York Centurions ended the last home fixture of their debut season in the BUAFL league with exactly the same outcome as had come from their first, namely a loss, but the similarities to the performances of September and October ended there. The Centurions showed great fight and desire and not a small amount of skill as they ran a highly physical, more experienced Huddersfield side closer than the final score line suggested and it was testament to the great strides that the team has made over the course of the season that even this gutsy display was greeted with a degree of disappointment.
Backed by a decently sized home support and basking in unseasonable sunshine, York would have been hoping for a positive start to boost morale but the first quarter began in almost disastrous fashion. Starting with possession, the Centurions’ offence found it impossible to run the ball through their opponents’ bulky defensive line and when their forced punt was returned 30 yards for a touchdown it looked as if they were in for a long afternoon. The Hawks soon made it 13-0 when, having again dominated with their defence, their offence showed their metal to completely overpower the home side and had no problem in racking up the first downs and an eventual touchdown.
It took great character for York not to fold even at this early stage but they were soon rewarded near the end of the first quarter. In the play of the match Tom Lee took a handoff from quarterback Josh Holt and ran the counter fully 65 yards for a touchdown, leaving the shell-shocked Hawks in his wake. It was a professionally executed play, oozing quality, and it rightly caused an immediate outburst of delirious cheering and fist-pumping amongst York’s players, staff and supporters. The good news did not stop there either. The defence was finally discovering ways of halting the Hawks’ attack whilst quarterback Holt was clearly growing in confidence and began looking for the pass more. His reward came midway through the 2nd quarter. A pinpoint pass again found Tom Lee on the right touchline and though his swift run was stopped just short of the goal line York soon forced the ball into the end zone to come within touching distance of the Hawks at 13-12.
Unfortunately luck was not on York’s side. Two unfortunate turnovers, an interception and a fumble, agonizingly ended the game as a contest as Huddersfield showed no qualms in stealing the advantage to score three times in a row and take the score out of reach at 32-12. With nearly a full half remaining there was still plenty of time for moments of York brilliance, which included a brilliant interception by Tom Hamilton and another touchdown to give the Centurions their highest home score of the season, but there was no time to resuscitate a match which was dead and buried.
And so York’s very own Centurions may end their debut season still searching for that elusive first win, though the final away game with Leeds Celtics this week may not prove fruitless. Unfortunately, American though it was in flavour, the Huddersfield game did not produce a blockbuster Hollywood ending. Perhaps it was meant to be a feel good flick, with a team of plucky amateurs finding their feet in a tough league. Perhaps it was a romance, the year York finally fell in love with American football.
Whatever it was, the first Centurions’ season has been, in my view, an unmitigated success in spite of the scorelines. With interest in the sport increasing and the possibility of preferential treatment if their own Sam Asfahani becomes York Sport president, their core of enthusiastic American footballers has every reason to believe that next season will bring continued improvements. The Hawks may not be flying so high next time they face York’s gridiron legion.