Reserve White handed first loss Published April 13, 2012 By Mike W. Ray Tinker Public Affairs TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- Reserve White was beaten Tuesday night by the 72nd Medical Group, experiencing their first loss in flag football in more than a year. White led until late in the fourth quarter, when an interception put the Medics within go-ahead scoring range and their defense followed up with a quarterback sack. The Medics' 26-21 conquest avenged a 14-13 loss to Reserve White in the base fall season championship game Jan. 19. It also was only the second time Reserve White has fallen in 25 games. Prior to Tuesday night, Reserve White was last defeated on March 29, 2011, by the Navy's Iron Men. Reserve White compiled an 8-1 record in the flag football season last spring, then went 12-0 in the fall season, winning the league title both times. They were 3-0 heading into Tuesday night's bout against the Med Group. In other games Tuesday, Reserve Gold trounced Reserve Red, 43-4; the Gym Rats whipped ACNS, 37-21; and SCW1 bested the Iron Men, 29-18. Seven safeties were recorded in the four games. On their opening drive the Medics quickly raced downfield, but quarterback Phil Starks was stopped at the White 5 on fourth down. White struck in just two plays. With Brian Van Curen at QB, a pass to Mike Templeman gained 14 yards, then Mike Rosenthal scored on a 61-yard pass play. The PAT failed, but White led, 6-0. Again the Medics stalled and again White took over on downs, this time at their own 30. After Van Curen was sacked by Medic Michael Pentecost, Chris Jackson picked up 40 and White was knocking on the door at the Med Group's 10. Van Curen dashed into the end zone for White's second TD, and the PAT pass to Templeman was good, as well. White was ahead, 13-0. The Medics were hemmed in at their own 15 when QB Starks scored a touchdown. Although his PAT attempt was unsuccessful, the Medics were now on the scoreboard, 13-6. The Medics stiffened on defense and forced White to "punt". In turn, Van Curen sacked his counterpart Starks for a safety, raising White's lead to nine, 15-6, by halftime. In the third quarter, the Medics faced third-and-goal at the White 26 when Starks lateraled to Marques Mitchell, who delivered a scoring strike to Willie Hart. The PAT pass to Hart was good, too, cutting White's lead to two, 15-13. Van Curen passes to Jackson and Rosenthal advanced White to the Med Group's 25, and a quarterback keeper put White at the 1. Van Curen aired a TD spiral to Larry Mansell, but the extra-point attempt failed. Score: 21-13. Starks guided the Medics downfield and threw a 2-yard scoring strike to Stephen St. Hilaire, again narrowing White's lead to two, 21-19. On defense, Mitchell intercepted a Van Curen pass tipped by Starks and sprinted to the Reserve White 3. Starks lobbed a TD pass to David Langston, and St. Hilaire snagged the PAT pass, giving the Medics the lead, 26-21. Reserve White mounted a desperate offensive campaign, but Pentecost again sacked Van Curen, at the White 11, as time ran out. Reserve Red's only points Tuesday night came from two safeties -- both occurring when Chris Vincent sacked Gold quarterback Randy Schell in the end zone. Reserve Gold scored almost at will. Larry Mansell and Brian Van Curen each caught a TD pass, and Brett Nims hauled in two; Tom Carter intercepted Red QB Jelani Baker twice and returned both for touchdowns; Nims, Schell and Andrew Myers had 1-point PATs; Van Curen ran in a 2-point conversion and recorded a safety, as well. (Flag football this spring is being played in the outfield of a Tinker softball field because of the poor condition of the football field. Since the outfield has no goal posts, and the "gridiron" is only 80 yards long, whenever a team opts to punt on fourth down the ball is simply placed on the opposing team's 5-yard line. On conversion attempts, a completed pass counts as 1 and a score on a run counts 2.)