When the first week's schedule was released Swag knew they were in for quite a test. Having to start the season against the runners-up from the summer meant a trial by fire for a team with some pretty significant question marks. After all was said and done it was pretty clear that Swag is not a team to be taken lightly by anyone.
Quarterback Dylan Tasher used the first play of the game to play with his new toy Neil Payne, as the pair hooked up for a 7 yard gain. One play later it was 6-0, as Tasher and Jason Holte exploited a defensive mix-up en route to a 43 yard touchdown. The pair would combine again on the 2 point conversion to hand Swag an 8-0 lead. Step Above Leftovers would answer that score with one of their own, but after a failed conversion attempt Swag still held a 2 point advantage. The offense trotted back on the field and after a couple of short completions Holte was able to slip behind the defense again on a deep post, only kept from his second touchdown by a blatant pass interference in the back corner of the end zone. This would only serve to delay the inevitable, however, as Tasher found Holte in the back middle of the end zone to make the score 14-6. Payne caught the conversion out of bounds so there the score would remain. Then came the turning point of the game. With Leftovers facing a 4th and inches at midfield Tasher read the play beautifully and made a crucial deflection. The momentum swung Swag's way and they never relinquished it. Tasher would find Oobie Peterson on a shallow crossing route, and after one cut Peterson was off to the races. Another 2 point miss followed by a huge defensive stop made the halftime score 20-6.
Leftovers came out of halftime with the ball and were able to score to cut the lead to 20-12 but again were unable to stop Swag's offense, which was firing on all cylinders. Held to a rare 4th down, Tasher found Holte on the sideline for a clutch first down, and on the next play hit Holte again in the back middle of the end zone on a fine tumbling catch. This gave Holte his first ever 3 touchdown game, but the boys in blue weren't finished yet. Wes Parsel went the length of the field on a pick-six which was followed by a Payne 2 point conversion that gave him his first career points for Swag. Leftovers scored to make it 34-18 before Tasher's 5th and final touchdown pass of the day to Andy Nikolenko. Final score: Swag 40, Step Above Leftovers 18.
Player of the Game: Dylan Tasher. Tasher threw the ball masterfully all over the field all game, finishing with 226 yards and 5 touchdowns while completing 67% of his passes. Holte's 3 touchdowns were impressive but would not have been possible without the clinic that Tasher put on Sunday. It was Tasher's stop on 4th down that swung the game in Swag's favor for good.
Notes: Swag were lights-out offensively but only managed to convert on 2 of 6 conversion attempts. This is something they will look to clean up in the weeks to come, as they know how crucial those points can be in close games.
Game stats can be found here
League Leaders Through Week 1
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