The Jewish Community Center of Bayonne’s Indoor Flag Football Senior Division was just three weeks away from their championship tournament when all three teams were hitting their stride. For the Chargers (2-6), it had been all about using their vast array of talented offensive weapons, while the Bengals (3-4) were focused on playing a solid game from whistle to whistle. The Chargers got out to an 8-0 lead with a 20-yard TD dart to James Johnson and a two-point laser to Jaime Betancur. Down quickly, the Bengals unleashed a TD bomb to Mike Dopazo followed by a game-tying two-point pass to Drew Radil.
Knotted at 8-all, the Chargers went to the air again. This time it was a 30-yard TD strike to Malachi Smith, with Jaime Betancur reeling in his second two-point grab for a 16-8 Chargers’ lead. The air show continued as QB Drew Radil zipped a TD and two-point frozen rope to Mike Dopazo to once again deadlock the bout. Tied at 16-16, the Bengals’ defense caught a break when the Chargers’ QB stepped out of bounds in the end zone for a safety, giving the Bengals an 18-16 advantage.
The boost was short-lived as the Chargers’ James Johnson snared an interception at midcourt. After two plays, the Chargers cashed in as Janaaron Aquino latched onto a TD toss, followed by James Johnson’s two-point catch for a 24-18 lead. The seesaw duel continued with the Bengals regaining the lead at 26-24 on the heels of Mike Dopazo’s third TD reception and Anthony Minotto’s diving two-point catch. Down by two, the Chargers’ defense stepped up to cause a safety as Michael Tedesco, Jan Patrick Egan and James Johnson pounced on the Bengals’ ball-carrier.
With under two minutes remaining, the Chargers broke the 26-all tie with a coast-to-coast TD strike to Janaaron Aquino to take a 32-26 advantage. As the clock ticked down, the Bengals went for it all and it paid off. Anthony Minotto broke free on a goal-to-goal fly for a TD, followed by his two-point haul, making it 38-36 with just six seconds left to play. The Chargers had one last shot, but the Bengals’ Anthony Minotto continued his late-game heroics by out-leaping three receivers to seal the victory with an interception.