ALTOONA, IA – The Des Moines Blaze punched their ticket to the SPFL Championship Game Saturday with a thrilling 20-14 overtime win against the visiting Med City Freeze.

 

            Both teams toiled in the first half, finishing deadlocked at zero going into the intermission. Other than a 47-yard Anthony Meyer to Jay Heathcote touchdown pass that was called back and a late, Blaze, hurry-up drive that ended in an interception in the waning seconds, neither team crossed into scoring position.

 

            Things got stared early in the third quarter when Med City went three-and-out on the initial possession. Kain Krizek took the ensuing punt all the way back to put Des Moines on the board.

 

            Des Moines extended their lead to 14-0 on their next drive when Dwine Rankins took advantage of a blown coverage, connecting with Leslie Owusu on a 37-yard score.

 

            The Blaze appeared to have the game in hand, playing their usual stingy brand of defense. Then Med City’s Isreal Lozoya gave his team new life, bouncing off two tackles in the backfield and breaking free for a long score.

 

            An untimely Meyer interception gave the Freeze great field position. Their bid to tie it up appeared to be slipping away on a third and long before quarterback Alex Bensen found Gabe Supalla between double coverage in the endzone. A two-point conversion tied the game at 14-14 with less than two minutes to play.

 

            Med City took the ball first from the ten yard line in the high school style overtime. The defense pushed them back and they failed to convert on fourth and long.

           

            Des Moines took over, first and goal, from the ten, needing any kind of score to win. Jeremy Batiste took the ball off the right edge on first down and ran, unhindered, into the end zone.

 

            “Obviously a hard-fought game and a great win,” Said Head Coach Tyrone Tyler. “Great to overcome some adversity before the biggest game of the season and get one step closer to our goal.”

 

            The Blaze travel to West Side Field in Lake Benton, MN this Saturday for the SPFL Championship in this, their first season competing in nine-man football. Kickoff is at 5pm.