Battle in the South

Lionel Assie fights for yardage against the Armor                                    

	1	2	3	4	F
Armor	0	6	0	20	26
Militia	14	7	7	0	28

DANBURY, CT- Despite a 20 point-fourth quarter, the Western Mass Armor came up short against the established Western Connectict Militia in their divisional match up. The 28-26 final could have been one of the most exciting games of the 2016 season. “This was one of the best games of the year” said NEFL Representative Bernie Armstrong, “these teams battled to the end and never gave an inch”.

The Militia showed their experience when on fourth down they ran a fake punt which saw up back Aaron Taylor rumbled 38 yards to set his offense up deep in Armor territory. Two plays later Taylor was rewarded with a quick handout which opened the scoring for the night.

Pressured all night, Aaron Flythe was stripped of the ball in the following possession and had it picked up by Raq Taft for a 42 yard scoring return. In the second quarter, Oberg pulled the ball out of Taylor’s arms on an option play and sprinted into the end zone to give the Militia a 21-6 lead going into the half. The first possession of the third quarter saw the Militia move down the field with ease as Oberg connected with Ken Charter to give the home team a substantial lead. “We’ve watched film on them so we knew the game wasn’t over” said Oberg, we knew they’ll keep fighting”.

Dante Williams (52) and the Militia defense stopped the Armor on their game tying 2-point tryKnown more for his arm, quarterback Aaron Flythe started using his legs to avoid the strong Militia rush. Converting two first downs on the ground, Flythe sprinted out of the pocket to find Kayshawn Brantley for a touchdown in the fourth quarter. “Sometimes we have to remind Aaron that he’s an athlete that can run as well as throw” said Armor owner Ben Toro. The Militia took their next drive down to the Armor’s 15 yard line. After their offense stalled, Luigi Liovi came on for a field goal attempt. A bobbled hold was scooped up by Dominick Whitley who sprinted 85 yards for a game turning score. After a successful 2 point conversation the upstart Armor were only down by 8.

The Militia tried to rejuvenate their running game only to be slowed by the Armor’s front line. A third down pass attempt was eliminated when 265-pound Ulysses Wannamaker sacked Oberg and forced the Militia to punt the ball with less than four minutes to play in regulation.

Both Simmons and Bobby Grimes earned hard yards on the ground while Flythe continued to find open receivers as they moved into scoring position. Near the 5 yard line, Flythe rolled left and hit Derrick Whitley for a score. Down by two with only minutes to play, the Armor looked to tie the score with a conversion. Set to pass the ball, a blitzing Dante Williams pressured Flythe and forced an incomplete pass and the end to an Armor comeback.

“It’s a tough loss but maybe something we needed” said Toro, “we will see them again at our place in a week weeks; we will learn a lot from this defeat”. The win puts the Militia in sole possession of second place in the division as they prepare for their longest road trip of the season against the Worcester Wildcats next weekend.

Cordelle Simmons first half scoring run against the Militia 

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