The Stowe Area Flag Football League kicked off its 2017 season this past Sunday.  While opening day was unseasonably hot, it didn’t slow the players as they made their debut.

 

 

 

Bengals and Giants met in an equally matched game.  The Giants were able to get the win 28 to 14.  Everyone had a lot of fun and both players and coaches did a great job of working through first day jitters.  The Bengals struck first with pick six by Chase Brown.  Giant’s answered with a pick six of their own by by Quinn Kalp. Giants MVP for day, Carter MacDonald, had scoring runs in the first, second and third quarters.  Score was 20 to 14 at the close of the third quarter.  Both teams struggled a little early to settle their offense but Giants rookie QBs Quinn Kalp and Sam Stutz had great performances.  Others leading the offense included Camden Strong, Quinn Kalp, and Zeb Whitlock.  Ground assaults by Avery Bard, Max King, and Jaden Baird kept the Giants in the lead through third and fourth quarters.  Giants offense pulled out a trick play in the third for deep end zone Strong/Kalp combination to keep Bengals on their toes. Gavin Murphy and Grant Powell led the young Giants defense with several backfield flags by Lily Murphy and Hayden MacDonald.  The Giants Parker Guffey capped off the 28 to 14 victory with a short TD pass in the fourth to put the very competitive game just out of reach for the Bengals.  The Bengals tried many formations on offense and mixed up the personnel during the day to stay competitive.  Kason Lang had multiple runs bouncing to the outside evading defenders and picking up big yards.  Quinten Lynch played Quarterback for the first half putting up some impressive numbers in the air.  Brooke McCormick was the consistent anchor snapping every ball perfectly (even some fakes snapping directly to the running back).  The Defense put on a clinic on how to play as a unit and showed the fans how effective that can be.  Ava Buczek solidified her place not only as a defender but as the go to kicker of the Bengals.

 

During game two of its double-header, the 49ers faced a formidable opponent in the Steelers.  It was a great game with several back and forths as the 49ers were able to pull out a 28-6 victory.  The niners had strong performances all over the field, with Eamon Langlais throwing two TD patches, one to Wyatt Lilley and one to Braden Martens.  Martens also threw a TD pass to Cody Lilley later in the day as well.  The ground game was strong as well with great running by Braedon Bellows, Drew Zimmerman and Lilley.  On the defensive side of the ball it was a true team effort with great games by Jordan Zimmerman, Austin Welch, Sean Geary, Max DeRuzza and Mason Pastor.   The field position battle helped the Defense as well, with huge kicks by Sabin Piatek!! The Steelers lone score came on a side line dash by Sam Clarkin. Defensively, Alder Nedich and Sadie Baranyay of the Steelers had critical flag pulls to keep the 49ers from scoring on two occasions.

 

 

 

The Chiefs opened the second game of their double-header by kicking off to the Patriots who converted on a double pass from Lewis Clapp to Wyatt Reid to Luke Farley in the end zone.  The Chiefs put together a string of short completions down the field but were finally stopped by the Patriots defense.  QB Tobey Bellows sprinted around the left end and in for another 6 for the Patriots. After a Luke Farley interception, Lewis Clapp tossed a long ball to James Rosenbloom and tacked on the extra point with a throw to Luke Farley. The Chiefs were able to score on their last possession, leaving it 19 -6 at half time.  After a somewhat sluggish first half the Chiefs came together and looked like the super bowl contenders we know them to be. Solid passing by starting QB Emerson Smith to wide out Alex Chudzik produced 2 touch downs in quick succession for the team. The Chief’s rushing game came alive with heavy yardage gained by Adrian Byran and Ivan Buczek throughout the half. Jake Clarkin was masterful for short, needed yardage up the middle. Center and big man Isaac Medow proved a reliable center with precision snapping throughout the match.  The defense held strong to the end allowing only one touchdown in the 2^ndhalf. Mario (need last name) and Gage Daliere were strong flag pullers as was Leander Pinkham and Calvin Kontos. Noah Lynch and Hayden Peters contained more than their fair share of runners as well. The clock finally ran out on the Chiefs in game two but it’s the beginning of a long season with lots of time left for the players.  The Chiefs kept the momentum in the second half as they took the opening possession all the way to the end zone to tighten the score. The Chiefs were further pumped by stopping the Patriots in the red zone. But the Patriots capitalized on a penalty with Boone Maher and James Rosenbloom flagging Emerson Smith behind the line to take over on downs. The Patriots came back with a series of plays ending with another two-pass Clapp-Bellows-Farley combination with an extra point throw from Bellows to Luca DeRuzza to stretch their lead. With less than two minutes remaining, Emerson Smith threw to the sideline to the outstretched hands of Alex Chudzik who took it in for the Chiefs final score. The Patriots ran out the clock to win 26-18. 

 

 

The League would like to thank its 2017 sponsors for supporting our organization:  Apple Construction, Bistro At Ten Acres, Brook Field Service, CCS Constructors, Commodities Natural Market, Darn Tough, Edible Arrangements, Inntopia, Lamoille Valley Ford, Mansfield Orthopaedics, Mountain Associates, Northern Reliability, Piecasso, Stowe Family Dentistry, Stoweflake Mountain Resort & Spa, UPS Store.