sacked by Contracting's Josh Cissell at the 14-yard line. A Norden pass to Brown resulted in another touchdown, padding M.F.R.'s lead: 18-7. Kevin Bibb caught the PAT pass but was ruled out-of-bounds because he was standing on the line at the back of the end zone.

A flurry of Rasmussen passes to Cissell, Starkey, Jason Johnson and Douglas Cornelius put Contracting at the M.F.R. 11. Ablay then snared a TD pass, and the PAT pass, too. Contracting had narrowed the gap to 18-14.

Norden, under pressure from Contracting, tossed a 23-yard pass to Bibb, then fired a TD aerial to Brown, increasing M.F.R.'s lead to 24-14. The PAT pass, though, was intercepted by Ablay.

Rasmussen countered with a pass to Cornelius, who was stopped at the M.F.R. 3, then lobbed a scoring strike to Cissell. The PAT failed, but by the end of the third quarter Contracting again trailed by only four, 24-20.

Less than a minute later Ablay picked off a Norden pass at the M.F.R. 15, Rasmussen gained 10 on a keeper, then passed to Ablay for another TD. Contracting was back in the lead, 26-24.

Contracting tacked on two more points on the next play when Zach Eaton sacked Norden in the end zone for a safety. Contracting tallied a final time on a pass from Rasmussen to Cornelius, and Ablay clutched the PAT pass. Final score: Contracting 35, M.F.R. 24.
Scores from other recent base flag football games were: Reserve Red 35 vs 965th Eagles 31; Gym Rats 22 vs VQ-3 Iron Men 6; 33rd CBCS 36 vs 31st CBCS 6; Reserve Red 26 vs VQ-3 Iron Men 22; Navy Security 48 vs 965th 28.