In a battle of the top two teams in the league, The Flame Knights defeated the Martinis Above Fourth Eagles 34-18 during San Diego Flag Football League action on May 20.

Going into the game, the Knights had the advantage as they’d handed the Eagles their only previous loss on April 8 by a score of 33-24.

The Knights started the game fired up and moved the ball right down the field. Knights quarterback Curtis Gammons hit Shon Anderson for the first score and a 7-0 lead.

The Eagles moved the ball just as easily, taking their opening drive down the field to the 5-yard line. The Knights’ defense stiffened, intercepting Eagles quarterback Jesse Remar on a tipped ball in the end zone. With the Knights on the move again, Todd May intercepted Gammons’ pass and gave the ball back to the Eagles’ offense. Again, the Eagles moved right down the field to the 5-yard line and intercepted Remar’s pass.

The Eagles got on the board with two plays left in the first half when Remar connected with H.T. Bennett on an 8-yard scoring pass to cut the Knights’ lead to 7-6. Two plays ended up being too many for the Eagles as Gammons lofted up a Hail Mary pass that was tipped right to the hands of the Knights’ Kory Chambers.

During the final play of the half, the Eagles stopped the pass, but were flagged for an illegal rush. The Knights took advantage of the second chance as Gammons scrambled in from the 1-yard line for a 14-6 halftime lead.

On the first play of the second half, the Eagles tried to regain momentum with a 60-yard touchdown pass from Remar to Jim Giacobbe, cutting the Knights’ lead to 14-12.

The Knights came back down the field as Gammons passed to Chambers for another score and a 21-12 lead.

During the next possession, the Eagles drove down and pulled within 3 points when May made a tough catch from 15 yards out. But it wasn’t enough – the Knights dominated the rest of the game.

Gammons moved them up and down the field at will against the Eagles’ defense, while their offense lost their magic and had difficulty moving the ball forward.

Two more touchdown passes, from Gammons to Chambers and then to Joe Coleburn, sealed the victory for the Knights and a tie at the top of the standings.

The Eagles and Knights both have 6-2 records, with one regular season game left in the season.

“My hat is off to The Flame. They really made all the big plays today,” Eagles captain H.T. Bennett said. “We really need to work on avoiding so many penalties. They [the Knights] are way too talented to give that many second chances to.”

The Pecs Gators trailed 14-0 but held their ground against a pesky Bourbon Street Hurricanes team and came back for a 31-20 win during another game on May 20.

The Hurricanes came out on fire with a long bomb from Abe Velarde to Danny Muñoz for a quick 7-0 lead. Gators quarterback Dave DiGiacomo was intercepted by Muñoz on the next drive. Velarde then connected with Muñoz in the end zone again for a 14-0 lead.

The Gators started their comeback on the next drive and scored to cut the Hurricanes’ lead in half. Just before the half, the Gators scored again as DiGiacomo ran the ball in to cut the Hurricanes’ lead to 14-13.

During the next possession, Velarde led the Hurricanes down to the 2-yard line on the last play of the half, but could not punch it in.

In the second half, the Gators completely dominated the game. They scored at will, while the Hurricanes could only mount one scoring drive.

The Hurricanes fell to 2-6 overall, while the Gators improved to 5-3.

Currently, the Gators have the best offense and defense statistics in the SDAFFL: 248 points scored and 151 scored against.

The Bacchus House Gladiators clinched the fourth and last playoff seeding during a dominating 34-6 win over The Brass Rail Longhorns on May 20.

For the second straight week, the Longhorns only started with six players. They played well early and looked to score on their opening drive, but the Longhorns’ defense stiffened to keep the game scoreless midway through the first half.

The Gladiators added more touchdowns and never looked back, coasting to an easy victory.

The win put the Gladiators at 4-4 for the season, while the Longhorns fell to 1-7 overall.

There are no games scheduled for Memorial Day weekend. The last games of the regular season will resume on Saturday, June 3.