Buxy's Tops Kirby's to Win its Fourth Straight Flag Title

OCEAN CITY- Buxy's Salty Dog captured its fourth straight Ocean City Recreation and Parks Department Fall Flag Football League title this week, edging old rival Kirby's Pub, 13-7, on Monday on a cold, windswept field at the 4^th Street Park.

Buxy's survived a knock down, drag out double overtime battle against Gemcraft Homes in the semifinals to reach the championship game. Kirby's, meanwhile, which lost to Buxy's, 27-0, in the second round, had to battle back from the loser's bracket to reach the title game including a game earlier on Monday just before the championship. Kirby's beat the Blue Ox, 25-20; Tequila Duffybird, 13-7; and Gemcraft Homes, 25-19, to earn a shot at the championship.

Meanwhile, Buxy's cruised through the early rounds before clashing with Gemcraft in a classic double-overtime 46-45 win to reach the title game. Gemcraft scored two touchdowns to take an early 13-0 lead over Buxy's before the Dog got its offense cranked up. Kurt Purnell got the scoring started with an eight-yard TD pass to Pat Spicer to cut the lead to 13-6, and after an interception by Spicer, Purnell ran for a 12-yard touchdown to tie the game at 13-13.

Buxy's scored two more touchdowns to go ahead, 26-13, before Gemcraft scored on a 10-yard touchdown pass from Ray Taranto to Josh Dorman to cut the lead to 26-19. After a 30-yard TD pass from Nick Jones to Spicer put Buxy's ahead 32-19, Gemcraft scored two touchdowns including a 12-yarder from Taranto to Ron Strickler to tie the game at 32-32 to force overtime.

In the first overtime, Gemcraft scored on a 10-yard TD pass from Taranto to Eric Givens and the extra point was good, putting Gemcraft ahead, 39-32. Buxy's answered with a 10-yard touchdown run by Kurt Purnell and the extra point was good, tying the game at 39-39 to force a second overtime period.

In the second overtime, Buxy's scored first on a 10-yard TD pass from Jones to Purnell and the extra point was good. Taranto then threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Givens to pull within one, but Gemcraft went for two and failed, giving Buxy's the dramatic 46-45 win. The win put Buxy's into the title game where they would await the winner of the context between Gemcraft and Kirby's.

In that contest, Kirby's got on the board first with a 12-yard TD run by Bart Talbert. Gemcraft answered with an eight-yard TD pass from Taranto to Dan Kauffman. Talbert then hit Trey Stokely with a 14-yard scoring strike to go ahead 13-6, but Gemcraft had the answer again with another touchdown pass from Taranto to Kauffman to make it 13-12.

Kirby's settled the issue once and for all with a six-yard TD run by Talbert to go up 19-12. On Kirby's next possession, Steve Lewis caught a pass and pitched a lateral to Trey Stokely, who took it 64 yards for a touchdown to put Kirby's up, 25-12. Gemcraft scored again on a 24-yard TD pass from Taranto to Givens, but it was too little, too late and Kirby's held on to advance to the championship game.

The title game pitted Kirby's against its old familiar rival Buxy's for all the marbles. Buxy's scored first on a 22-yard touchdown pass from Jones to Purnell to take an early 7-0 lead. Buxy's Kurt Purnell then hit Pat Spicer with a 19-yard TD pass to extend the lead to 13-0, which was all the scoring the eventual champion would need. Kirby's got on the board with a 16-yard touchdown pass from Talbert to Stokely to cut the lead to 13-7, but that was as close as they would get and Buxy's held on to retain its fourth straight title.