2018 New Zealand Invitational Flag Football Championship

By Jonathan Entwistle

Tournament Final: Nelson Honey Badgers (3-1) vs Tamaki Lightning (4-0)

Coming off a huge performance against the Wellington Spartans, the Honey Badgers entered the grudge match against the Lightning with renewed confidence, and the National Title within reach. 40 minutes separating Nelson from the potential title.

The game had a similar feel to the first encounter, with both defenses making it difficult to move the chains or find the endzone. Some savvy running from All-Star Receiver (and NZ Makos player) Mitch Bateman put the Badgers within scoring distance mid-first half. An athletic leaping catch in traffic saw Ben MacManus snag the first Touchdown of the game, which he quickly followed with some precise route running to get open for the 1-point conversion. Nelson’s defense was relentless for the majority of the first half, Jirki Šimečka throwing himself all over the yard to keep the Lightning out of the endzone. Near the end of the first half however Lightning QB Jim Hunter found what he was looking for and tossed a pretty pass into the endzone for a Touchdown. A failed extra point had the Honey Badgers sneak into half with a 1 point lead, 7-6.

The second half was just as titanic a struggle as the first, however it was the Auckland squad who broke the defensive gridlock when Hunter connected with Shiraz Soysa for a score, putting the Lightning ahead 12-7. The Honey Badgers offense followed up the scoring drive by fizzling, not even managing to get over half for a fresh set of downs. A little over 2 minutes left and the Lightning back out on the field it looked like the end of the road for Nelson yet again. Shane Tinetti marched the defense out onto the field unwilling to admit defeat and determined to get the ball back in the hands of the Badgers offense one more time. Down by 5 points, Nelson was still only one score away from the title and there was still a chance.

A huge defensive stand left Auckland with a 4th down to halfway. A stop here would give Nelson the ball back with enough time to engineer a drive. A sensational play call however saw Auckland narrowly complete a pass and convert for a first down. Following the first down the Lightning went into a Two- Quarterback set, passing the ball back to second QB Anthony Stevens, hoping to pick up a big chunk of yardage. The tricky however was picked up with perfection by Matt Spear, allowing the Badgers pass rush to get a huge sack of the QB, setting them back in their own half. Another 2QB play saw Soysa running deep downfield, putting Tineitti in a difficult split-second decision. Go for the Pick (interception) but risk giving up a Touchdown if he missed, or secure the flag pull and force the Badgers to defend two short-yardage shots at the endzone. Opting for the latter, Soysa pulled in a huge pass setting up the short ‘3rd and Goal’ situation. Tinetti’s trust in the defense played off as the D shut the Lightning down forcing a turnover on downs!

The offense trotted out on the field on the back of the mammoth defensive stand with less than a minute left on the game clock. Additionally Nelson was left with no timeouts, forced to use them during Aucklands drive to stop the clock and preserve as much time as possible. The last-ditch drive kicked off with a few short catches and an incomplete pass, leaving the offense in a 4th and 15-yard spot with around half a minute left. ‘Spread Left – SMASH’ was the play call, designed to force the weak-side corner to cover two receivers, giving the quarterback a chance to hit which ever area the Cornerback doesn’t cover. The Cornerback on this side, covering Liam Baird was consistently playing inside coverage. An exchange between QB Jono Entwistle and Baird relayed the message to fight the Corner inside and then use the leverage to get to the outside. The result was one of the most unbelievable toe-tapping catches for a first down, to stop the clock and keep the drive, and dream, alive.

Following the fresh set of downs Nelson was forced to work the boundaries and try to get some quick yardage before getting out of bounds to stop the clock and set up a shot at the endzone. The time

came, the clock was running out and it was 4th down. The Honey Badgers had to take their shot. Entwistle dropped back, hurled the pass to the back of the endzone... So close... Incomplete...The Badgers had come that close to a completion, to scoring, but 4th down fell incomplete. It appeared that the game was over, however during the play the Lightning Pass Rush ran into the Badgers QB Entwistle. It wasn’t a big shot, but was enough to draw the flag for roughing the passer, giving the Badgers ’10-yards’ and an ‘automatic first-down’. 12 ticks left on the clock and just under 10 yards to the endzone.

Nelson’s first shot at the endzone narrowly missed the mark. 7 seconds left...The next attempt hit the mark, but was knocked free from Centre Malcolm Mitchells hands. No penalty was called, leaving the Badgers on 3rd down but with only 1 second left on the game clock. One last attempt...

The offense huddled for what would ultimately be the final play of the tournament. “Spread Left – PAT, on-one on-one, ready, BREAK”. Malcolm snaps the ball back to Jono, Shane Gordon running the curl out on the left side of the endzone pulling his Defensive Back to the sideline and clearing the middle of the field. Malcolm hit the goal-line with urgency and curled strong side, pulling Darcy Williams away with him. Liam Baird beat his man over the back, forcing a chasing Defensive Back. Ben MacManus had the money route, beating his man on the 7-to-5 over route creating just enough separation on the goal-line to squeeze a ball to him...

Game clock at 00:00, Ben cradling the ball in the endzone, triumph on his face! Badgers win, 13-12.

The MTF Nelson Honey Badgers and Auckland’s Tamaki Lightning sharing a photo following the conclusion of the tournament final.

The ferry trip home that night was triumphant, carrying the energy of victory in some tired bodies. It was a fairy-tale ending to well-run tournament, emphasizing that hard-work and preparation pays off. All the members of the Nelson Honey Badgers, and those back in Nelson who helped in the preparation and support of the efforts, have been working hard to make sure our region is seen as a legitimate member of wider American Football community in New Zealand, and a victory here sure goes along way.

Thank you so much boys and girls of the Badgers, players, families and supporters of the club. What an achievement for us, and what an experience.

Jono(Coach/Quarterback – Nelson Honey Badgers)