The final games of the San Diego American Flag Football League’s (SDFFL) regular season were officiated by Kreg Karsha, Sean West and Loara Parker, and were full of the strong offense and the determined defense that we’ve come to associate with flag football in San Diego. All teams were gearing up for the SDAFFL Championships on July 9.

The first game pitted the Bourbon Street Hurricanes against the Pecs Gators. Both teams tied for first place in the league standings with identical records of 5-3. The Hurricanes kick-off to the Gators went directly out of bounds and set the tone for the rest of the game. The Gators drove hard in these opening minutes and were rewarded with the first score of the game.

The Hurricanes’ first possession started strong with a modest five-yard pass to Michael Jazmin, but was followed by an interception by the Gators’ Ty Law. After a successful second drive, it looked like the Gators were poised to score once again, until Rob Rivera recovered a fumble for an impressive full-field run resulting in a touchdown. The Hurricanes were on the board at 7-6.

The Hurricanes stepped up the defense and were successfully stopping the Gators from completing any short passes, but the Gators again managed to score with a long bomb to Law, increasing the Gators’ lead to 14-6. The Hurricanes answered the challenge and came back with a score of their own, culminating in a short pass to Shon Anderson that tied the score at 14-14 after a successful two-point conversion. The Gators responded by driving hard and again scoring via a long pass to Law, bringing the score to 20-14 after missing the extra point.

The game seemed to be shaping into a tit-for-tat exchange until Doug Komlenic intercepted a pass that was then capitalized on by a short pass, bringing the score to 27-14 after a completed conversion.

The Hurricanes’ Ron Addeo completed a long pass in the last play of the half, but couldn’t convert it into a touchdown.

In the second half, the Gators stepped up their rushing game and Julius Williams sacked the quarterback, effectively putting the Hurricanes on their heels. The Hurricanes gave up a penalty at second and inches, followed by a second penalty, but were not able to get past the Gators’ defensive line.

A series of short passes resulted in the Gators again being in striking distance, but an end-zone interception by Rich Costanzo successfully stopped the drive. Wanting to get back into the game, the Hurricanes pushed forward aggressively, but an interception by Caleb Bell and a defensive penalty put the Gators back in scoring range. The Gators completed a mid-range pass to bring the final score to 33-14, assuring the Gators a top seat going into the championships.

The second game matched the Hamburger Mary’s Cowboys against the Brians’ American Eatery Bears. The Bears went into this final regular season match with a 3-5 record, while the Cowboys were at 4-4. The first drive of the game saw several short completed passes and culminated with the first score by Jared Duncan. The Cowboys returned with a drive of their own, ending with a long pass to bring the score to 7-6 after failing to score the extra point.

Both defensive lines turned up the heat and succeeded in stopping any additional scores for the remainder of the first half. This first half was highlighted by traded interceptions, short yardage gains, fingertip catches and very strong defensive plays by both teams. It was obvious both teams came to play and brought their A-games with them. The Cowboys traded quarterbacks between the first and second halves, with Abe Velarde playing the first half and Eric Wright playing the second.

The second half opened with a strong drive by the Cowboys, culminating in a long bomb to John Hernandez, bringing them into the lead at 12-7 after a failed extra point attempt. The Bears redoubled their efforts and completed several first-down passes, driving deep into Cowboys territory and scoring with a pass to Jared Duncan; but the Cowboys failed the conversion, bringing the lead back to the Bears, 13-12.

With one point separating the teams, the bulk of the half was spent trading yardage and possessions in a neck-and-neck battle to score. Both teams’ defensive lines were working overtime and successfully stopped each drive, providing much frustration for the offense and providing the spectators with an afternoon of good football. The turning point finally came at the two-minute warning when the Bears gave up a penalty, giving the Cowboys a first-down within reach of the end zone. After a brief time-out, the Cowboys regrouped and completed a few short passes before going ahead again at 18-13.

With the Cowboys within seconds of a win, they stepped up their defense again, resulting in a successful quarterback sack by Alex Figueroa. In a last-ditch effort, the Bears struggled to regain the lead, but as the Cowboys dug in their heels they managed to pull off a last-second interception for the final touchdown, capping off a 24-13 victory for the Cowboys.

Ivan Solis will be resigning as commissioner of the Flag Football League after July 9 to coordinate GayBowl V. Two teams will represent San Diego in GayBowl V, which takes place in Coronado Oct. 7-9; players will be chosen from among members of all the SDAFFL teams.