eagles surprise alcoa in passing league

After getting off to a slow start in their first two contests at the AAPL-TOC Passing League at Webb School this week, the representing players from the Seymour Eagles football team recovered brilliantly Wednesday evening with a surprising 14-3 flag-football win over previously unbeaten Alcoa.

Alcoa quarterback Randall Cobb, a university of Kentucky commitment, and receiver/defensive back, Brian Sommer, among the most-sought after high school players in the South, were among the players representing the two-time defending Class 2A state champion Tornadoes at the week-long, non-contact league.

Seymour quarterback Todd Ogle and the rest of the Eagles’ representatives were not fazed at the prospect of lining up against Alcoa’s flashy playmakers.

Ogle, a senior-to-be who was a co-starter under center for the Eagles last season, coolly found receiver Seth Stoffle on a 23-yard touchdown pass in the first half. He connected with the rangy Drew Fox in the second half on a 20-yard touchdown pass.

Veteran place kicker Carlos Lopez was true on both of his extra-point attempts in the game.

The action on the field is reminiscent of a typical backyard football game.

The players, dressed in shorts and T-shirts, wear a belt around their waist with flags attached. When a ball carrier—the plays are all pass plays with no handoffs whatsoever—gets his flag torn off by a defender, the play is ruled down at the point of the ‘tackle’.

Teams get four downs and must move the ball 10 yards to get a first down.

Referees keep the time on the field, allowing the quarterback four seconds to get a pass off (there is no defensive pass rush allowed). If the quarterback does not get rid of the ball in four seconds he is whistled down on a called-sack.

The games consist of two, 20-minute halves.

The Roadrunners scored their only points on a first-half field goal to take an early 3-0 lead.

Ogle said the Eagles’ two touchdowns were the result of the same play-call.

“They were both corner routes,” said Ogle. “(Alcoa) was in a cover-two and I just looked their corners off and threw to the other side.

After dropping a 20-9 decision to Central on Monday night, and then losing 24-6 to Fulton on Tuesday night, Ogle said the Eagles came to the field Wednesday determined to reverse their fortunes regardless of the competition.

“We just kind of fell apart,” Ogle said of Seymour’s back-to-back losses in its first two games of the week. “We just got down on ourselves, especially me. We knew we had to get it together and do a better job (Wednesday night against Alcoa).

“Our guys just came out with a better attitude (against the Tornadoes) and did what we had to do to get a win. I give a lot of credit to my receivers for working to get open and making some good catches.”

The win more than made up for the two previous losses for the Eagles. The first days of the league are designed for a pool play-like format that is set up to determine the seeding for the playoffs over the final days. After defeating the previously unbeaten Tornadoes, the Eagles are now alive to play in the tournament championship game on Friday for the second consecutive year.

The winner of the Seymour vs. Fulton rematch on Thursday would play the winner of Thursday’s Central vs. Webb game in Friday’s championship tilt.

The Eagles met Fulton in last season’s championship game but the play was stopped before the completion of the first half due to a passing thunderstorm. The Eagles and the Falcons were declared co-champions of the league in ’06.