Marines


News

Base Logo
Official U.S. Marine Corps Website
Crossroads of the Marine Corps
Photo Information

A player for Marine Corps Systems Command’s flag football team evades two opposing players grasps during an American League game at Butler Stadium on Nov. 19. The teams who compete in the league consist of Marines as well as civilians.

Photo by Lance Cpl. Paris Capers

MCSC experience bests MCIA youth 38-0

19 Nov 2012 | Lance Cpl. Paris Capers Marine Corps Base Quantico

Marine Corps Systems Command outscored Marine Corps Intelligence Activity, 38-0, during an intramural league flag football game at Butler Stadium on Nov 19.

The home team for this game, MCIA, got off to a shaky start. MCIA had just enough players to field a team with no one left on the bench. If any of their players were ejected from the game they would have to forfeit, so safe and fair play was a must.

MCIA won the coin toss and chose to receive the ball first, trying to gain an early lead. MCSC tried an onside kick, but MCIA successfully gained control of the pigskin.

            With a series of well-placed, short quick passes MCIA moved up the field, but did turned the ball over on downs. The first turnover came quickly as MCSC’s defense held strong.

            MCIA tried an onside kick of their own, but MCSC snatched the ball from the rushing defender’s mitts and countered with a huge 30-yard return, though they did not score on that possession.

As the game unfolded, MCSC showcased field superiority with strong lateral passing and technically solid defense.

Following a penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct, MCSC scored the first touchdown of the game with a deep pass and a short stroll into the endzone, bringing the score to 7-0.

“My goal tonight was to stay consistent,” said Jermaine Kendall, a Stafford native and the first player to score a touchdown in the game.

Three touchdowns later, it was clear that less is not always more, as MCIA’s inability to substitute their weary players caught up to them. MCSC, on the other hand, consistently swapped out their players between offense and defense, and occasionally, to catch their breath after plays.

At the end of the game the scorecard read MCSC 38, MCIA 0.

William Cutler, captain of MCSC’s flag football team, attributed their victory to the tireless weekly practice and their ability to function well together even against a team of players decades their junior.

“We have a lot of older players,” he said. “We don’t have the fastest guys, the tallest or strongest guys, but these guys understand the scheme and it works.”

With the intramural flag football season coming to a close, and the holiday season drawing ever closer, Marine Corps Systems Command added another game to their winning total and sets their eyes beyond the coming games toward their final competition on Nov. 27.

Correspondent: Paris.Capers@usmc.mil


Marine Corps Base Quantico