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02/01/2018 11:00 PMOn Dec. 15, the Old Saybrook Parks and Recreation Department (OSPR) held the fifth annual playoffs and championship game of its co-ed Flag Football League. The league, which played games during Friday night Teen Center hours in November and December, was free to all Old Saybrook students who are in 6th, 7th, and 8th grade. Each week, the league held two games, and every team played one game a week for five weeks of regular-season play. At the end of the regular season, there was a playoffs, and then the season finished off with the Super Bowl. The league included four teams: the New England Patriots, Atlanta Falcons, Baltimore Ravens, and the Cleveland Browns. Each team had an average of 10 players per team, with an OSPR staff member as its quarterback.
In the first game of the night, the Atlanta Falcons took on the Cleveland Browns. The Falcons were in first place with a 4-1 record going into the playoffs, but the Browns came out on top in the game. Joey Donohue led his team with four touchdowns to help the Browns beat the Falcons 12-9. Donahue’s teammates were a big help, as well. Mike Kapij had three touchdowns, Shane Gagne-Lemay had two TDs, and Aiden Gilson, Aedan Reynolds, and Alby Albert each scored a touchdown for the Browns. The Falcons were led by Juliette Condulis with three touchdowns. Logan Worman and Zack Zundel contributed two touchdowns apiece, while teammates Jake Pavlovich and John Witczak each added a touchdown.
In the second game of the playoffs, the New England Patriots matched up against the Baltimore Ravens. Both teams were tied for second place with a record of 2-2-1 in the regular season. The Patriots came out strong, scoring some early touchdowns to give them a lead. The final score was 11-6 in favor of the Patriots. Nick Rothman led the Patriots with three touchdowns on offense and three interceptions on defense. Teammates Marlin Stavola, Felipe DeMoura, and Matt Frysinger both scored two TDs, while Andrew Julius and Jack Forrestt added a touchdown each. The Ravens were led by Ryan Stratton, who had two touchdowns. Aaron Tolve, Ethan Hajdasz, Noah Grace, and Dempsey Watford contributed a TD apiece.
In the last game of the night, the playoff winners competed in the fifth annual OSPR Flag Football Super Bowl, where the second place New England Patriots took on fourth place Cleveland Browns. Both teams gave it their best effort, and in the end, the Patriots won by a score of 13-11. The Browns were led by Aiden Gilson with six touchdowns. Joey Donohue followed up with three TDs, and Mike Kapij and Aedan Reynolds each scored a touchdown for the Browns. The Patriots were led by Nick Rothman with four touchdowns, and Matt Frysinger with three touchdowns. Marlin Stavola and Felipe DeMoura both had two TDs, and Marlin also had the only interception of the game. Andrew Julius and Jack Forrest each contributed a touchdown for the Patriots, who were the fifth team to be crowned OSPR Flag Football Super Bowl champions.
On Jan. 19, awards were given out to the league’s top performers throughout the regular season, as well as the Super Bowl champions. Joey Donohue of Browns was the Offensive Player of the Year by scoring 22 touchdowns. There were two recipients of Defensive Player of the Year: Bradley Kulmann (Falcons) and Ryan Stratton (Ravens), who both had three interceptions and one sack. Rookie of the Year went to 6th-grader Shane Gagne-Lemay from the Cleveland Browns, and Noah Grace of Ravens took home the Coaches Award. Nick Rothman, an 8th-grader from the Patriots, ended his last year playing in OSPR Flag Football League as the 2018 Most Valuable Player, while teammate Marlin Stavola was named the Super Bowl MVP.
The OSPR gives a big thanks to the league commissioners for making each week possible and also to the players who participated every week. For info on OSPR programming, visit www.oldsaybrookrec.com