London Blitz 26 Coventry Jets 7
The London Blitz American Club regained the Boston Trophy with a dominant 26-7 victory over the Coventry Jets at BritBowl XXIII at
The Coventry Jets kicked the game off into a cool, overcast late September afternoon.
Kick returner Aaron Sanders-Percival returned the punt from his own 23 yard line, returning the ball 20 yards to the 43 yard line to set up the Blitz offence for their first possession.
The Blitz offence stuttered on their first play from scrimmage with running back Gareth Dauley getting tackled behind the line for a loss of two yards.
Blitz quarterback Fred Boyle then took to the air, finding wide receiver Rod “Spartan” Bradley, who torched the Jets defence for 30 yards on a catch and run to bring the Blitz offence into the red zone.
From there, Boyle took to the air again, finding wide receiver Michael Casper for the game’s first touchdown.
Nathan Holt missed the point after kick but the Blitz were still 6-0 to the good.
Former Blitz quarterback Stuart Franklin then responded with a drive of his own, capping it by finding wide receiver Mark Cohen in the end zone to tie the scores at 6-6.
The Jets’ point after kick was good however, putting them up 7-6.
Thanks to more sterling work from their special teams, the Blitz offence started their next drive with decent field position from their own 43 yard line, but was forced to punt by the Jets’ defence.
Blitz punter Fabrizio Gargiulo pinned the Jets’ offence deep in their own territory, forcing them to start their ensuing possession from their own 10 yard line.
The Blitz defence used the short field to their advantage, forcing the Jets to punt.
A bad punt from the Jets gave the Blitz offence great field position, starting their ensuing drive on the Jets’ 20 yard line.
The Blitz offence stuttered in the red zone, being forced to settle for a field goal despite their advantage of a short field.
Kicker Nathan Holt planted his kick between the uprights and the Blitz regained their lead with the score at 9-7.
The Jets started their next possession with less than two minutes left in the first quarter and their drive almost ended on its very first play as excellent pass coverage from defensive back Aaron Sanders-Percival saw him come within a finger nail length away from snaring the game’s first interception.
The Blitz offence continued to stutter until quarterback Fred Boyle took to the air to find wide receiver Tom Shennan on a scintillating 60 yard catch and run but the stutter step in the red zone continued when opting to go for it on fourth and goal only to come up five yards shy of the end zone.
The defence held firm forcing the Jets’ offence to punt.
Running back Gareth Dauley broke off a 60 yard touchdown run only for it to be called back for holding and the teams went into the half-time break with the score 9-7.
The third quarter began at a white-hot pace with the stellar Blitz defence forcing the Jets’ to punt.
Aaron Sanders-Percival made a spectacular diving block on the ensuing punt, which was recovered by fellow defensive back Lennox Johnson to set the offence up at the Jets’ 44 yard line.
The Blitz offence could not capitalise and were forced to punt yet again but great work from the punt team ensured that the Jets’ started their drive from their own 12 yard line.
Defensive back Joe Coultate picked off
The teams traded possessions, until the Blitz offensive line and fullback put on a blocking display that allowed Dauley to break out an electrifying 65 yard touchdown run to make the score 22-7.
Nathan Holt added the point after to make the score 23-7.
The Blitz defence was unrelenting and unforgiving, with linebacker Femi Taiwo, defensive end Pat ‘Ice Cream’ Yeye and defensive tackle Aaron ‘Mr O-K’ Chambers all recording sacks on quarterback Franklin.
Defensive back Dion Andrade had a momentum changing moment when Jets’ running back Kofi Campbell looked to be breaking free down the sideline only for the young safety to unload a ferocious hit that not only dislocated his shoulder, but forced a fumble that was recovered by the Blitz and snuffed out any momentum the Jets were gaining.
Nathan Holt kicked the victory sealing field goal with 55 seconds left amidst chants of “Raiders” from the Blitz sideline in honour of former player and 2008 team captain Dan “Raiders” Dawson.
The game ended with a final score of London Blitz 26, Coventry Jets 7.
After the game, London Blitz Head Coach Mark Moss said: “As I told the team before the game, this all started 12 months ago today, losing by a point with 4 seconds to go. Players vowed that they would come back, work hard and win the championship and they did. Another thing was, it was important for me and lot of the players, after the tragic passing of Dan Dawson, “Raiders”, was to win the game for him and we did.”