Week 5: Swag Demolish BOTS, Phamous Ones

On the last weekend of March, Swag recaptured first place in the league and clinched a playoff berth with their most impressive performance to date. BOTS and Phamous Ones were both in contention for the final playoff spot entering the day, but both left fairly certain that they would be out of the running for the championship.

Game 1:


BOTS were up first, and after yet another lost coin toss Swag's offense started the game. Dylan Tasher orchestrated a fluid first drive punctuated by an acrobatic Jason Holte touchdown grab and 2 point conversion. The offense didn't have long to congratulate themselves as Taylor Lucero once again intercepted the first pass attempt of the game and returned it for a touchdown. After another defensive stop it was Neil Payne's turn to find the end zone, making the score 20-0 early on. That would be the end of first half scoring though, after the Swag offense failed to capitalize on short fields given to them by a long Holte punt return and a Bryan Ziebelman interception. The second half got even worse for BOTS, as even though they managed to score twice Oobie Peterson and Holte traded touchdown catches back and forth to increase the lead. First came Peterson's long score on a corner route, then Holte found the end zone on a stop and go before Peterson scored the last touchdown of the day catching a bullet in the middle of the end zone. Holte would add the conversion and Albert Lu recorded a sack to complete the dominant defensive performance. Final score: Swag 40, BOTS 16

Player of the Game: Oobie Peterson. In a game that had many deserving candidates Peterson's performance stood above the rest. 6 catches for 87 yards and 2 touchdowns in the debut of his bright yellow cleats was game to remember.

Game stats can be found here

Video Highlights

Game 2:


The second game would prove to be even less of a challenge. Tasher was again deadly, tossing for 343 yards, 9 touchdowns and 8 conversions. The leading receiver was Andy Nikolenko who had 110 yards and 2 touchdowns on 3 catches. Every Swag receiver was productive in this game with Peterson following a stellar first game with 74 yards and 2 more touchdowns. Payne tallied 3 touchdowns on 4 catches for 59 yards, and Holte had three 2 point conversions and 50 yards. Both Wes Parsel and Lucero also caught touchdowns and Lucero added a pair of interceptions to his already impressive total. Lu and Eli Rodriguez each recorded a sack as Swag cruised to a 62-20 win over Phamous Ones. With only one game against the Drunken Embarrassments remaining before the playoffs Swag sit comfortably atop the division at 7-1.

Player of the Game: Dylan Tasher. 9 touchdowns would have been an impressive total for the day, but the way that he so brutally destroyed the Phamous Ones earns him PotG honors.

Game stats can be found here
Season stats
League leaders through Week 5

Week 4: Swag Pick Up 2 Key Wins

After yielding first place to Koolaides the week before Swag were eager to get back onto the field and redeem themselves. With both The Spartans and Da Boys on the schedule Swag knew two wins would be hard to come by, but that's exactly what they walked away with at the end of the day.

Game 1:

Spartans were up first, and were dealt an early blow when it became apparent that their normal quarterback would not be showing up for the game. Swag started on offense and scored on their second play from scrimmage as Jason Holte took a short catch 30 yards to the house after several defenders failed to pull his flags. Taylor Lucero had a pick 6 on the very next play and it looked like it would be a long day for The Spartans. It was, but what could have been a 60 plus point performance ended only 40-12 as several Swag receivers failed to make easy catches, with Holte being the most guilty. Dylan Tasher finished with 155 yards and 3 touchdowns but could have easily thrown for 400 yards if it were not for multiple drops. The defense looked unbeatable as Lucero collected another interception for a touchdown and Matt Huffman and Wes Parsel also recorded interceptions, with Parsel scoring a touchdown after Huffman pitched him the ball. Albert Lu also notched a sack in the blowout win.

Player of the Game: Taylor Lucero. Taylor had a pair of interceptions, both returned for touchdowns, and had a hand in several other plays defensively from his safety position.

Game stats can be found here

Game 2:

Swag were in for a much tougher test against a very athletic Da Boys squad. The offense again struggled with drops and was actually outscored 18-16 by the defense. Holte led all receivers for a second straight game with 70 yards and a touchdown, and Neil Payne added 50 yards and a score. Lucero returned two more interceptions for touchdowns to cap an amazing day on defense and Parsel also intercepted two passes, including one that he ran all the way back for a score from 9 yards deep in his own end zone. Tasher finished with 160 yards in what could have been another 300 yard plus performance. Thanks to their dominant defense Swag were able to pull out a crucial 34-19 win, a second consecutive doubleheader sweep, and most importantly were able to keep pressure on the top of the league by improving their record to 5-1.

Player of the Game: Taylor Lucero. Again. Two more pick sixes lifted Swag from what could have been a crushing second loss to a key win.

Game stats can be found here
Season stats
League leaders through Week 4

Week 3: Swag Rocked by Koolaides

The third week of the season saw Swag matched against Tyler Krawiec's Koolaides squad. What should have been a playoff preview instead turned out to be a 38-12 blowout loss for Swag. With three defensive starters missing for the game Krawiec ran wild, tallying 7 catches for 175 yards and 3 touchdowns. The Swag offense was also completely out of sync as Neil Payne was incredibly held without a catch. Dylan Tasher failed to reach triple digit passing yards for the first time ever, and the fact that the most notable offensive performance was Jason Holte's 4 catches, 62 yards and a touchdown pretty much summarizes the day. Swag fell to 3-1 after failing their first true test of the season.

Player of the Game: Jason Holte. Led the offense with a meager 62 yards receiving. He also had a sack in a rare appearance on defense. Probably should have gone to Krawiec, but the PotG honor has never been given to an opposing player and today won't be the first time.

Game stats can be found here
Season stats
League leaders through Week 3

Week 2: Swag Overcome Long Layoff to Sweep Doubleheader

After a flying start to the season, Swag were forced to wait three weeks to play their next game as play was suspended by rain on each of the next two Sundays. Due to Phenoms requesting a bye they were replaced on the schedule by Cleats and Glory, who proved to be more of a challenge than anticipated.

Game 1:

Swag showed signs of rust on their opening two possessions on both sides of the ball, failing to score twice and spotting lowly Cleats and Glory a 14-0 lead. The offense began to click after that, outscoring their foes 28-12 over the rest of the game. Neil Payne was his usual dominant self, notching 7 catches for 131 yards and 2 touchdowns, all game highs. Wes Parsel added 4 for 56 and another touchdown, while Jason Holte returned from his one game absence with 3 catches for 31 yards, a touchdown and both of Swag's 2 point conversions. The game would not have been won without the back-to-back stops recorded by the defense to end the game. The first came on a 4th down stand and the second on a Taylor Lucero interception in the end zone with time running out. Bryan Ziebelman made an outstanding play to out jump CaG's tallest receiver and deflect the ball to Lucero for the pick. Swag's offense would efficiently kill the remaining time on the clock to move to 2-0 going into their second game of the day.

Players of the Game: Bryan Ziebelman and Taylor Lucero. In a tight game that needed one big defensive play these two combined to provide it, Ziebelman's tip led to Lucero's game-clinching pick.

Game stats can be found here

Game 2:

Swag expected to be tested by the athletic Nine Inch Males, but were pleasantly surprised at how easily they moved the ball up and down the field on offense. Dylan Tasher threw 6 touchdowns to 6 different receivers as Swag easily racked up 38 points against Males' soft cover 2 defense. Payne once again led all receivers with 100 yards and Holte added the only 2 point conversion, while Oobie Peterson and Lucero each had an interception on defense. Swag rolled to a comfortable 38-21 victory to end the second weekend of games undefeated.

Player of the Game: Dylan Tasher. In a ruthlessly efficient performance Tasher posted 307 passing yards on 19 completions for 6 touchdowns.

Game stats can be found here
Season stats
League leaders through Week 2