MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. -- Marine Corps Air Station Miramar’s varsity football team, the “Falcons,” kicked off their 2009 season against 3rd Assault Amphibious Battalion’s “Gators” at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton Aug. 11.

In the previous meeting between the two teams, 3rd AAB defeated the Falcons in the first round of the 2008 Camp Pendleton Tackle Football League playoffs.

Both teams struggled to establish their offenses as they traded turnovers on their first possessions. The Falcons’ quarterback, Donnie Gilray, struggled to find his rhythm after only completing three out of his first nine passes of the game.

The Falcons’ first game points came when their swarming defense scored a safety late in the first quarter making the score 2-0.

On the ensuing possession, Falcons’ running back Pierre Stewart made a 50-yard dash to the end zone only to be negated by a 15-yard penalty for a block in the back. However, the penalty didn’t slow down the Falcons’ running game. Falcons’ fullback Codi Moses capped off the 65-yard drive with a one-yard touchdown run. Kicker Fredrick Coleman added the extra point to give the Falcons a 9-0 lead halfway through the second quarter.

After the touchdown, the Falcons never let up with their attack, tacking on two more touchdowns from tight end Nathan Griffiths and Gilray that propelled the Falcons to a 22-point first half lead. Complementing the Falcons offense was their suffocating defense, which never allowed the Gator’s undersized offense to establish a rhythm and kept the Gators sitting on a goose egg at the end of the first half.

“We can’t get comfortable with the lead we have,” head coach Bennis Branch told the team. “Now is not the time to slow down. We need to stay in the driver’s seat of this game and keep shutting them down.”

In the second half, the Gators got their first game points after their quarterback completed a 30-yard pass to put them in a scoring position. A one-yard touchdown completion, plus an extra point, brought the Gators to within 15 points of the Falcons.

The Gators’ momentum was taken as the Falcons came back on the next possession and scored, increasing their lead by 22 points. Running back Garett Goar and tight end Amin Wilson added touchdowns to give the Falcons a 36-7 lead with less than ten minutes remaining in the game.

The Gators managed to score again on a long touchdown completion. A two-point conversion made the score 36-15 with four minutes remaining on the game.

On the onside kick attempt, Falcons’ receiver Jason Murrieta caught a bouncing ball and set his sights for the end zone. The touchdown gave the Falcons a 42-15 lead, which proved to be too large of a deficit for the Gators to overcome.

“We did okay for the first game,” said Donald Prograis, the Falcons’ offensive coordinator. “We need to work on timing and pass routes to make ourselves a better all-around unit.”

Following the game, the Marines from both teams gathered at the 50-yard line and said a group prayer.

Sgt. Maj. Roger Jenness, the MCAS Miramar sergeant major, gave coins to the offensive and defensive coordinator to present to their best players of the game. Wilson received one for his offensive performance and Bryant Griffith, who broke his wrist earlier in the game, received one for his defensive contribution.

“We started off rusty and we still have a lot of work to do,” said Branch. “The competition is going to get tighter as the season goes on, but we’ll win or lose together as a team.”

The Falcons hope to continue their winning streak when they square off against another team Sept. 6 at MCB Camp Pendleton.             

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