T Jenkins opens Sundevil account
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Sunday May 16th saw the Sundevils take the long road trip to Norwich for the first ever Senior League “Devil Bowl”, but number three in the team’s history.
Norwich won the toss and elected to receive the ball, but their new WR trips set didn’t get into sync, and after 2 dropped interceptions Norwich were happy to just kick the ball away
Unfortunately, the Sundevils Special Teams had other ideas and with a weeks preparation both scouting and coaching Norwich’s first punt was easily stuffed with Sundevils Vassilli Fedotov tackling the Punter for a 10-yard loss.
QB Bruce Gemmell led out the Sundevils Offense with excellent field position starting at the Norwich 25-yard line. The Southern Offense would not only battle the Devils but the yellow flags too.
A first down penalty was followed by a -4-yard run, as the Norwich ‘D’ started aggressively, but then QB Gemmell rolled away from the pass rush and found TE T’ Jenkins behind the coverage for a 34-yard catch and run. The extra point was blocked.
With this score the Sundevils managed to keep up the relentless pace, and really started to squeeze the game. After a short Kick-off from the Devils, LB Scott Miller forced a fumble on first down and Fellow LB Greg Douglas scooped up the ball and returned it for a TD – Only for it to be called back by a flag
Corey Savage recovers fumble for TD
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So the Sundevils Offense would start again from the Devils 25-yard line. A First Down sack immediately put them under pressure and was only followed by two incompletions. Bruce Gemmell’s fourth down run came up 2 yards short. So Norwich got the ball back at their 20-yrd line
The Devils still couldn’t get anything going losing 2 yards on a run and another 2 on a spot pass. So the third down incompletion made Norwich punt from their own 16 yard line and again the Sundevils Special Teams would shine. This time LB Mark Penfound broke free and Blocked the punt, with Free Safety Corie Savage pouncing on the ball in the end zone. A low snap forced Paul Brady to try and run in the extra points, but was tackled just before the Goal line.
Norwich’s next drive was similar again with first and second down losses, but a third down pass brought up a fourth & 3 from their own 35. Remarkably the Sundevils Special Teams got to the Punter for the third straight time. Unfortunately this one was deemed a fraction late, and a 5 yard penalty kept the drive alive for Norwich. The Sundevils D regrouped quickly and forced a four & out at the Devils 48-yard line.
With Norwich now not punting through risk of another block the entire game had been played in the Devils half.
The first time Norwich managed to get out of their own half was another first down sack on QB Gemmell and this drive came to a quick end with the first Sundevils Punt.
The whole day Norwich had their backs against the wall as the Sundevils Defense just came after them again and again.
James Irving Int & Blocked Punt
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Even when they got the pass off some big hits would force incompletions, then a sack was followed up by a James Irving interception at the 40-yard line, the ball was handed off to LB Greg Douglas (but the referees declared it was forward), before he returned it for a touchdown.
The Sundevils Offense held the ball for the remainder of the first quarter with a twelve play drive, which would stall after three incompletions at the Norwich 18.
Norwich finally got something going in the second quarter, as they got outside the Sundevils Defense for a 14-yard run, then a 22-yard pass completion by Norwich WR Darren Bailey got the Norwich Offense into the Southern half for the first time. The drive almost ended there but an interception slipped through DB James Irving’s hands on First Down. The drive nibbled away small chunks at a time before the Sundevils pressure was reapplied and the 4th Down pass was jarred loose by FS Corie Savage.
With their game raised again the Southern Offense went to work – Gemmell hitting TE Russ Goodall for 9 yards, then RB Sam Ohemeng burst through the O-Line for another 8 yards. Not even a false start call slowed the Offense as Gemmell hit WR Benn Webb for another 9 yards.
The QB’s third completion in a row took the Southern Offense down to the Norwich 37, when Webb pulled in a 20-yard catch at the right sideline. The next play was incomplete, but Bruce Gemmell would complete the drive in style when he found Steven Shergold for Paydirt from 37 yards out. Again the extra point was blocked.
As the game entered the two minute warning the Sundevils kick off sailed deep into the end zone, but the Norwich returner opted to bring it out to everyone amazement. And was met at the 11 yard line by a hoard of Sundevils defenders
As Norwich tried to run out of trouble the Southern defence used their time outs to manage the game clock to ensure they got the ball back in great field position.
The call by HC Jim Roberson paid off as the punt was blocked by James Irving and went out the back of the end zone for a safety and added to this the game was almost over as a contest even before half time, when Corey Savage returned the free kick 70 yards to the end zone, but another TD was called back on an infraction. So the half ended Sundevils 20 Devil 0.
After a rough first half Norwich moral was knocked again early in the 3rd Qtr. Corey Savage Almost broke the second half KO, but for an ankle tap tackle at mid-field.
So it was over to the offence and with some hard running from Rookie RB Sam Ohemeng, QB Gemmell and RB Suvon Hoque set up a fourth and short at the Norwich 42 yard line. From there RB Gareth Dauley broke outside and raced down the left sideline for the touchdown. The extra point snap was off & the kick failed.
Sundevils 26 – Norwich 0
Things didn’t get much better for Norwich even after a short kick-off gave them the ball near midfield. As LB Mark Penfound & DT Vassili Fedotov stuffed all attempts to run the ball, then on third down Penfound blitzed through the Norwich O Line untouched and with his sack forced a fumble. Shaun Smith gratefully collected the ball and returned it the remaining 37 yards for paydirt. Another poor snap stopped the kick but Holder Paul Brady scrambled and found TE Russ Goodall at the rear pylon for 2pts.
Sundevils 34 – Norwich 0
The next two Southern drives end on turnovers which sandwiched a Norwich three & out. So it was back to Defence for Southern (in an excellent performance they held Norwich to 89 yards on 56 plays & forced 6 turn overs).
Another two incompletions at the start of the 4th Qtr was followed up by a LB Greg Douglas sack for 8 yd loss. With Norwich forced to punt from their end zone the inevitable happened when DT Marc White broke through the line and blocked a FOURTH Devils Punt of the day, this one for a safety.
Sundevils 36 – Devils 0
With QB Leo Lindsay taking over under center the next Sundevils drive managed to cross mid-field, but more importantly churned 6 minutes off the clock. An incomplete pass on 4th down gave Norwich the ball in their best field position of the game.
Even with a 36-0 score line it could have been much worse as the game was littered with penalties, and the Sundevils already had 5 scores called back on penalties. But we would now see some of the most peculiar refereeing calls of the game keeping the final Norwich drive alive. Two completed passes had the Devils at the Southern 37 yard line.
On the next first down a good pass rush got to the QB and tipped the pass at the line of scrimmage and as the Devils TE tried to catch the intended pass, he was levelled by the Sundevils Defender. Astonishly a Personal foul was called, for hitting the receiver too hard.
This call insensed the Sundevils sideline, and as they complained to the Head Referee, Norwich were given another personal foul for the Sideline reaction. With a first and goal at the 7 yard line Norwich QB Matthew Scott threw up a desperation pass, whilst under heavy pressure only for his receiver to come down with the ball in the corner of the end zone. LB Paul Jenkins blocked the FIFTH Norwich kick of the game and the score was now Sundevils 36 Devils 6.
GB Bulldogs & BCAFL standout Ben Webb returned the KO out to the Norwich 35 yard line and QB Lindsay and Rookie RN Renee Levy ran out the clock for the victory.
Final Southern Sundevils 36 Norwich Devils 6