It was an overcast, breezy Sunday afternoon in October at Gateway Middle School football field. Teams from around the county came together to participate in something enriching, fulfilling, entertaining, and not just fun but good for you too. Today, two of the Pittsburgh Flag Football League teams facing off were the Broncos and the Falcons.

The Broncos team consisted of: Trey Morgan, Reggie Weems, Jessica Kaufmann, Ashwin Wasan, Quincy Jones. Leading the Broncos was coach Trey McMurray.

The Falcons team consisted of: Philip Palmer, Antonio Goodman, Kyree Garner, Jordan Taylor Ayoub Mustaffa, and Quashan Hampton. Leading the Falcons was Coach Paul Campbell.

The fierce Falcons and the blitzing Broncos came together at mid field for the coin toss. You could feel the excitement of the team radiating off of them like the heat from the sun. The Falcons chose to receive. The Falcons were fired up starting their beginning drive. First play was a slant pass for a short gain. Second down was a power run to the left which ended in a gain of a few. On third down they were not able to obtain the first down because of an incomplete pass. It was now the Broncos turn to score.  The Broncos starting drive started with a pass to T. Morgan for a gain. On second down another pass but still not close enough for the first down. The Broncos pull out another pass to put the Broncos at first and goal. The following play is a run to the house for the touchdown.

The Broncos chose to go for two. A sharp pass to the end zone put the Broncos blowing past the Falcons at 8-0. It was now the Falcons turn to answer the Broncos score. First down for the Falcons was for a loss of yards. The second down was a fumble but marked dead. During third down of the Falcons drive resulted in an incomplete pass. The Falcons couldn’t seem to get their flock in the end zone. The bucking broncos were ready to extend their lead. The Broncos on first down went for a sweep to the right for a gain of a few yards. A blocking penalty called against the Broncos resulted in a loss of yards. On third down the Broncos blasted one down field but was stopped short of the first down marker.

The Falcons were wanting a chance to fly past the Broncos. The Falcons flock was flying off a little too fast as in a false start, resulting in a loss. A. Goodman on second down ran the ball down field almost to the first down marker. With a minute-twenty seconds remaining in the half, on third down the Falcons again flew the coop too early which resulted not only in a penalty but in a turnover giving the Broncos back the ball. A time out was called by the Broncos. J. Kaufmann in to snap the ball to Q. Jones who handed off the ball to A. Wasan who was stopped shy of the first down.  The last play of the half brought us to half time with the score Broncos 8, Falcons 0.

The teams hydrated and huddled up discussing their next move in the game. The Falcons first drive of the second half started with Q. Hampton for a long run but unfortunately for the Falcons, the play was called back because of a flag-guarding penalty. During second down J. Taylor with the power sweep to the left landed the Falcons in the end zone making the score 8-6 with the Broncos still in the lead. The Falcons chose to go for two. A. Mustaffa had a strong snap to the quarterback with a handoff to J. Taylor. J. Taylors run tied up the game with a score being a tie; 8-8. Broncos got the ball back for their first possession of the second half.

Kaufmann resulted in a completed pass but unfortunately she was not able to reach the first down marker. The Falcons now got the ball back. On first down, the Falcons turned over the ball to the Broncos with an interception. The Broncos A. Wasan was handed the ball who then swept to the left and dodged defenders to bring it to the house for the touchdown. Celebrations began but unfortunately for the Broncos the play was called back because of a blocking penalty. On Second down J. Kaufmann with a great catch but did not cross the first down marker. Third down resulted in an incomplete pass giving the Falcons a final try with one minute left on the clock.

The Falcons first down was an incomplete pass. During second down the play was called back because you can’t jump to catch. On third down the receiver couldn’t keep his hands on the ball turning it over on downs with twenty seconds left on the clock. On the final drive for the Broncos before overtime there were two penalties on the play. There was blocking on the defense and flag guarding on the offense which brought the end of regulation time with a tie score of 8-8.

During over time each team gets two downs to score. The Broncos called the coin toss in the air, as they say tails never fails. Broncos chose to let the Falcons start with the ball. The Falcons started at the twelve yard line. A. Mustaffa with the ball for the Falcons. A. Wasan in for the Broncos with the stop. A. Goodman with the ball on second down stopped by Broncos Q. Jones. The Broncos were now on offense starting on the twelve yard line. On the Broncos first down there was a loss of yards with a quick stop by J. Taylor. A pass on second down intended for T. Morgan was incomplete.

On their last first down of the game the Falcons fly in for the touchdown with a score 14-8 Falcons. The Broncos got the ball back one final time. The last play of overtime the Broncos blew their way past defenders to score a touchdown. Overtime expired. The final score of the game was 14-14; a tie game.