Our flag teams travelled to Windlesham House School on Saturday to take part in the third Stinger Bowl, hosted by our friends at Brighton & Hove Scorpions. Other teams in attendance were the Kent Exiles, Solent Red Storm and Hellingly Hound Dogs.
Our u14s, Kent Phoenix Inferno, kicked off the day with the first of four games; a meeting with the hosts. The team had definitely had their Weetabix for breakfast, securing an encouraging win with a score of 18 to 6. Hot on the heels, our u11s Fire & Flame took to the field for the first of their three games, the first of two meetings on the day with the Scorpions. Our team brought plenty of energy but after a tight game, they conceded a narrow 12-6 loss to the Scorpions’ yellow squad.
Over the course of the day, both teams faced competitive opposition, with the u11s going on to secure brilliant wins from their following two games. A 24-0 win over Scorpions Black was followed by a phenomenal battle against Solent Red Storm which finished 30-12 to the Phoenix. There were excellent link ups between QB Alba and fast footed RB Nikolas, WR Greyson and Centre Laurie, to get those all important points on the board.
Laurie’s catch on the goal line gave him his first ever touchdown wearing a Kent Phoenix Jersey and the sidelines, and players, celebrated accordingly with him. We also had a game debut from Harrison who shone, despite still being very new to the club. He secured a lovely catch from Alba after confidently letting her know he was open, and his ability grew more and more as time went on. And of course, no Phoenix game is complete without some magic from LB Alf, who scored not one but three pick sixes in the final game! Nose Eli assisted in tipping the ball perfectly on one, allowing Alf to get a secure hold on the ball and run in the touchdown. There was great defensive work by Hazel, Stanley, Izabelle and Alexander, along with Alf and Eli to hold scores against us to a minimum. Coaches Robb and Ethan were on Cloud Nine, with both blown away by the tenacity of everyone from start to finish.
Not to be outdone by their younger clubmates, Inferno brought the power. A well matched game two with eventual tournament winners Hellingly ended in a 6-6 draw. Solent Red Storm put a touchdown past us in game three and we lost a close one 6-0. With Inferno’s scores sitting at a win, a draw and a loss, the battle with our local neighbours Kent Exiles was on. Thanks to some blitzing perfection from Callum, fast feet from offensive players Harry, Lekan and Jayden, a super strong defense and some great work by newly appointed QB Preston, Inferno took the win 12 points to 0. All four games were nail biting, with a narrowly missed interception catch by Henry and a successful interception by Oscar which was well chased down by the Exiles. Defensive machine Thomas forced many opposition players out of bounds as he pursued their flags, keeping their advancing yardage to a minimum.
After the final whistle, Coaches Phil and Luke reflected on the strong skillset shown by every single player and praised Isaac and Charlie on their brilliant debuts. A huge well done also to those players who played in both offensive and defensive positions when required.
With both teams having played so well, excitement swirled around the Phoenix camp that we might be on for a tournament win. Sadly, the tournament glory wasn’t ours this time. We do however celebrate our u11s finishing as runners up from the six teams in attendance, and hold our heads high that we had a massive 60 points differential; even better than the tournament winners. Inferno finished in bronze position, securing a mid-table spot amongst the five teams playing.
Whilst the wins and the trophies are great, the real wins are always the way our players conduct themselves on and off the field. The display of team work, friendship and support rippled through both teams. Respect was shown at all times and smiles were on faces no matter the final score of the game. Integrity is a quality we hold firmly at Kent Phoenix, from our youngest players to our eldest in the Legion and both teams displayed this in spades.
A wonderful day and the hail even held off until we were all packed up, heading home!! As always, a huge thank you goes to our coaches and parents for everything they do to support the players and the club.
