Flag football action dominates center field in Anna Maria
The youth flag football season at The Center of Anna Maria just completed its third week of action-packed games and the haves are already separating themselves from the have nots.
In the 8-10 division, Beach Bums and LaPensee Plumbing are on top with perfect 3-0 records with Bark & Co. Realty on their heels with a 2-1 record. Miller Electric, Tyler’s Ice Cream, Eason Builders and Heidi Johnston ReMax all follow with 1-2 records. AMI Vacation Rentals is still looking for its first win.
The 14-17 division has Team Mannino on top with a 3-0 record, followed closely by LPAC at 2-1. Team Snyder at 1-2 and 0-3 Team Cuva follow in the standings.
The nine-team 11-13 division has Sugar Beach Digital and Air & Energy leading the pack with 2-0 records, closely followed by Truly Nolan and the Feast restaurant, both with 2-1 records. LPAC follows with a 1-1 record, while West Coast Air Conditioning and Tyler’s Ice Cream both sit at 1-2, just ahead of winless Signarama (0-2) and Progressive Cabinetry (0-3).
Truly Nolan showed they are a team to be reckoned with in the 11-13 division Jan. 26, outlasting West Coast Air Conditioning by a 20-12 score.
Both teams felt each other out until about the 6-minute mark of the first half when Jackson Hayes got loose on a 39-yard touchdown run off a counter play to give WCAC a 6-0 lead.
The teams traded three and outs before Truly Nolan tied the game on a statue of liberty play that Matthew Wood took to the house on a 45-yard touchdown run.
WCAC got the ball back with just under a minute to play, but was unable to score, leaving the game tied at 6-6 as the half came to a close.
The second half was more of the same as the teams traded three and outs on their first two possessions. West Coast finally broke through at the 5:27 mark when Ben Barreda hit Hayes on a short crossing pattern that Hayes turned into a 45-yard touchdown reception to give WCAC a 12-6 lead.
Truly Nolan answered back on its next possession. On first down, quarterback Blake Balais got loose on a spinning, 28-yard run. He was stopped by an illegal flag pull, giving TN an additional 10 yards. On first down, German Rivera ran it in for a touchdown and, after Balais hit Wood for the extra point, Truly Nolan led 13-12 — their first lead of the game.
With 2:15 remaining to play, WCAC tried to mount a drive but, on first down, Barreda’s pass was intercepted by Balais deep in West Coast territory. Two plays later, Wood hit German Rivera for a 5-yard touchdown pass and then found Javier Rivera for the extra point to put the finishing touches on a Truly Nolan 20-12 lead they would not relinquish.
Horseshoe news
Three teams advanced to the knockout stage during horseshoe action Jan. 27 at the Anna Maria City Hall horseshoe pits. The team of Bob Mason and Herb Puryear drew the bye into the finals and watched as Rod Bussey and Bob Palmer defeated Dom Livedoti and Jay Disbrow by a 23-19 score to advance to the finals. Bussey-Palmer stayed hot, rolling to a 22-10 victory over Mason-Puryear to earn bragging rights for the day.
Action Jan. 30 also saw three teams advance from pool play. In the semifinal, Bob Lee and Art Kingstad evicerated Keith Erickson and Sam Samuels by a 22-6 score. The finals were much the same as Lee-Kingstad rolled to a 24-12 win over Steve Hooper and Livedoti.
Play gets underway at 9 a.m. every Wednesday and Saturday at the Anna Maria City Hall pits. Warmups begin at 8:45 a.m. followed by random team selection. There is no charge to play and everyone is welcome.
Key Royale golf news
The Key Royale Club men got out on the golf course Jan. 25 for a pair of nine-hole rounds. They played a low-net-of-partners match in the morning that was won by Hank Tremblay and Fred Meyer with a 7-under-par 57. Second place went to the team of Jim Auch and Chet Hutton, who finished with a 1-under-par 63.
Later in the day, the men played a modified-Stableford System or quota-points match. Dennis Schavey had the round of the day with a plus-6, while Dave Richardson and Gary Silke tied for second with matching plus-4 scores.
Silke partnered with Mike Gillie and Fred Miller to combine on a plus-5 score and win the team competition.
The Key Royale Club women finally received some good weather and were back on the course Jan. 26 for a nine-hole, individual-low-net match in four flights.
Phyllis Roe took top honors in Flight A with a 3-under-par 29 to edge second-place finisher Debi Wohlers by one stroke. Sue Little and Gloria LeDue were anther shot back in a tie for third place.
Sue Wheeler and Meredith Slavin both carded even-par 32s to finish in a tie for first place in Flight B. Willa Barkley and Tootie Wagner finished in a tie for second place at 2-over-par 34.
Barb Estok fired a 3-under-par 29 to grab first place in Flight C by three strokes over Sara Falk and Roxanne Koche, who tied for second at even-par 32. Debbie Richardson was another stroke back in third place.
Markie Ksiasek’s even-par 32 was the best round in Flight D by five strokes. Marcia O’Brien and Jane Perkins tied for second at 3-over-par 37.