The 56th Operations Support Squadron team faced off against the Detachment 12, 372nd Training Squadron team late Oct. 5 in a flag football game at Luke Air Force Base. OSS defeated 372nd TRS 19-12.
372nd TRS took charge of the field early in the game, taking advantage of mistakes and turnovers made by OSS to score two touchdowns in the first half. OSS rallied in time to gain one touchdown before the end of the half, leaving the scoreboard at 12-6 and proving that the game was far from over.
“We made a few mistakes in the first half, a couple of bad throws on my part resulting in interceptions, but we have play-makers on the team,” said James Smith, 56th OSS quarterback. “They’re the ones who really made the plays that brought us back in the second half.”
The second half yielded nothing but OSS domination as it seemed that 372nd TRS began to burn out just as OSS found its second wind and began driving hard for the end zone. OSS scored consistently throughout the half, while 372nd TRS was unable to answer with a single point.
372nd TRS attempted to turn the tide in the middle of the half by wrestling for the ball through a series of quick turnovers, but ultimately to no avail. OSS surged yet again late in the game and secured the win with a strong offense boasting excellent passing from Smith and big plays on the part of the receivers.
“The OSS defense just got much quicker,” said Chandler Hunter, 372nd TRS quarterback. “They were getting to us fast, containing us and we couldn’t get a pass off, couldn’t run.”
Despite the defeat, 372nd TRS is optimistic about future games and their ability to improve.
“Communication is the biggest key for us,” Hunter said. “It’ll push us through the tough times and help us persevere. We’re going to keep working, keep playing and keep running for the playoffs from here. We can only get better.”
Smith spoke with confidence about his team.
“We had a solid defense and a lot of speed on the offensive side of the ball,” Smith said. “We just got the ball into the playmakers’ hands and let them make plays.”