Just outside of the Steel-City on a gloomy Sunday afternoon teams from around the area united together at their given field to form what is known as the fast-paced, family oriented, fun filled Pittsburgh Flag Football League. One of the games being played today was the Chargers against the Steelers. The Steelers are known for their Steel-Curtain but the Chargers are known to take charge when facing an opponent. The forecast was calling for rain but the teams were not going to let that put a damper on their day. They were there for two common goals; to play Flag Football and to have fun while playing.

The Chargers team consisted of: Charlie Szatkowski, Bryan Scott, Braden Scott, Abedallah Mustafa, & Hannan Gresock. The Coach leading the Chargers was Coach Tahir Jackson.

The Steelers team consisted of: Jordan Brinson, Warren Jackson, Allie Child, & Mark Anthony. The coach leading the Steelers was Coach Dewey Goodman.

Both teams practiced their routes over and over before the start of the game. You could feel the intensity of their energy from the sidelines. The Chargers and Steelers met in the center of the field for the coin toss. The Chargers chose tails, as they say “tails never fails” this held to be true because the Chargers did win the coin toss and elected to receive. The Chargers started with the ball with A. Mustafa as quarterback.

The drive began with an incomplete pass. 2nd down was a quick handoff to A. Mustafa. for a short gain. H. Gresock was in a quarterback and she threw a pick to a Steelers receiver who then took it to the house for a touchdown. Making the score 6-0 Steelers. It was the Chargers turn to charge down the field and give an answer to Steelers scoring drive. The Chargers first pass on the new set of downs resulted in an incomplete pass from H. Gresock. They had two more chances to get the first down.  Both B. Scotts on the Chargers team certainly made their presence on the field known.  Despite their efforts, on 2nd down H. Gresock was stopped in her tracks in the end zone giving the Steelers a safety making the score 8-0 with the Steelers on top.

The Steelers continued to rush the pocket making it very challenging for the Chargers to reach the 1st down marker. The Chargers went 3 and out which gave the ball back to the Steelers. The Steelers had A.Child at center. 1st and 2nd down resulted in incomplete passes. A time out was called by the Steelers. The Steelers huddled to plan the perfectly executed play. Unfortunately they were unable to complete the task at hand which gave the Changers yet another chance to charge their way down the field. The Chargers seemed to be losing their “charge” close to the ending of the 1st half because their first set of downs resulted in a turnover. The Steelers had intercepted a long pass down field intended for a Chargers receiver.

First down for the Steelers was a handoff. The Steelers running back juked & spin moved his way ahead of the defenders and went in for the big touchdown making the score 14-0 Steelers. A. Child in quarterback for a quick pass for the extra point making the score 15-0 Halftime. The Steelers seemed to be stealing the spotlight as the 1st half came to an end.

The 2nd half began as the sky darkened looking as though it was going to rain at any minute. The Steelers started with the ball by running a quick slant play with a powerful route tip toeing down the sidelines to stop just before the 1st down marker. 2nd down goes a quick pass to give the Steelers their 1st down. The next set of downs the Steelers started with an incomplete pass to receiver A. Child. Before the Steelers snap for 2nd down the Steelers called a time out. They huddle and prepare for the next play. The look of determination swept across the faces of the Steelers players. 2rd down was a long pass to the end zone for intended receiver Mark Anthony.

The play following 2nd down resulted in an incomplete pass. The Chargers were being given multiple chances to take charge of this game and put some needed points on the board to stay in the game. This fresh set of downs for the Chargers launched off with a long run from H. Gresock. H. Gresock got pushed back because as you will have it there are times the team will lose yardage after a big play because of a penalty. H. Gresock’s play was penalized for flag-guarding. Thanks to flag guarding they had to start back to their own end zone.  During the next down H. Gresock got her flag pulled in the end zone with the result being a Safety.  The strong, skilled Steelers pulled ahead even farther away from the Chargers.  The Steelers continued to put up points making the score 17-0. During the Steelers last set of downs for the day started with an incomplete pass.

Trying to charge even further away from the Chargers, the Steelers on 2nd down ran a power sweep to the left resulting in a 1st down. The 2 minute warning was announced. Here is where the 2 minute drill you practice every week comes into play. The Steelers went 3 and out giving the Chargers one last chance to score. With 14 seconds left on the clock the Chargers call a time out as they come together to create a complex play. You could say the Chargers had “lost their charge”.

The final play of the drive the Chargers planned was poorly executed. Despite the Chargers continuous effort throughout the game they still came up with a loss. The conclusion of the game ended with handshakes and good games with the final score Steelers 17, Chargers 0.