Sunday, 11 March, 2018
It was a cold, damp, rainy Sunday.
In other words . . . SKORPION WEATHER!
Yes, it was yet another GREAT Italian day for American flag football!
But before we review the Skorpions U13, U15 and U17 flag teams' performances today, lets check out the weekends results from FIDAF's Division II schedule.
FIDAF WEEK #3 IN REVIEW
Week #3 Results - Skorpions Opponents (red)
Brescia Bengals (1-1) 18 - Sarzana Red Jackets (0-2) 16
Bologna Warriors (1-0) 35 - Sant'Agata Knights (0-1) 0
BYES:
Busto Arsizio Blue Storms (0-0)
Cagliari Crusaders (0-0)
Varese Gorillas (0-1)
Varese Skorpions (1-0)
DII Group C Standings
1. Varese Skorpions 1-0
2T. Bust Arsizio Blue Storms 0-0
2T. Cagliari Crusaders 0-0
4. Varese Gorillas 0-1
Week #4 Schedule - Skorpions Opponents (red)
Saturday, March 17th
Busto Arsizio Blue Storms (0-0) at Varese Skorpions (1-0)
Varese Gorillas (0-1) at Cagliari Crusaders (0-0)
Sunday, March 18th
Sant'Agata Knights (0-1) at Palermo Sharks (1-0)
BYE:
Sarzana Red Jackets (0-2)
Now as for Sunday's Varese Skorpions flag teams' action . . .
Our opponents today were
the Martesana Daemons
It was non-stop rain but all of the players on both teams were excited to finally get to scrimmage an opponent other than themselves.
Fans found shelter in the
Skorpion Snack Bar
The coffee was warm and the panini were fantastic!
I'll have a Skorpion panini completo per favore.
U13 Scrimmage
Bombs Away
The field would get worse.
To review, in Italy flag football is played on a narrow field about 50 yards x 20 yards. There are five players on a team and they are all eligible to receive a pass. The QB can not run with the ball, he or she must pass the ball or hand it off to another player.
Alessandro
The Iowa Barnstormers #1 fan
U13 Coaches
Marianna "Tex" Tessera and
Ottavio Mengo
Referee Emanuele Maschelli
An excellent Skorpion Senior team receiver, he would act as a referee today for the U13 game.
He is also Coach Tessera's significant other, can you say conflict of interest?
U13 Jumping Jacks
Alessandro at MLB
No, Alessandro never wears his goggles on his eyes, only atop his head.
Remember, in the greater Milan megalopolis fashion is everything!
Look good, play good!
A raised hand means she is blitzing
In order to legally blitz in flag football, she must be at least five yards away from the line of scrimmage at the snap of the ball.
Skorpions on Offense
Emma Petrillo . . .
. . . could go . . .
. . . go all . . .
. . . the way!
TD SKORPIONS!
#72 covering our Center
is about to get toasted
Dancing down the sideline
for a . . .
. . . BIG gain!
At his age, he didn't even know
he had a groin until this play
One wet, dirty Skorpion
QB Tommy did well today
I liked his Under Armour cold weather under shirt.
Our U13 Big Play Ladies
basking in the post-game warmth
of the Skorpion Snack Bar
The U13 scrimmage was fairly even as the two clubs traded TD for TD throughout the contest. Defense was on vacation at this level today.
U13 Coach Ottavio Mengo
and the Small World of
American Football
After the scrimmage, Ottavio and I were talking about the U13s performance today when he asked if I knew one of his former coaches, Chris Pagliaro.
Indeed I do!
Chris was a driving force in getting me to coach in EuroBall in the first place back in 2008 with the Italian DI Catania Elephants. For years I had heard his stories about his positive and funny EuroBall experiences and it was his friend Giorgio Volpi that recommended me to the Elephants for their job as Defensive Coordinator.
Ottavio had played for Chris in 1989 with a club known as the Faraoni (Pharaohs) and had a wonderful time playing for Chris from what he told me.
Small world indeed . . .
U15 Scrimmage
Yes, that is Lake Varese encroaching
on Skorpion Field in the foreground
U15 Murderer's Row
Coach Giorgio Nardi
never stops coaching
Giorgio's dedication to the entire Skorpion football program is the lifeblood of the club.
GREAT GUY!
Reviewing the QB footwork
on a Scissors play
U15 Defensive Coordinator
Maurizio "DJ" Digennaro
INTENSE is a good word to describe DJ.
Two man blitz
Shades of Dan Devine's 1970s Notre Dame teams, the U15 Skorpions warmed up in red jerseys then went to the locker room where they switched to the white jerseys seen here.
There was no stopping our U15s now!
It all starts with a good snap
Filippo Zanon running the rock
Filippo Petrillo, #27, had a
GREAT scrimmage!
Filippo Petrillo's
patented spin move . . .
. . . works every time!
Stefano Tosco, #18, must stand still as, under the rules, blocking is not allowed in flag football.
Passing under duress
Scorpion Pursuit
#11 "Il Dottore"
"Il Dottore" is relentless!
One muddy Daemon!
Our U15 team has appeared to be a very good one in our practices.
They had no trouble with the Daemons today.
U17 Scrimmage
Warming Up
Throwing a dart to
a shallow route . . .
. . . that became a Big Play
Another Skorpion break-away
Tracking the ball with his eyes . . .
. . . led to a fine catch and a . . .
. . . SKORPION TD!
DEFENSE!
Swarming to the ball
Swivel Hips
Rodrigo Blankenship
in the open field
Five Man Bunch Formation
CB Sofia Petrillo . . .
. . . might be holding the receiver
Gabriele Di Stefano's blitz stance
4 1/2 Skorpions running to the ball
Did I mention that it was raining?
Turn up the volume
while watching this video
LOVE IT!
Our U17s dominated their scrimmage due to the combination of their talent and sheer numbers. The Daemons only had six players while our Skorpions had about 15 players suited out today.
As for the Skorpions Senior squad, we play our defending Group Champion Busto Arsizio Blue Storms at home this coming Saturday night.
It will be an extremely difficult game for us to be sure!
Our positive battle cry continues to be . . .
BEAT THE BLUE STORMS!
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