The Bears (1-0) and the Colts (1-1) rolled into their week two Jewish Community Center of Bayonne’s Indoor Flag Football Junior Division bout with two different mindsets. For the Colts, it was all about scoring points, while the Bears relied on their hard-nosed defense. The Bears got the action started when Ryan Griffin hauled in a 20-yard dart from QB Drew Radil, but the Colts answered with a coast-to-coast TD sprint and a two-point run by Michael Tedesco for an 8-6 Colts’ lead. After driving the ball to mid-court, the Bears’ Michael “The Motor” Egan rocketed 20 yards to paydirt, giving the Bears a 12-8 advantage.
A key play occurred when the Colts’ Ashley Solis picked off the Bears’ two-point conversion attempt to help stifle the Bears. Down by four, the Colts’ Michael Tedesco was once again off to the races with his second wire-to-wire TD gallop, making it 14-12, Colts. The seesaw pace continued as the Bears’ Drew Radil latched onto a TD and two-point toss to help the Bears retake the lead at 20-14. Right from the start of the second half, both teams’ offenses rolled as the Colts’ Michael Tedesco tied the game at 20-all with this third rushing TD. The score was matched two plays later when the Bears’ Ryan Griffin gave his squad a 26-20 advantage with his second TD grab.
Like two heavyweight prize fighters, both teams went toe-to-toe. The Colts’ Michael Tedesco knotted the game at 26-26 before Ashley Solis gave her squad the lead with a two-point plunge. Leading by two, the Colts’ Ashley Solis shifted the tug of war with her second interception to set up Michael Tedesco’s fifth TD jaunt for a 34-26 Colts’ lead. On the Bears’ next offensive series, the Colts reeled in their third interception when Erik Solis out-fought two Bears’ receivers. The Bears avoided disaster when Victor Mendolaro and Akshat Thakur came up with huge stops for their defense. With the ball back in their hands, the Bears’ Drew Radil made it 34-32, Colts, with a diving TD catch.
With a slim two-point lead, the Colts went onto two TD charges as Michael Tedesco made it 46-32 with his sixth and seventh TD dashes. The Colts seems poised to clinch the win as Riley Robertson, Christopher Ballance, Nate Cintron and Da’Mien Taylor held the Bears’ offense in check for two series of downs. With the clock ticking down, the Bears erupted for eight points as Alejandro Cifuentes snared a TD and a two-point pass, making it 46-40. With seven seconds remaining, the Bears’ Drew Radil unleashed a missile to a triple-covered Alejandro “See Ya” Cifuentes, who somehow made the grab at the two and raced in for the game-tying TD to force overtime. The overtime didn’t have the fireworks of the first 40 minutes as both teams came up empty for a 46-46 tie.