Movement, 1-0

Winter flag football kicked off this past season, and I could not have asked for a better game. 

Well, ok, yeah I could've.  It would have gone like this:  Everything happening how it did, minus the cold, wind, and ice-covered field (check out the pics on my Facebook page--it was crazy).

So the idea was borne a month or two ago to establish a flag football team through Movement Church.  A good idea considering we have lots of people in the church who love sports, and we want to be intentionally involved in and around Richmond, not just inside the walls of a building on Sundays.  This wasn't supposed to be a "holy huddle" or your typical "church league softball" type thing--the idea was to take a couple of guys (and girls) from church and have each one invite a few coworkers, neighbors, roommates, fellow students, etc to play as well.  And, praise God, we got a lot of interest!  So much, in fact, that we decided the best thing to do was not tell people our roster was full, but rather just establish a second team. So that's what we did.  The team I am on is Movement, and the other Movement team is Still Running.  And, ironically (or by design?), the first game of the season matched the two Movement teams against one another.

The coin toss was interesting:  Captains met at midfield, and I was face to face with my neighbor/mentor/bff/pastor Robby, and for the next hour or so he would also be my nemesis. 
It was a great game from start to finish, two rookie teams sliding around on the frozen tundra while trying to figure out the league-specific rules and desperately grabbing at (and often missing) the flags of the opponents.  The first half could hardly be described as "pretty"--lots of turnovers, and the conditions limited much of the passing game, but it was not without highlights. For me though, the first half was a bit of a disappointment as I missed a couple of fairly routine catches, including one that would have given us a score right before the break. 

Each team enjoyed the benefits of having a mobile QB who could make plays with his legs, and after halftime each team seemed to find a bit of a rhythm and things started clicking.  It was a back-and-forth type game with several ties and lead changes, and as the clock expired, we were knotted in a 23-23 tie at the end of regulation.

We met again at midfield for the overtime coin toss.  My team won the toss and I elected to play defense first.  It is a college-type overtime, with each team having 4 downs from the 20 yard line.  It started off badly for us, as Robby took the snap, danced through a few defenders (including me) and walked into the end zone for the apparent lead.  However, the play was called back because of downfield blocking (not allowed), and the next play would be a pivotal one.  Carter and Tiffany applied the pressure, and Robby put up an ill-advised pass that was intercepted by Movement's Mike Edwards in the end zone.  We took over at the 20 with a chance to win, and barring a crazy interception returned for a TD, the worst we could do was extend the game to another overtime. 

By this time in the game I had learned that the best position for me was tailback, where I could be a decoy to hold a flat defender, or I could take a swing pass or a toss and have a run/pass option, with Mike (QB) still involved in the backfield if another lateral was needed.  So on second down, he pitched right to me and then he snuck into the flats, and I had another receiver deep in the right corner.  Deep guy was covered; I couldn't find Mike.  The flat defender stayed home and appared ready to make the stop, but he was the only obstacle between me and paydirt.  I decided to go for it. 

As the two of us appeared headed for a collision near the 5 yard line, I knew I had to use a "move" if I was going to get by him. But what would it be?  Juke?  Spin? Stutter step?  The most unlikely is the one I chose--pump fake.  I was clearly beyond the line of scrimmage, and after I had mentally committed to it, I knew there was no way he would bite....but he did.  As his feet left the ground and his arms went straight up to deflect my would-be pass, I knew I could get to the corner.  But it wasn't without contest--another defender from the inside hemmed me between him and the sideline.  As I'm sprinting toward the end zone, I decided the only thing I could do to ensure I didn't step out was switch the ball to my inside hand, and reach for the pylon like the guys do on TV.  I heard the whistle, and I had no clue whether they would rule me out or call it a score.  The refs hands shot up vertically.  No flags.  Celebration time. We had won, 29-23, and were 1-0. 

As a competitor, I'm really glad we won.  And I would be lying if I said I wasn't thrilled that I was able to produce the game-winner.  But more than that, I am excited that everyone seemed to have a great time despite the weather.  And it wasn't a blowout--it went into overtime!  Both teams have some things to work on, but I am hoping that this will mark the beginning of a great season, and that we will be able to build some good relationships with folks who we otherwise wouldn't know.  This already started as after the game both teams met for a quick debrief, and Robby was kind enough to share some of his Clif bars and water with us. 

We'll see what type of competition the rest of the league has for us, but I am encouraged and honestly believe that this will be a great experience for everyone involved.  I am certainly hoping we meet Still Running again in the playoffs.