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552nd AMXS rolls over 965th AACS to secure playoff bid

  • Published
  • By John Stuart
  • Tinker Public Affairs
TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. --  For the 552nd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron quarterback, it's all about surrounding himself with the talent to secure the wins. And it seems that for William Grigsby, he's done just that.

"They made me look good," quarterback Grigsby said with a smile following 552nd AMXS's 28-8 victory Nov. 13 over a salty 965th Airborne Air Control Squadron team.

It was 552nd AMXS who struck early, as the team put points on the board in the opening minutes of the first quarter as Grigsby found receiver Ashley Holman on a scoring pass play. The drive put six on the board for the 552nd AMXS, but they failed to convert the two-point conversion.

And it was the 552nd AMXS again in the second quarter, as receiver Michael Rosenthal hauled in a 35-yard pass to add six more. Grigsby hit Rosenthal in the end zone on the next play for the successful two-point conversion and they went up 14-0.

Following this score, the 965th AACS quarterback Ethan Lefebvre took possession in the second quarter with only three minutes before the half. His squad needed points badly. But it wasn't meant to be as defender Michael McCoy intercepted a Lefebvre pass only three plays into the drive, putting the momentum in the 552nd AMXS's hands once again.

With the two-minute warning sounding, Grigsby unfurled the sails with the long-ball assault. He rocked back and fired from his back leg, 45 full yards down field into the expectant hands of Rosenthal. Chalk up another six. The two-point conversion was a fail, but was a formidable 20-0 at the half.

Call it half-time adjustments or just some high quality H2O, but the 965th AACS came out in the third quarter ready to play.

It only took eight plays for Lefebvre to throw it in the end zone. Driving down the field in handy fashion, Matt Machala picked up Lefebvre's 25-yard touchdown pass that put his team on the board. And Tyler Funk picked up the two-point conversion pass on the next play, notching the score at 20-8.

The rest of the quarter went to the 552nd AMXS possession-wise but had no further scores. In the fourth quarter, the 965th AACS made a crucial goal-line interception thanks to Funk, who picked off a pass at his team's one yard line. The 965th squad managed to move the ball out to its own 45-yard line before turning it over on downs.

In the end, the 552nd AMXS proved too much for the 965th AACS, as Grigsby found a wide open Rosenthal in the end zone with several minutes remaining in the fourth quarter to put them at the final of 28-8.

The 552nd AMXS squad improved to 4-2 and is playoff eligible, while the 2-2 record of the 965th AMXS needs some help in the win category before giving them a playoff berth.