Sunday the 12 of May saw the U19’s team from Hellingly HoundDogs become part of SE Legion for the first time along with other players from East Kent Mavericks and Kent Phoenix as they took on Thames Valley Tigers at Maidstone.

The Legion started the game well with opening the scoring on their second drive of the game with a well worked QB sneak around the back. They went on to complete a 2 point attempt to take the lead 8-0. The Tigers then came back with a TD of their own but missed the 2 point conversion to take the score to 8-6 at the Half.

After the half the Legion then lost their QB from the Mavericks which let Rookie QB Jacob Boorer at the helm. With the change of QB the Tigers stated to blitz the line of the Legion a lot more which resulted in a whole heap of pressure for the QB to get the ball away. The Legion almost stretched their lead twice with runs down either side line but both plays were pulled back due to the Wide Receiver stepping out of bounds. The Tigers then started to gather their momentum to take the lead and convert the extra 2 points to push them ahead 8-14.

The Legion then lost their kicker which resulted in the Legion being unable to kick the ball any distance. After a 4th down punt from the Legion, resulting in only a 5 yard gain, the Tigers again strengthened their lead and again converted the 2 points to take the score to 8-22. The Legion came back and didn’t let their heads sink as the final whistle was approaching. Riley Davis, put in as kick off returner, collected the ball which lead to a good 30 yard run back which really helped lift the players head, followed by a couple of 1st down completions which lead the Legion into the red zone. The Legion went for it on 4th down but were unable to convert. The clock slowly ran out which lead to the Tigers winning 22-8.

HoundDogs Coach, Luke Boorer added “This season was always going to be a tough ask. In a sport where there are a lot of differences of opinions, it was great to see the 3 teams come together to form the Legion and get these players on the pitch. It’s hard to find 30 players all aged 16 to 18 to form a team of your own, that is the reason we came up with the Legion model. I hope that a few more clubs with bury their egos and talk to other teams in their areas and work on a similar project. At the end of the day, we at the Legion just want to see kids playing Football. On a playing prospectus, I was proud of all the lads. George Davies started the game strongly with some good runs and fantastic blocking. Riley Davis didn’t get a lot at WR but showed his fantastic hand work and speed on punt return. Clayton Jarvis continued to battle on the Defence Line and adapted well to sealing the edge. Tom Avann moved positions and adapted very well to a new position and showed great composure and Jacob Boorer after a tricky start, started to settle in very well at the QB position.”

The Best Of Eastbourne MVP Awards go to:

HoundDogs D MVP – Clayton Jarvis. Continued to work hard on the line all game and applied pressure to the Tigers line.

HoundDogs O MVP – Jacob Boorer. After a very nervous start to the game, he started to demonstrate a good composure and by the 4th quarter, really started to settle in.

HoundDogs Special Team MVP – Riley Davis, a good couple of returns resulting in positive yardage.

Next week sees the Legion travel to Cambridge before another home game the week after against Solent Seahawks.