After stunning the Eagles with a 72-22 trouncing, the (5-1) Bengals found themselves in an old fashion Donnybrook as they took on the (2-4) Chargers in a JCC of Bayonne Indoor Flag Football Sr. Division duel. The league’s leading scorer, Malachi Smith gave his Bengals squad a quick 6-0 lead on a 30 yard TD dart from QB Drew Radil but moments later the Chargers answered with a TD strike to Jazmine Garcia. The 6-6 tie lasted two plays as Smith once again reeled in a TD toss to make it 12-6, Bengals. The league’s second leading scorer, Adrianna “Magic” Morrone matched the Bengals’ TD with a zone to zone TD grab of her own and after speedster Alejandro “See Ya” Cifuentes zipped in for two points the Chargers took the lead at 14-12. Both teams seesawed for the lead as the Bengals’ Malachi Smith made his third TD catch in the corner of the endzone to give the Bengals an 18-14 advantage. The four point lead was short lived as “Magic” Morrone hauled in a TD pass and then raced around right end for two points as the Chargers regained the lead at 22-18. With the second half approaching, the Bengals turned the tide as Malachi Smith found the endzone again for a TD and two point catch as the Bengals took a 26-22 lead. One play later, Smith stepped up defensively as he picked off a tipped ball to shutdown a Chargers scoring drive in Bengals’ territory. The Chargers then dug in as their defense held the high powered Bengals’ offense to their first three and out in two games. With the ball back in the hands of their offense, the Chargers made it 30-26 on a coast to coast TD bomb to Ryan Giocoli and a two point grab by Ahmad McGill. With Smith now drawing double coverage, the Bengals’ QB Drew Radil wisely zipped passes to Michael Tedesco and Jared Radil for first down yardage before blistering a TD strike to James Bajor making it 32-30, Bengals. Once again, the pendulum swung as the Chargers took a 38-32 lead on “Magic” Morrone’s third TD catch and James Johnson’s two point haul. With the game on the line, the Chargers’ Ahmad McGill came up with a huge interception at half court but two offensive miscues doomed the “knock out” opportunity. As time ran down, the Bengal’s finally sealed a 40-38 victory as James Bajor tallied a TD and a two point catch.
Week 5 Sr. Division
Offensive Player of the week – Malachi Smith – Bengals
Defensive Player of the week – Malachi Smith – Bengals
Teamwork/ Leadership Player of the week – James Bajor – Bengals