With a (6-2) record, the Eagles ruled the roost in the JCC of Bayonne’s Indoor Flag Football Senior Division while the Bengals (4-4) needed a strong finish to claw themselves into the top spot. The Eagles started things off with a 35-yard TD strike from QB James Bajor to Adrianna “Magic” Morrone and a two-point toss to Anthony Morrone, making it 8-0. The Bengals quickly made it 8-6 as Jared Radil hauled in a 20-yard TD grab. Right from the start, both teams seemed to be in an attack mode as their offenses surged. Three plays later, the Eagles’ “Magic” Morrone soared in for a 15-yard TD run followed by Justin DeCicco’s clutch two-point catch.
Trailing 16-6, the Bengals’ Mike Dopazo turned an option play into a wire-to-wire TD blast, while Anthony Minotto capped off the scoring drive with a two-point dash around the left end. Still leading by two at 16-14, the Eagles kept rolling up points as Anthony Morrone reeled in a long TD toss, followed by a two-point grab by James Bajor. The Eagles stretched their lead to 24-14. Undaunted by the 10-point deficit, the Bengals worked the ball into Eagles’ territory, but Anthony Morrone stalled the drive with the first of his three-point interceptions. With the ball back in their offense’s hands, the Eagles seemed poised to pull away, but the Bengals’ defense, led by Drew Radil, Natalleyah Teixeira, and Jared Radil dug in to stop the Eagles’ juggernaut offense.
Needing a big play, the Bengals’ Mike Dopazo took center stage as Dopazo charged full-court to latch onto a TD strike and then heated things up with a two-point snare to cut the Eagles’ lead to 24-22. After another great stand by their defense, the Bengals once again fell prey to a turnover as the Eagles’ Anthony Morrone pilfered another Bengals’ pass to turn the tide. With the ball at half-court, Anthony “TD” Morrone cashed in with a TD gallop to give his Eagles a 30-22 advantage. Down by eight, the Bengals rallied back as Mike Dopazo notched his third TD of the bout with a 20-yard TD reception to make it a 30-28 game. At the two-minute mark, the Bengals’ defense roared again by forcing an Eagles’ fumble in the end zone, which resulted in a safety and a 30-30 log jam. The safety came just one play after “TD” Morrone seemed to all but ice the Eagles’ victory with his third pick of the game.
In need of a stop, the Eagles’ defense got a boost from Ryan Ballance and Tyler Cholankeril as they helped force the Bengals to go three and out while burning valuable time off the clock. As time ticked down, the Eagles’ Anthony Morrone tallied his third TD via a 15-yard run. Adrianna “Magic” Morrone’s two-point catch made it 38-30. The Bengals never flinched and two plays later made it 38-36 as Jared Radil held onto a TD dart. The Eagles took over with 26 seconds remaining and drove to the Bengals’ two yard line before the Bengals’ Mike Dopazo intercepted an ill-advised pass attempt with five second left to play. With the game on the line, the Bengals slipped the ball under deep coverage, but the Eagles pounced to seal the 38-36 victory.