The Cox Lumber Colts may be a rookie flag football team. But a handful of their veterans have championship experience. One of them is Celester Anderson.
The linebacker/tight-end is playing in his third title game this Saturday, 1 October, at 3pm. Cox take on the defending champions dms Hellcats at the Ed Bush field in West Bay. Anderson states he is confident in his team’s chances.
“It’s good to be back in a title game,” Anderson said. “This team made football fun for me again. I know we got the talent to go up against the Hellcats and give them a fight.”
Anderson has been playing the sport for some seven years now. Most of his career was spent with the Calabash team, winning two championships in 2005 (back when the team was called the Digicel Spartans) and 2008 (when the side was the Caybrew Farm Soldiers). Last season he started a few games for the Burger King Panthers, who advanced to the title game before losing to dms.
He states it was not easy to leave the Calabash flock as his role differed on other teams.
“It was difficult going to a fourth team. I was just running with who wanted me at the time. With Cox, it’s a lot different coaching style from Johann (Moxam, the head coach of Calabash). The defensive line is hungry and giving 100 per cent. My role is giving experience to this rookie team.
“It’s been hard for me. I got treated like a rookie. I came in half-way through the season as I got married (to Teresa Anderson, nee Edie).”
By all accounts, Anderson has had a good marriage with Cox too. In their inaugural season the Colts finished second in a tight West division at 7-5 and scored a league-high 197 points. They would go on to take down the Panthers in the first round before downing the Doghouse Bulldogs in last week’s semi-finals by identical 12-7 scores (Chad Leslie had the game-winning interception for Cox).
The biggest obstacle in the way of a storybook ending is the Hellcats. Winners of five championships in the last decade, their 2011 campaign is about making history and being the first local side to three-peat. The West Bay-based squad did just about everything right in the regular season with a league-best 11-1 regular season, a top-rated defence that allowed only 69 points and a West division crown. In the postseason the side enjoyed a bye before beating Calabash 12-6 in the semis.
Personnel-wise it will be an interesting match-up. Cox sport ex-Hellcats Taj Haye and Chester Hurlston along with former Most Valuable Player Kevin Solomon. Dms have their usual core of Jacob ‘Frecko’ Ebanks, Phil Brown and Oliver Parker with new recruit Kevin Maxwell and the recently returned Perry Levy in the mix.
Anderson states Cox has a solid chance at an upset.
“I won in ‘05 with Digicel, ‘08 with Calabash and officially 2011 marks my fourth championship game appearance. It’s no surprise I have to clash against West Bay. But we can beat them. They are a good team but our talent can overwhelm them.”
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