Flag Football Coastal League Semifinals Recap

Caught in an early 12-0 hole, de Toledo showed a ton of moxie, discipline, and drive to overcome Valley Torah in the second half of the game to advance to Thursday’s Coastal League Championship Game. 

The offense was stalled early in the game, as the Wolfpack’s blitz led to a series of knockdowns and interceptions. It wasn’t until towards the end of the first quarter that the Jaguars cut into the lead on a Jesse S. ‘22 (Rush TD, Rec TD) run up the middle. 

Now only up by 6, Valley Torah countered with a touchdown of their own to bring the lead back to 12; little did they know, this would be the end of their offensive output. The Jaguars regained the momentum just before half, as quarterback Shaun S. ‘24 (3 Pass TD) improvised in the pocket with a crafty backhanded shovel pass to Jesse, running a drag route. Jesse promptly hit the sideline and flew by the defenders to bring the game, once again, within a single score. 

Even though the Jaguars were down at the half, the tide was palpably swinging in their favor. de Toledo evened the game up with a dump pass to Carter B. ‘23 (3 Rush, 4 Rec, Rec TD), who shimmied his way around defenders from sideline to sideline, leaving them in the dust to tie the game. The Jaguars then converted the 1-point extra point to take their first lead of the game. The Jaguars hit their final blow late in the third quarter on a double move route by Evan R. ‘22 (2 Rec, Rec TD). Evan was running primarily short routes during the game, so the double move deep pass threw his defender off guard and led to a wide-open touchdown for the 7-point lead. 

The defense then put a bow on the game in the fourth quarter, riddling the Valley Torah attack. Pressure created havoc in the backfield and did not allow the Valley Torah quarterback much time to process the play, which led to flutters in the sky and hasty decisions. This disruption in the backfield helped de Toledo stall Valley Torah on their final drive, as they chucked a deep prayer on the sideline that was swatted away with 20 seconds remaining. The Jaguars then kneeled to run out the clock, knowing that they had overcome a challenge that only great teams know how to conquer.