This year’s American Youth Football of Samoa (AYFS) Football Season came to a close last Saturday morning, with a championship game between the 49ers and the Bears, and this was by far one of the toughest football games ever to be held on island, as both teams gave it their all up to the final minutes of the match.

Even the crowd on both sides of the field were screaming and cheering on their teams – literally. It wasn’t just a football game with how supporters for both teams came out and represented their team colors, making up their own cheers and yelling comments at the referees for bad calls.

For the most part – the Niners and the Bears have been “the” match up of this year’s football season. From regular season to play-offs up to this past Saturday’s championship game, these two teams would always walk off the field at the end of the match either winning or losing by an inch. If it’s not a two-point victory, it’s four, and its been this way since the opening of the league this year — and no different at the last inch played.

CHAMPIONSHIP

49ers 38 — Bears 34

The undefeated No.1 seed in the league – 49ers might have been named the champs this year, but getting the title didn’t come easy, as the reigning champs from last season – the Bears— silenced the home crowd when they led the match throughout the opening half of the game.

It was the Niners mistake on a punting situation on 4th down that gave the Bears the upper hand when they recovered the fumbled snap inside Niners red zone – the Bears 2nd down from the 8-yard line, and a play-action pass out to John-John Ugaitafa secured the first touchdown of the game.

The Niners running game was stuffed from all corners with the Bears’ defensive unit viciously putting a stop to all running plays from the Niners.

Late in the first quarter, the Bears stunned the Niner defense with a long pass that spotted them a threatening offensive series, again inside the red zone. 2nd and goal for the Bears and Georgia Mageo hustled upfield to score their second touchdown of the game on a screenplay that converted for an 8-yard touchdown reception. Their two-point conversion was a quick slant pass out to Avery Seumanutafa, which secured them a 14-point lead to open up the second quarter.

Not too long after that, 49ers offensive unit came back out and started their ground and pound game again – but with rhythm this time. After getting stuffed short on two straight running plays to Koison Ozu, Francisco Mauigoa executed a third down play-action pass perfectly to fake to the defense, and hooked up with Jr. Sufia on the pass to score their first touchdown of the game. Their two-point conversion was the same exact play out to Sufia again, and secured them 8 points on the verge to coming back.

At halftime, the Bears were sitting on a comfortable 20 - 14 lead – then came the second half, where the Niners upped their game and started to look like the undefeated team they’ve been.

Their first offensive possession in the 3rd quarter, Mauigoa pitched two running plays to Ozu, and he turned it upfield to tie up the ball game 20 - 20. Their two-point conversion was the same play out to Ozu on the opposite side, which gave the Niners their first lead of the game by two points.

1:06 in the third, and the Bears answered back – their 2nd down conversion on the Niners 20 yard line, and they looked far, to air a long pass out to Avery Seumanutafa who secured the catch, and brought the Bears back to life, so they were back in the lead 26 - 22.

Suddenly, with just 22 seconds remaining in the quarter, the Bears sent the kick off to the Niners after their six-point conversion – the squib kick was returned by Jr. Sufia from inside their own territory, and it went all the way back for a 74-yard touchdown return, putting the Niners back in the lead. And after the successful quarterback keeper by Mauigoa for their extra point conversion, the Niners were back in the lead 26 - 30.

Still in the third quarter, with 8 seconds remaining – the Bears shocked the 49ers defensive unit with a huge gain on a quarterback keep with their option attack, and their final down to close of quarter was a quick slant pass out to #6 who ran the perfect route and secured the bullet pass, bringing the rhythm back to the Bears sideline.

Their two point conversion was good after a play action pass out to Mageo, and the Bears came back to take the lead 34 - 30.

During the final quarter of the game, the Bears were quietly managing the clock as they were trying to wind down time with their four-point lead – but this strategy tested the patience of the Niners defensive unit. After succeeding in turning the ball over, the 49ers turned to their power back leader, Ozu, to bring it home.

Indeed he lived up to his reputation as the leading rusher in the league, after he carried his offensive unit downfield for a huge gain, all in the ground game. Samoa News noticed that Ozu encountered some brutal tackles on the way downfield — somehow it seemed to make him run even harder, after he took in another Niners touchdown with a 17-yard inside draw play that miraculously brought them back to take the lead.

Their two-point conversion was a quick dive play to Ozu again – it was sure enough to close the case in this championship game, as he carried the Niners back to winning their first title of AYFS Football with a hard fought comeback 38 - 34.