Papa Playground, West Philadelphia - The general feeling was that the Overbrook Chargers, the defending Delaware Valley Independence Football League champions, were just not themselves. A tough 1-2 start combined with the turmoil from health problems of their head coach Terry Henderson had the naysayers and critics ready to pounce. But if there was one kind of game that could not only give the team something to build on, but also keep the critics at bay, was a smashmouth victory over a first place team, and that's what happened Sunday afternoon as the Chargers defeated the South Philadelphia Ravens (now 2-2) 14-0.
The two teams slugged it out in the first quarter; neither team was able to get the upperhand over the other. It seemed that the Ravens had struck first after a long touchdown pass in the secound quarter. A penalty, however, erased the touchdown and seemed to take a lot of air out of the Ravens and their fans in attendance.
The Chargers got on the board in the first half after a 1 yard keeper by quarterback Reggie Manly. The extra point attempt failed, keeping the score 6-0. The Chargers had another chance to score before halftime but a fumble forced and recovered by the Ravens near the goal line ended that drive.
The second half was just as hard hitting as the first, and the fans in attendance became louder with each play. Reggie Manly started to take over with scrambles to the left and right, and added to the Chargers lead with a great run that saw him break a couple of tackles before getting into the end zone.
The Ravens were unable to do much on offense afterwards, and a safety in the fourth quarter (Akins was unable to handle a low snap) put the finishing touches on the scoring, making it a 14-0 game.
As time ran out in the game, one Overbrook Charger yelled at the Ravens sideline, "We're back!" Whether that is true or not remains to be seen, but in a long season where one game can turn around everything, the Chargers may have gotten the type of grind-it-out victory that can lead to a great things. Only time will tell.
QB Reggie Manly (#12) was the star of the show, scoring two running touchdowns to lead the Chargers to a 14-0 victory over the South Philadelphia Ravens.
0 comments:
Post a Comment