The Digicel Premier League, put on by the Cayman Islands Flag Football Association, crossed its mid-season point in dramatic fashion.
Week 7 featured 14 teams in action at Ed Bush field in West Bay but the game of the day pitted 2013 men’s champions, the Burger King Panthers, against local dynasty, the dms West Bay Hellcats. Both teams went into the rumble 5-0 and it was fitting that thunder ushered in the contest. Panthers quarterback Chris Lucas continued his usual style of throwing and running the ball, as his offensive line executed key blocks to open gaps on the field. Hellcats QB Jacob “Frecko” Ebanks was his regular poised self, but two key throws were intercepted by Panthers safety Andrew Frederick.
Defense took center stage as two picks returned for touchdowns, by Jonathan Carter and Brendon Malice, would lead Burger King to a 16-0 victory. A David Taylor field goal rounded out the scoring. Hellcat star receiver Perry Levy said his team did not play to its potential.
“When teams are evenly matched, it usually comes down to the turnover battle to determine the outcome,” Levy said. “We turned the ball over, they didn’t.”
The Hellcats next face the Maples Dolphins, who are coming off a bye.
Any thoughts of the Island Heritage Predators walking over the KPMG Sharks were proved wrong. After scoring twice, the Sharks had 13 points on the board and a chance at glory. The Predators would learn Davelee Cole, nicknamed Bull, is a real animal as he caught both KPMG TDs in the end zone. Cole was also a dominant force on defense with an interception, along with Brad Conolly. Island Heritage, who feature talents such as Michael Swaby, eventually rallied back for a 14-13 win. Next up for KPMG is Burger King while Island Heritage challenge the Lone Star Mustangs, who are coming off of a win against the Cox Colts.
Two weeks ago, Cox rolled to a 32-0 win over Maples. Since then, the Colts have suffered two scoreless defeats and now sit out of playoff position behind the Mustangs. Cox had issues moving the ball under QB Richard Campbell while the defense limited them Lone Star to one TD. Mustangs QB Jamie Stephen would do just enough to secure a 7-0 victory. The Colts now have a bye.
On the women’s side, the defending champion Androgroup Killa Panthers breezed past the Lady Sharks, 26-0, to top the league standings. QB Christina Hefner found many players in the end zone for Androgroup as the Sharks fell apart on defense. Next up for the Sharks are the Zulu Warriors, who are riding high after beating the CrossFit 7Mile Scorpions.
Warriors QB Dionne Whittaker showed off her ability to throw and run the ball for key yards. On the other hand, Scorpions QB Jessica Pawlik made key throws to her team mates but was plagued with a number of dropped balls. Sheyla Torres of Zulu was the star on defense. CrossFit now prepare to tackle the Anytime Fitness Wolverines, who knocked the Domino’s Lynx down to second place in the standings with a 6-0 win. In spite of having key player Saneeta Smith back on island, the Lynx were unable to get on the board. The Wolverines, however, looked comfortable with new QB Jahzenia Thomas in charge. The Lynx now face the Caledonian Killa-B’zzz, who are coming off of a 6-0 loss against the Star Athletic Club.
The victory has members of Star Athletic, like head coach Lawrence Nelson, believing the squad can produce more success.
“I’m proud of the ladies,” Nelson said. “Star Athletic Club is made up of a number of new and young players who, each week, come out and fight hard on the field. We knew a win would come, we just didn’t know when. I’m glad the team gets to see their hard work pay off and hope that they continue to believe that it can happen again.”
It should be noted that Nelson and company had far from an easy victory. Killa-B’zzz players such as Amaris Pressley-Smith and Nikki Ebanks covered a lot of ground and disrupted many of their opponent’s potential scoring drives. In the end, it took Amanda Nelson using her swiftness and ability to maneuver around tackles to run back a 90-yard return for the game’s only score. Ellen Downey threw some key balls for the Killa-B’zzz, however her team was unable to get on the board.
Week 8 of the Digicel Premier League continues this Saturday, Aug. 9, at the Ed Bush field. Due to the local Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football tournament on island, the games will start at noon this weekend. The flag football association is grateful for the consideration of the CONCACAF members in permitting the local flag football season to continue, while the international tournament is taking place.
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