Junior MVPs – Newcastle game
May 6th, 2016
American football is the ultimate team sport; it requires the whole team to be on the same page every play and for everyone to do their job on that play, otherwise there is little chance for success.
Some people however, do their job and then a little bit more. These cherry-on-toppers stand out from the crowd their plays tend to decide the game.
Here are Pirates junior we like recognise the best of players of each game by awarding them the title of most valuable player, or MVP. Each game has three phases, offence, defence and special teams and each has its own MVP.
Offensive MVP – Struan Bailey
Newcastle had no answers for the speedy slot who saw his first action of the season after sitting out last week’s win against Inverness.
Struan’s dynamic skill set was on full show as he played a major role in leading the Pirates to their second straight win this season. Struan displayed his run-after-the-catch ability several times, turning short passes into long gains.
His highlight was a ten yard reception which he turned into an 70 yard gain. Struan broke several tackles before running out of steam on the 10 yard line. He is still waiting on his first receiving touchdown but he wont be waiting long if he continues to perform like this.
An honourable mention should go to running backs Jack Hunter and Will Price who kept the Pirates offense on track for most of the day.
Defensive MVP – Craig ‘The Colonel’ Sanders
The Colonel, a converted jack of all trades, has taken to the role of full time DE like a fish to water. To be honest, opposing QBs are more likely to insist that it is a shark to water and who are we to quibble.
Craig terrorised Newcastle, hunting their backfield all game long. He tallied up multiple sacks and tackles-for-loss even though he spent a spell on the sidelines after getting winded while, you guessed it, sacking the QB.
Craig also got his name on the scoreboard after he notched up a special teams touchdown which he said was the perfect present for his 18th birthday, which he celebrated Monday. Happy birthday and congratulations Colonel Sanders!
An honourable mention goes to DL David Harvey who amassed a huge seven solo tackles and to cornerback Adam ’Magic’ Fitzpatrick who had a 47yrd interception return touchdown in the first quarter to get the Pirates on track.
Special Teams MVP – Darren ‘Chewie’ Roberts
There really only could be one winner for this weeks’ Specials MVP; for the second week in a row, the linebacker known as Chewie made the play which resulted in a special team’s touchdown for the Pirates.
Using his trademark quickness and ability to time up the snap count, Darren came hard off the edge and got to the punter so quickly he barely even have to jump to block the attempted punt, which was returned for a Pirates touchdown. If Darren continues his big play streak he will be a special team’s menace all season long.
An honourable mention must go to Matthew ‘Blue Steel’ Caminade who took a break from his sideline modelling career long enough to notch two booming tackles on kickoff.
Be sure to check back after the next junior game for to see who stepped up in a big way for the team.
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