Another week DEC struggled to run away from the competition,
the games were way too close for comfort. This time there was no injury to QB
Gilad Silverman to use as an excuse.
This week marked the return of long-time center Aron Hertz,
who stepped up with a hurt knee to fill in for an ill Daniel Romero. Hertz did
a fine job all night long, with little rust to show.
Also, introduced this week into
the League was the "Avner Denicoff Rule", (also known as the Ephraim Addato rule) stating that a ball-carrier
can no longer run straight into a set defender and must make an effort to avoid
contact.
Game 1
After a quick 3 and out, DEC got on the board early. Running
the offense slightly more up-tempo than in previous weeks, the drive was capped
off with a TD to . . . wait for it . . . Dani Eastman. Denicoff caught the PAT
to give DEC a 7-0 lead.
After forcing OJ to punt again,
a TD bomb with a beautiful over-the-shoulder catch by Zak Lenik was called back
on an offensive penalty. DEC came back from that miscue to score again though.
The TD and PAT to Eastman made the score 14-0.
With a 2-TD lead and plenty of time
remaining in the game DEC switched to their Prevent Defense, playing Dani
Eastman as a deep safety, instead of on a 3-man line, or short middle-LB. OJ
used that opportunity to methodically march down the field and score their
first touchdown of the game. Scoring on the PAT made the score 14-7. And that's
where it would remain after the 2 sides exchanged stalled drives either way.
Game 1 Final Score
OJ: 7
DEC: 14
Game 2
DEC got on the board on a
stellar run by Dani Eastman. It's a shame we didn't have the camera running
this week because this run-after-catch included a cut that left an OJ defender
pulling at air, and another that made 2 other defenders crash into each other.
A missed extra point gave DEC a 6-0 lead.
On the ensuing drive, OJ came
up with a huge pass over the top, with a lot of space the receiver easily
caught the ball and went to the end zone untouched. A missed Point After left
the score tied at 6 a piece.
DEC was forced to punt the ball
on their next drive, and OJ was forced to do the same. A poorly kicked ball
went out of bounds at about mid-field, but a penalty flag gave OJ the
opportunity to re-kick. This punt was much better, and Dani Eastman fielded it
at the 5 yard line. After making an initial play to return the punt, Dani
lateraled the ball to a trailing Doni Raskas. Raskas took the ball all the way
for a touchdown, with great upfield blocking by his defensive teammates. The
point after made the score 13-6.
Another defensive stop, and DEC
headed back the other way. A huge 3rd down reception by Eastman saw him catch
the ball 1-handed behind the defenders back before pulling it in. This drive
was capped off with a TD to Zak Lenik, and the 2-point conversion made it 21-6.
With under a minute remaining, OJ elected to let the time run out. Game over.
Game 2 Final Score
OJ: 6
DEC: 21
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