In case you haven't heard,
Derech Etz Chaim is the 2008-2009 AFI Flag Football Champions
Here is the edited video of the Holyland Bowl Championship Game with a game summary on the bottom. The guys were all chanting "Repeat! Repeat!" at the awards ceremony after the game. Most of the players are planning on coming back for shana bet / shana gimmel - maybe this is the start of a DEC dynasty...
QB/WR/CB – Yeruchum Pliner
QB/WR/CB/DE - Levi Naiditch
WR – Chaim Aaron Gross
WR – Kobi Schwarzbaum
TE – Pinchas Schwarzbaum
C – Mordechai Landesman
CB – Rafi Abraham
DE – Yaakov Hill
LB – Adam Siebzener
CB – Jeffrey Mally
DNP - Jack Goldberg, Yissie Kramer, Sam Ash
Things started going Derech Etz Chaim’s way early as they won the coin toss and elected to kick. R’ Katz in a jovial mood remarked, “We haven’t lost a coin toss all year” and then he suddenly got serious and added, “Don’t talk to me during the game”
Sam Ash was out of the lineup with an injured leg, which he suffered in a basketball league game two weeks before. After two weeks of playing hurt he was not in the lineup, but still dressed for the game and added a source of chizuk in the huddles and on the sidelines. He also sent in plays to the huddle from the sidelines for Coach R’ Katz. I asked Sam about what it was like to miss the Championship game and in Schwarzenegger-like tone he quipped, “I’ll be back”
DEC had quite a cheering section
You could see how intimidated and nervous Lobos was from the onset. On the first play from scrimmage they were called for a false start penalty pushing them back to their own 5-yard line. A third down pass should have been picked off by Levi Naditch, but it slipped through his hands.
The punt return was bobbled by the usually sure handed Yeruchum Pliner leading to no return and DEC started their first drive from about the 9-yard line [Beginning of Video]. DEC got thing going in a hurry as a short pass from Pliner to Naditch turned into a 22-yard play and almost a touchdown, if not for a Lobos lineman trailing the play and pulling the flag. Pliner then ran for another 4 yards and then it was Naditch to Pliner for another 6. A third down blitz led to 4th and goal. Naditch fired complete into the end zone – but to Aryeh Rudman, star player of Lobos, who intercepted the pass and brought it back to the 25-yard line. [0:25 in Video]
Lobos’ second drive was met by tenacious defense including a 3rd down sack leading to a 4th and 15 from about midfield. [0:33 in Video] DEC was very deep in coverage and a misread by Levi Naditch led to a dump play to the Lobos tight end, which with a few blocks led to a touchdown. Lobos missed the extra point; and that would be the last point they would score.
Lobos 6 – DEC 0
On their next drive DEC managed a 3rd and 8, but a sack by Asher Ingber of Lobos forced DEC to punt. Lobos couldn’t get anything going either as a 2nd down sack by Yakov Hill. After a third down pass was overthrown Lobos was forced to punt – but this time it was Hill again who got a hand on the ball giving DEC great field position from the Lobos 26 – and the crowd was fired up.
The third drive from DEC produced two incomplete passes and a 2-yard pickup on a fake reverse setting up 4th and 18. Coach Katz decided that punting would not yield much and decided to take a shot for the first down or a TD. Pliner with good pass protection rolled to his left and fired right to Kobi Schwarzbaum on the right sideline just in front of the first down marker. [0:53 in Video] As you can see Kobi had the presence of mind to cut back against the grain to avoid a diving Rudman allowing him to pick up the crucial first down and a huge confidence builder for DEC which would change the momentum of the game.
On the next play, [1:01 in Video] Pliner finds Pinchas Schwartzbaum releasing from tight end on the rush to the left sideline, who twirls in for the TD. DEC misses their first of 4 extra points on the game.
DEC 6 – Lobos 6 – (with 5:58 remaining in the half)
Lobos knew they had plenty of time left for a score. They also knew DEC would be getting the ball back in the second half, which made scoring on this drive essential for Lobos. After a QB scramble that led to 12 yards it was 3rd and 8. Yakov Hill comes up again with a huge sack pushing Lobos back to their own 12 forcing them to punt. The secondary got an assist on that sack as the QB had time to throw but couldn’t find anyone open.
After the last punt was blocked, this punt was clearly hurried producing a high and shallow punt. Pliner was able to catch while running in, giving him the momentum for a nice return and great field position on the Lobos 18.
1st and goal was a perfectly thrown ball to Chaim Gross in the right corner of the end zone, but Gross spun inside instead of outside to his right while running his out pattern. He was off balance and dropped the ball when it arrived on the timing pattern. Gross blows a huge opportunity, but redeems himself in second half.
[1:12 in Video] On 3rd and goal Lobos made the mistake of only rushing one lineman. This gave Pliner plenty of time as Ingber was thrown around by Pinchas and Mordechai Landesman. Patiently, Pliner finds Naditch on the right sideline who catches it on the 3-yard line and rushes in for the TD.
DEC 12 – Lobos 6 (with 2:49 remaining in the half)
Lobos determined to score finds Rudman on 2nd down for a 15 pickup and a first down in DEC territory. After an incomplete pass, another enormous sack by Yaakov Hill, forcing 3rd and long. After another incomplete pass Lobos punts not wanting to risk another DEC score before the half. DEC leaves no one back to return the punt and it bounces into the endzone for a touchback.
With 47 seconds on the clock, two time outs and 50 yards to the end zone, Coach R’ Katz decided not to take his 6-point lead into the half, but looks for more. “We are going to play our game that we’ve been playing all year”, he said. Katz instructed DEC to stay aggressive and on the attack. 1st down was Naditch to Pliner for 12 yards on a slant to the right sideline. On 2nd down, Pliner was able to scramble for a first down on a broken play , but the a holding penalty called the play back. After another short play, Pliner is sacked on 3rd and long with under 10 seconds remaining and DEC and Lobos both let the clock run out.
The AFI League didn’t see the need to have any Halftime Show
The second half kick was a touchback and DEC started from their own 10 yard line. On 2nd down, [1:27 in Video] Naditch finds Kobi on a short button hook on the right sideline, but a missed flag by Rudman, leads to a 30-yard gain. 1st and goal DEC got 4 yards on a fake reverse, usually one of their big gainers, but it didn’t seem to work against Lobos all game. On 2nd down, Pliner found Naditch, who after the catch faked a lateral, paralyzing the defender and scampered into the end zone – but flag guarding was called on Naditch and brought the ball back out to the 11 yard line. 3rd down was incomplete, 4th down was intercepted by Lobos, but a offside penalty on Lobos kept the drive alive. The fourth down do-over was likewise intercepted in the end zone for a touchback.
Lobos needed to get things going before DEC puts the game out of reach. Rafi Abraham, with great coverage, knocked down the pass on first down. Yakov Hill nearly missed another sack on 2nd down. DEC gets a lucky break on 3rd down. The QB rolls right and finds his receiver on the right side at midfield, who avoids the tackle and sprints 30 more yards into the end zone. For some reason, the ref that DEC nicknamed “Ref Doni”, due to a striking resemblance to our Chef, Doni Richter, calls the play back to the DEC 25 yard line. The receiver had both flags in his belt; and after a long huddle of the refs on the field and no real explanation, play continued. Perhaps he stepped out of bounce, but it didn’t appear so.
1st down for Lobos was a short dump to the tight end, but add 5 yards at end of the play for roughing the passer on the defense. 3rd and about 12, with heavy contact in the end zone, a good no call, as Abraham knocks the ball away. 4th down was another break for DEC who line up with only one cornerback on two receivers, who split one short and one long. Abraham, makes a huge play, by leaving his man on the pass release and is able to pull the open man’s flag before he can cross the first down marker, forcing the turnover on downs.
You won’t see it in the box score or the video, but this was a huge play by Abraham, because Lobos would have had 1st and goal and might have tied the score with 13 minutes left in the game. The momentum would have shifted and who knows if the next play, which was the game changer would have ever taken place.
[1:41 in Video] On first down from their own 6-yard line, Pliner steps out of the end zone and fires a bomb to Chaim Gross to a sprinting Gross on the left sideline. With two steps on his man, the perfectly thrown ball catches Gross in stride for the 54-yard TD play. Gross redeeming himself for that dropped TD in the first half, waking up the crowd and bringing them to their feet
DEC 18 – Lobos 6 – [with 12:46 to play in the game]
Lobos starting to feel the pressure of the score and the clock must desparately get things going. They make two quick completions setting up a 4th and 4 from their own 26 yard line. The Lobos star player Aryeh Rudman makes a huge mental error leaving before the snap, costing his team 5 yards. They can only pick up 6 yards on the next play and turn it over on downs. Things starting to look bleak for Lobos.
DEC starts their next drive from a little past midfield. Again, a lucky break for DEC, on a play that could have turned around the game. [1:56 in Video] With the play clock winding down, DEC rushes to get the play off, (you can see Adam Siebzener calling for timeout) Pliner’s rolls right to avoid the blitz and throws a lazy pass over a blitzing defender. The pass is short to Naditch, but instead of an interception, the Lobos cornerback, lets the pass – and the Lobos’ chance of a comeback slip through his fingers to, tipped to the awaiting Naditch for a 18-yard gain to the Lobos 5 yard line.
With the crowd chanting DEC, DEC – second and 2 was some more sloppy play for DEC and more bad news for Lobos. [2:06 in Video] A team is not allowed to run inside the 10 yard line, so Naditch flips to Pliner behind the line of scrimmage trying to pick up the first down on a designed play. Pliner bobbles the pass, before managing to haul it in. Looking something like Barry Sanders, Pliner circles to the backfield trying to make something out of a broken play. He stumbles, (looks like he fakes a pass), spins to avoid one defender deep in the backfield, avoids a diving Rudman, pumps right as if he is going to throw a pass he can’t throw, runs left and then right, finally getting his flag pulled, but picking up the first down. Meanwhile the aforementioned ‘diving Rudman’ collided with his own player on the play, out for the rest of the game. Injury timeout with 8:29 to play in regulation.
When play resumes, [2:19 in Video], 1st and goal on the 2, Naditch under pressure from two Lobos lineman rolls all the way across the field and throws left, lofting a floater to a soaring Kobi who outjumps everyone and hauls it in for the TD. The extra point was actually caught by Kobi, but ref Dovi Rabinowitz called it off on a terrible call of offensive pass interference – if anything Kobi was being held by the Lobos cornerback, but with game in hand DEC didn’t make too much of it.
DEC 24 – Lobos 6 [7:21 remaining]
With their star player out and down 3 scores, Lobos needed a miracle or two. With DEC in prevent defense, Lobos picks up 7 yards on 1st down and a 14-yard pass play on 3rd down to move the chains, with 5:44 to play and the clock running. On 1st down Lobos goes long and has a man open deep, but comes up empty. On 3rd and long the QB scrambles for a first down with the secondary deep, but blatant flag guarding moves the ball back for 4th and short. Adam Siebzener dives to knock the ball away and prevents the first down.
The crowd starts singing Na na na na, na na na na, hey hey hey, goodbye, with 3:04 to play. Two more runs by Pliner and the game is called as the mercy rule is decreed at the 1 minute warning.
DEC are the AFI Flag Football Champions !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
FINAL SCORE: Derech Etz Chaim 24 – Lobos 6
MVP: QB Yeruchum Pliner
The post party celebration was sponsored by R’ Moshe Eliyahu at his house in nearby Rechavia.
Every month, Yad Eliezer delivers food boxes to over 6,000 families, assisting 50,000 people. Each box contains the essentials for a hungry family: rice, beans, pasta, sugar, flour, oil, laundry detergent and more.
