RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE, Texas –
In Wednesday night flag football action at Grater Field, the 12th Security Forces Squadron sqeaked by the 12th Mission Support Squadron, 20-14.
The cops showed up looking organized and fairly deep in their numbers. They all wore numbered white jerseys with their nicknames on the back - and with handcuffs and the team's nickname - "Po-Po"- parodying the urban slang term for police - on the front.
Led by team co-captains David Hicks, who played quarterback and cornerback, and center Frank "Himfick" Hellstern, the 12th SFS started strong.
That's when Hicks took a long Hellstrom hike on the second play of the game, stepped back deep into the pocket, pumped the ball and then unleashed an 80-yard bomb to receiver Tyrone "Big Will" Williams.
Williams, who combined with Hicks for about 200 yards in receptions throughout the game, hauled the bomb in and took it to the 10-yard line.
From there, Hicks rolled out and connected with receiver Jeremy Dawley and it was pay dirt. The touchdown and conversion lit the scoreboard 7-0 and set the "Po-Po" in motion for the rest of the contest.
"Our offense is committed," he said. "Once they run their routes and get downfield and catch the ball, they're committed to score."
Hicks, who stuck to MSS receivers like a shadow on defense, then connected with Hellstern on a three-yard pitch-out for another score. The conversion was good, and the score sat 14-0.
Then 12th MSS team captain, quarterback and defensive back Hestroverto Martinez threw a 20-yard pass that a teammate hauled to earn them their first six. A conversion point brought them to seven.
Martinez, whose modus operandi was to step back into the pocket, freeze, then look around the field for an open receiver and sprint like a jaguar downfield toward daylight while throwing, was visibly frustrated.
The frustration was caused by the Po-Po's aggressive shadowing of 12th MSS receivers Willie Castor and Daniel Ritter, each of who had at least 100 receiving yards but no points for their efforts.
Hicks, with 30 seconds left in the contest's first half, hit Williams again for a long bomb of 50 yards. The touchdown resurrected the cops' comfort zone 20-7.
Although they would score only one more time by the contest's end, the 12th MSS, ably led by Ritter, Martinez and Castor, ran out of time on the comeback trail. Plus, with only eight people showing up, all played 60 minutes. They were worn out from playing their best.