15/8/21 Thames Valley Tigers @ South East Legion – By Stan Wilson
Final score: 6-12
The reverse fixture between the Tigers and Legion was again low scoring, but sadly resulted in a loss for the home side. The Legion were down on numbers but put up a valiant fight on both sides of the ball against a competent Tigers team.
Due to missed assignments on back to back drives, Legion fell down 12-0 quite quickly. However, through great in-game adjustments and outstanding communication throughout the unit, the defense, led by Harrison Kane and Stan Wilson, stayed strong for the remainder of the contest. Linebacker Jake Horne arguably had the best performance on the day and was a big factor in the 55 minute shutout. Horne was a nightmare for the Tigers’ running backs and had two turnovers to his name by the end of the game. Aston Balment and Stan Wilson also had turnovers of their own.
Offensively, Legion struggled to gain much momentum but positives seen in the performances by Roman Cameron and Luke Cheeseman in the rushing attack. Cheeseman scored the team’s touchdown. Special notice should also be given to Harrison Kane and Elliot Harbidge who played “iron man” for the majority of the game, contributing on all 3 sides of the ball including positions unfamiliar to them.
Next Sunday, Legion will trek to Watford for another match against the formidable Hertfordshire Cheetahs.
Offence MVP – Luke Cheeseman
Defence MVP – Jake Horne
Head Coach, Luke Boorer added “Today was a tough loss for all of the players and coaches a like. We started the game very badly and were 12-0 down after just a few minutes. I was proud of the players as they fought hard to come back into the game. Both teams were low on numbers because of a few reason but these were the cards we were dealt. Looking back at the game, there is a lot I would do differently. I cant fault the players and feel the loss was down to failings on my behalf. This has made me more determined to work harder to help all these kids fulfil their dreams.”
1/08/2021 – SE Legion Vs Hertfordshire Cheetahs – match report by Danny Townsend
Final score: 42-0
This week we saw the South East Legion square off against the star-studded Hertfordshire Cheetahs, the team’s togetherness and resilience helped them put up a good fight however the division leaders did prevail.
From the offset all the players understood that this would be an uphill battle, with the loss of starting QB Jacob Boorer and various other missing key components of the team which meant many of the players were iron manning the whole game. The Legion started strong, moving the ball downfield on their first offensive drive and shutting down the Cheetahs deadly pass game when on defence, everyone knew that they were in for a good game but by the middle of the second quarter the Legions spark was fizzling out, the offence lacking in production and the defence looking deflated, after key mistakes in the secondary. At the half the score was 28-0.
After a well needed rest the reinvigorated Legion team took the field. Spirits were high throughout. The offence saw some success in the wildcat formation with notable runs from Ovie Bazuna, Riley Davis and Roman Cameron which saw the Legion knocking on the door of the Hertfordshire end zone. The attack was thwarted not by the Cheetahs but by penalties from the Legion team itself. The defence put up a massive fight once again throughout the whole second half with notable stops from Harrison Kane and Huey Cripps. MVP of the game was Harrison Kane for displaying immense leadership skill on the field and put in a standout performance.
The Legion are out for revenge on the 15th of August, as they square off against the Thames Valley Tigers after a hard-fought draw two weeks ago. The Legion will be hosting the match at Horsebridge Recreational ground, the home of the Hounddogs with the game kicking off at 12 noon.
25/7/21 South East Legion @ Thames Valley Tigers – Stan Wilson
Final score: 16-16
The South East Legion’s battle with the Thames Valley Tigers last Sunday saw the team make giant leaps forward from the loss a fortnight prior to the occasion. All of the HoundDogs on the team gave their all and played key roles in the close affair in Swindon.
SE Legion players at half time during debrief
With the loss of Alex “Russell” Edwards on the offensive line, the offense could have easily struggled to perform. But thanks to high quality performances across the board, the Legion were able to move the ball early and often, picking up countless first downs thanks to the dynamic running game. Hounddogs running back Roman Cameron was a big part of this deadly rushing attack. Under center, QB Jacob Boorer delivered another sterling performance once again showing off his chemistry with fellow HoundDog WR Riley Davis.
On the other side of the ball, the Legion were relentless and brutal when dealing with the Tigers offense. The first several drives saw repeated 3 and outs and not a single completion through the air whilst the Tigers rushing attack struggled to make it more than 3 yards at once. HoundDogs Stan Wilson and Harrison Kane were able to lead the defense to another impressive performance similar to the 2nd half of the last game at Wembley. Kane’s countless tackles and tackles for loss earned him defensive MVP for the game.
Next week, the SE Legion will welcome the Hertfordshire Cheetahs to Horsebridge recreation ground, home of the HoundDogs, for what will be the toughest game of the season so far.
On Saturday 24th of July Hellingly Phoenix competed against the Wembley stallions and the Kent Exiles at the Kent Exiles home ground in Bromley. This was the second tournament that the Hellingly Phoenix team were participating in this season. With London Blitz having to pull out of the tournament due to player numbers, Hellingly Phoenix would only compete in two games one against Kent Exiles and the other against the Wembley Stallions.
Hellingly Phoenix kicked off against the Kent Exiles in the first game. Kent exiles attempted to march the ball down the field but thanks to High Pressure from Lucas and Kyle Bandaa, both playing at Nose tackle. Tight coverage from a strong Hellingly Phoenix defence managed to hold the Exiles to 2 touchdowns in the first half. Hellingly Phoenix’s defence further showed off by an interception from Ryan Hedges, playing in only his second tournament, along with a forced fumble by Calvin Clark, topped off with key tackles at pinnacle times in the game by Fin Wilson and Sam Espie who both remained as strong leader on the defence helping to keep them organised and forcing them to take risks by keeping the run game inefficient and under lock. Offence took to the field against an extremely tough and physical Kent Exiles defence. Alex Krajeweski, playing in his first ever Football tournament played the at the key Centre role throughout and remained a pillar of strength for the Hellingly Phoenix offence by allowing the QB time in the pocket with strong blocking but also by being a viable pass catcher to convert on fourth downs, Charlie Booker showed off his leadership qualities and his ability to act as a Swiss army knife player by playing multiple positions on both the defence and offence. However, the Hellingly Phoenix offence was held to no points throughout the first half but this was not due to a lack of trying but rather a strong Kent Exiles defence. The half ended 14-0 to the Kent Exiles. In the second half the Kent Exiles began to find a rhythm and put more scores on the board. The Hellingly Phoenix offence put its first points on the board on a Hail Mary play from Ollie Stratford at QB to Rowan Crouch at receiver who streaked down the side-line into the middle of the end zone to make the touchdown catch. Unfortunately, the game ended 43-6 to the Kent Exiles however the consensus among the players and coaches was that this was still a vast improvement from the last time the teams met.
Next up for Hellingly Phoenix was the Wembley Stallions. The first half remained a close battle with Hellingly Phoenix still playing a passing game as it was helping to keep the defence on their heels and propel the offence forward. The first half points were scored by Harry Stone in the back of the end zone with a touchdown catch, this was followed up by Alex Krajewski who converted the two-point conversion in which he forced his way into the end zone. Charlie Booker played a role in putting scores on the board by getting a crucial interception which he then ran up the field for a pick 6. The half ended 14-14.
The second half of football did not disappoint as another close contest was fought out. Wembley Stallions put points up first which gave them an 8-point lead with less than 2 minutes left in the game. That put the Hellingly Phoenix offence under pressure to execute effectively and move the ball down field with no turnovers. This was successful thanks to a handoff to Kyle Bandaa who ran the ball up field and punched it into the endzone. The Hellingly Phoenix defence once again showed off their strength by holding the Wembley offence to only 22 points the entire game this was helped by another strong performance by the Nose tackles Kyle and Lucas who’s plays resulted in forced fumbles, the defence also defended against the pass game at a professional level. The pair forced the Wembley stallions to use the run game, resulting in the linebackers and nose tackle stopping them in their tracks and clamp down on any big plays. The game went down to the wire resulting in a heart wrenching loss for the Hellingly Phoenix team, the score ended 22-20 to the Wembley Stallions.
Even Though the day ended in two losses, the team has progressed tremendously from the last tournament coming on leaps and bounds, really showing their grit and determination and overall team spirit and how they were able to remain positive even when results didn’t go their way. Hellingly Phoenix wishes all players who unfortunately suffered injuries, a speedy recovery. We hope to see everyone at the next tournament on the 21st of August at Maidstone.
MVP Offence – Alex Krajeweski, Grew in confidence through his first tournament.
MVP Defence – Lucas Apps, Worked hard on the Dline and regularly made in roads to rush the QB.
11/7/21 South East Legion @ Wembley Stallions report – Stan Wilson
Final score: 36-6
Sunday the 11th of July, saw the Hound Dog’s U19 contingent play their first game of the season as the South East Legion along with players from Kent Phoenix, East Kent Mavericks and Brighton Scorpions. Whilst the score line may be underwhelming, the performance from the Legion was not was not. For the majority of the players, it was their first competitive football game but that didn’t stop them stepping up to the mark and delivering solid performances
Early in the 1st quarter, Legion struggled with self-inflicted penalties but thanks to aggressive QB play from Jacob Boorer, the offense was able to move the chains throughout the game and operate in enemy territory. Boorer showcased his chemistry with Bristol Pride, GB and Hound Dogs WR Riley Davis on multiple occasions and, when scrambling, even used a spin move to evade a would-be-tackler for a first down!
QB Jacob Boorer on route to complete a 25 yard pass attempt – Photo courtesy of Tony Small
Legion struggled defensively throughout the first half with their lack of experience and numbers showing. However in the second half, the Stallions offense only managed to cross into the EndZone once with a pick six after a fumbled pass attempt. The second half was a vast improvement compared to the first half, which was led by Legion defensive captain, Stan Wilson. The biggest positive of the day defensively was the number of turnovers. South East Legion capitalised on several errant throws by intercepting the Stallions QB twice along with multiple forced fumbles recovered across all four quarters.
Whilst there were notable performances all across the roster, Hounddogs rookie centre Alex Edwards had perhaps the most impressive outing. Edwards improved dramatically after the first quarter and was a brick wall on the offensive line for the remainder of the game.
Riley Davis with the catch to move the ball downfield – Photo courtesy of Tony Small
South East Legion will look to record their first win of the year on the 25th of July away at the Thames Valley Tigers. Expect a big performance from the team as they begin to find their groove and turn heads in the Britball world.
Hellingly Hound Dogs Youth American Football Club 