Tuesday, 17 July 2012

July 16: Jets Vs. Panthers


Today during menucha, two rivals, the Carolina Panthers and the reigning SFL champions, the New York Jets faced off in an exciting game. Although the score was four to nothing in the Panthers favor, the game was still worthwhile. First of all, the rivalry between these two teams is steadily growing. Past outcomes have increased the importance of this game. Additionally, there were very key moments during the game that ultimately forced the final score. To add on, there were key players that drastically affected the outcome of the game. No matter the final score, this game was definitely a great one.
            This budding rivalry has roots going all the way back to the 2009 SFL season. In that year, the Carolina Panthers reigned supreme over the SFL as champions. However, last year, the New York Jets, led by active co-coaches Josh ‘Ziggy’ Zigler and Kyle Ungerman took the title of SFL champs. The speculation behind this game is enormous. Both teams felt like they had something to prove to the rest of the league. Panthers co-coach Jonathan Gottesman, a two-time SFL champion as a coach proclaimed “ It is good to have beat two great coaches and show that we can beat the defending champs”. He also declared that the two teams would meet again in the playoffs. Jets co-coach Josh ‘Ziggy’ Zigler agreed that there is a “Strong Possibility” that the two teams will play again. However, the Jet’s coach thinks that his team will be “Better prepared” for the ball game. Even though this is a regular season game, it means a lot to both teams and coaches.
            In every game, there are some key moments that ultimately change the fate of the game. In this game, there were a few crucial turning points that drastically affected how the game went. First, early in the game, the Jets were on the verge of scoring a touchdown and tying the game up at one. The Jets were a mere five yards from scoring, when they turned the ball over. Jets receiver Josh Aber caught the ball but was forced out of bounds only one yard short of the end zone. Additionally, the Panthers had two very key plays that gave them their victory. First, quarterback Jason Sacke threw a touchdown strike to receiver Josh Maker that gave them an early 1-0 lead. Shortly after, Jets quarterback Ethan Cohen threw his first interception of the game to Panthers defender Josh Maker (players can play offence and defense). This interception lead to the Panthers second touchdown. The Panthers never looked back from there. These plays proved to be the turning points in the game.
            In every game, the referees recruit a stat keeper. Obviously, their job is to record all of the major statistics during the game. In total, there were four touchdown passes thrown and two interceptions thrown. Panther’s receiver Josh Maker caught two touchdown passes along with his fellow teammates, Zach Brill and Ben Rabvogal each catching one touchdown pass. Panther’s defender Sam Baranek intercepted one of Jet’s quarterback Ethan Cohen’s passes as well as his teammate Josh Maker. Of course, everyone played great, but in each game there is also a player of the game. This player not only plays well statistically, but also takes on a leadership role and has great sportsmanship. This game’s P.O.G. (Player Of Game) was Panther’s quarterback Jason Sacke. Jason threw four touchdown passes and made key flag pulls on defense. This game was very full of statistics, sportsmanship and leadership.
            In all, this was a very fun game to watch as well as to play. Both teams played great and had a lot of fun doing it! Now that this game is over, the SFL can leap into week four! The season is young and very promising! The schedule is not yet revealed but we are in for another round of great games! Come back next time for another article on the next game being played. As Jets co-coach Josh ‘Ziggy’ Zigler exclaimed “The next time we face, it’s going to be a fight to the death!” Thanks for reading and look for our next article coming your way soon! Don’t forget, Visitors day is fast approaching, see you there!

By: Jesse Burrows, Solelim Sports Journalist, Rookie

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