Formal Schools Victorious in 2009 Turkey Bowl with Miraculous Overtime Catch
written
by David Warden and photos by Jamie Golden
It was a crisp, clear morning full of anticipation as cars rolled in with battle-ready warriors for the 2009 Turkey Bowl. The sun burned the dew off the field as the weather cooperated perfectly. In the weeks leading up to the coveted event, new teams were assembled and new plays were planned and practiced. The Formal Schools would come in with a bye from last year’s championship and a newly formed team of staff non-commissioned officers (SNCOs) had high hopes of making a name for themselves in the tournament.
The first game of the tournament pitted Facilities Maintenance/Heavy Equipment (FM/HE) against the Unit Training Group (UTG). Sgt. Gant quarterbacking for FM/HE rushed for more than 80 yards in a tight game ending in a 7-6 victory. Gant scampered for a 37-yard rush to the end zone for his team’s only touchdown on a thwarted pitch option pass that was intended for wide receiver Cpl. Levi with Lance Cpl. Porter awaiting the pass down field.
Joining forces with Medical/S-1, last year’s runner up, S-6, battled against the Chow Hall/Motor T/Supply (CH/MT/S) who won decisively 12-2 over the combined S-6/Medical/S-1 team. Sgt. Carlisle, CH/MT/S team captain and 2009 Turkey Bowl MVP, picking up more than 100 yards on the ground, was the dominant force in this game. Cornerback Cpl. Gardiner had three interceptions to thwart any attempts by the opposing team to reach the end zone. Pvt. Midgette, two-time veteran of the Turkey Bowl and part of the team experiencing the worst loss of last year’s tournament, didn’t think the loss had much to do with his team’s tenacity. “We figured this would be the toughest game we’d play, but better players and more practice helped,” Midgette said.
Game three ended in a 20-0 blowout with the newly formed SNCO team lined up opposite the Officers. The SNCOs led 13-0 at half time and never looked back. Team captain and offense mastermind, Gunnery Sgt. Gonzales said their game plan was to concentrate on execution of small passes and solid defense. “Our offense executed to precision the things we’d worked on in practice,” Gonzales said. In preparation for launching their new team, the SNCOs practiced more than five hours a week for three weeks leading up to the event.
According to Formal Schools’ captain Sgt. Scharffer his team hadn’t had much time to prepare for the first game of the second round against a fired up FM/HE, coming off a fresh win against Scharffer’s colleagues in the UTG. Without his go-to guys, receivers HM2 Monteil and Sgt. Renwick, Scharffer had to rely on a “mixing and matching to make it happen,” he said. Losing key players and lacking practice time due to scheduling forced him “to do some shifting,” Scharffer said, adding that the bye really helped his team. He noted that the FM/HE team “looked good and seemed like they’ve practiced a lot more than us.” FM/HE’s Brad Robasciotti had several key catches in this game, but it wasn’t enough as his team fell to last year’s champions 20-13. Sgt. Gant, a force in the first round also scoring in this game, said his team was hungry and determined. “Everybody came out doubting us against UTG and said we couldn’t make it, but we came out with a lot of pride and heart,” Gant said.
After blowing out the Officers in the first round, game two of the second round saw the SNCOs blown out by the CH/MT/S in a 14-0 defeat. Master Gunnery Sgt. Webb was fired up and his frustration could be heard by spectators.
However, the real tale of this year’s Turkey Bowl was CH/MT/S, the Cinderella team who turned around last year’s 31-0 embarrassing loss in the first round to competing in the championship game. The charging CH/MT/S team was led by Sgt. Carlisle, who threw a quick slant pass with just nine ticks remaining on the clock. The team was stopped by Formal Schools at the one-yard line, forcing overtime for the 0-0 game. CH/MT/S won the coin toss in overtime and thought victory was sealed on a 4th down field goal from Turkey Bowl first-timer Pvt. Hunt, who gave his team a 3-0 lead over the 2008 Champions. Hunt, who played defensive tackle and put lots of pressure on opposing quarterbacks, enjoyed the event and said the level of competition was decent. In overtime, the rules allow each team to line up on the opponent’s 20-yard line with a set of four downs to score. After two passes gone awry, it looked as if CH/MT/S would be the 2009 Champs. However, on third and goal, Formal Schools quarterback Sgt. Scharffer threw the ball into double coverage and saw his pass tipped by three different players. It landed miraculously in the arms of Cpl. Rodriguez (Formal Schools) who was falling backward into the end zone for the 6-3 victory.
This year’s Turkey Bowl also saw the implementation of a Punt, Pass, Kick competition hosted by Semper Fit staff. More than 20 children signed up for the competition with ages ranging in from 4 to16. Gina Macabales, part of the Semper Fit crew, said the kids had fun and the event got them involved. “It seemed like the parents had a good time watching their kids participate,” Macabales added. |
