GWTFL WRAPS UP REGULAR SEASON

By Robert Balajadia

The Guam Women’s Tackle Football League reached their final week of action with four teams playing for playoff positions with the semifinals scheduled for next Saturday.

The Tough Chicks clinched a playoff berth with an 18-0 win over the Lady Spartans in the first game and Team Legacy were firing on all cylinders agains the Steel Blazers in their rematch by shutting out the Blazers for the leagues top spot with a 24-0 victory.

The Chicks and Spartans were playing for the leagues final playoff spot while the Legacy and the Blazers were playing for the leagues top seed.

Legacy Scores Three TD’s in 2nd

The first time the two undefeated teams in Team Legacy and the Steel Blazers met Legacy squeezed out an 8-6 victory. The rematch was completely dominated by Team Legacy after getting big help from Olivia Flores and a cast of other players who did not play in their first meeting.

“We were missing a lot of our players when we first met. Today we had a set game plan. We knew they were going to run pass plays and blitz on defense and we practiced all week preparing for that,” stated Flores on the difference between their first meeting.

It only took four plays for Legacy to score on their first drive of the game after big runs by Flores, Lang Rivera, and an eventual 2-yard punch in by running back Ashley Arceo to get the first score of the game.

Legacy then exploded in the second quarter scoring on all three offensive possessions.

The Steel Blazers turned the ball over on downs for the second time in the game and Legacy capitalized after two big runs by Flroes and Rivera setting up a goal line touchdown by Gia Sarusal who fooled the entire defense with a reverse to go up 12-0 after a failed conversion.

Sarusal punched in another touchdown from six yards out after the Blazers turned the ball over again on downs to go up 18-0.

With just two seconds left to go in the half Legacy ran a pass play from 19 yards out where quarterback Morgan Reyes scrambled in the back field before firing a pass to Rivera who caught the ball at the five yard line and bulldozed her way through a Blazers defender, rolling into the end zone to go up 24-0.

Team Legacy’s Lang Rivera sprints to the outside but is stopped short of the touchdown. (photo by Robert Balajadia)

Legacy did not convert on any conversion attempts, but it proved not to matter at the end.

Blazers came within 40 yards out in the third quarter after a first down run by quarterback TJ Rodrigues, but Rodrigues was picked off by Legacy’s Flores after a pass attempt to to receiver Latoya Mojica.

Steel Blazers Latoya Mojica drops an open pass in the red zone. (photo by Robert Balajadia)

Flores returned the ball over 15 yards before taking a lick from Rodrigues which she admittedly knocked the wind out of Flores.

Legacy held strong throughout the second half to hold the Steel Blazers scoreless while taking the leagues top spot.

When asked how Legacy is approaching the playoffs as the league’s top team Flores responded with,

“We’re all back now so we’re going to just play how we normally play and just keep doing what we’ve been doing.”

PLAYOFF SCHEDULE

All games will be played at the UOG field

Team Legacy vs. Tough Chicks – 10:30 am

Lady Raiders vs. Steel Blazers – 2:30 pm

Championship Game – 7 pm Angels Field, Dededo.

PHOTO GALLERY:

Team Legacy sets up at the goal line for their third second touchdown of the game. (photo by Robert Balajadia)

Steel Blazers Sheena Kikua brings down Legacy’s Lang Rivera. (photo by Robert Balajadia)

Steel Blazers Paulette Nededog gets past the Legacy defenders for a big gain. (photo by Robert Balajadia)