Week 5: Swag Earn Another Doubleheader Split

Top Gun decided that there would be a change of facilities for the fifth week's slate of games, moving from Irvine High School to the notoriously poorly-maintained Rancho Middle School. The school's fields did a marvelous job of living up to their reputation as the grass came up to the players' ankles and there were holes interspersed throughout. Football had to be played though, and Swag had a tough draw against two likely playoff teams in The Captains and ATM.

Game 1:

Captains were up first, and though the Swag offense opened the game with a touchdown it was not exactly a work of art. The drive required a 16 yard Tasher to Holte hookup on 4th down in order to continue and then was punctuated with a Holte touchdown grab, which came after he and Neil Payne had knocked heads in the center of the end zone. Both players would hit the deck after the play and stay down for a minute before being able to continue, Payne with a piece of athletic tape covering a cut under his right eye. This game was to be a battle of the defenses, both of which stood strong for the majority of the game. Oobie Peterson recorded a sack, and Payne would score a touchdown to make the score 18-16 in favor of Captains late in the second half. Swag desperately needed a big play and Bryan Ziebelman gave it to them when he intercepted a short pass and took it down the sideline for what proved to be the game winning score. Final Score: Swag 24, The Captains 18.

Player of the Game: Bryan Ziebelman. Filled in on the offense while Holte and Payne were ailing and it was his instinctive play that won the game for the good guys.

Game stats can be found here

Game 2:

The field conditions had already taken a lot out of Swag by the time their game against ATM came, but early on it would officially claim its first victim as Oobie Peterson went down with a knee injury. Already stretched thin, exhausted, and playing against a very talented squad Swag would suffer a 36-14 defeat. Neil Payne recorded 9 catches for 76 yards and a touchdown, while Andy Nikolenko added another 3 for 75 and a score. Jason Holte had 6 for 63 and a 2 point conversion but the combined effort of the trio was not nearly enough to keep the game close.

Player of the Game: Andy Nikolenko. His 50 yard touchdown nearly provided the spark that Swag needed.

Game stats can be found here
Season Stats
League Leaders Through Week 5