Monday, September 9, 2024

Week 1 of the '24 X League Area

Week one of the X League Area (second tier teams) actually took place over the course of two weekends, with two games taking place on August 31 and September 1, respectfully, and three games on September 7.  The teams of the Area X1 subdivision are unfortunately the red headed step children of the X League when it comes to league coverage. Specifically, the league, just as they did last year, does not look to be providing game highlights for the Area teams, which, for gridiron fans here in Japan and abroad, is a disservice to the players and supporters of the league. The players, such as our own co-host, Aaron Ellis, deserve those highlights.



PentaOcean Pirates 31 Mitsubishi Club Triax 3

Box Score

In the first of which were several lopsided victories in week one of Area action, the Pirates rolled up 124 yards rushing, led by Takahiro Ueda’s 50 yards on three carries and Kento Shibuta’s six carries and 39 yards, and a touchdown apiece. Quarterbacks Ryusuke Matsuda and Shuhei Matsuoka each threw for touchdowns and a combined 132 yards passing, with receivers Junnosuke Kishizawa and Taku Hidaka hauling in their scoring throws. The Pirate defense was stingy and allowed for only 124 yards passing and 63 yards rushing, while registering one sack and two interceptions, one of which was returned 62 yards.

Tainai Deers 21 Bulls FC 0

Box Score

In a game that was called due to inclement weather, the Deers offense totaled 157 yards in offense as QB Shotaro Owada was 8/12 for 86 yards (with TD throws to Yuki Ogawa and Kotaro Shibasaki), and the backfield rushed for a total of 71 yards and a TD by Shuhei Chiyo. The defense held the Bulls defense to a total of -1 yards rushing and 46 yards passing by their trio of ineffectual quarterbacks.

ASONE Black Eagles 28 TRIAXIS J-Stars 17

Box Score

In what was the most competitive game of week one of X1 Area action, the Black Eagles were met by the newly promoted J-Stars, who showed plenty of moxie in their loss to the more polished area team. The Black Eagles defense picked off three J-Star passes, including one that was returned for a touchdown by Hiroyuki Hata. Quarterback Takefuji Masataka was 13/23 for 136 yards and two TD tosses (to Takashi Kinoshita and Kona Shimada). The run game stalled with only 28 yards rushing; however special teams did not disappoint as Kazuki Kawabata returned a J-Stars kickoff for the final Black Eagles score of the day. The J-Stars totaled more offense than the victors with QB Kohei Banba going 21/41 for 204 yards and a TD throw to Hiroyushi Ken, and the backfield rushing for 78 yards, including a TD by Ryohei Abe. The J-Stars defense also forced two interceptions. 

Shinagawa Bulleyes 7 Tokyo Metropolitan Police Eagles 0

Box Score

The Bulleyes had a total of 69 rushing yards and 116 passing yards, while the police put up lesser numbers with 56 yards rushing and 78 yards passing, in a game where the only score came at 7:58 in the third quarter with Bulleyes’ QB Jin Ishii running into the end zone.  The Bulleyes punted four times, while the police punted five. The Bulleyes’ defense also registered one sack and one interception.

Dentsu Caterpillars 30 Blue Thunders 3

Box Score

In what was the best game of the weekend, in the opinion of Gridiron Japan, our co-host Aaron Ellis had a night to remember as he went 17/27 for 192 yards and three touchdown passes to Kento Minami (4 rec./64 yards and 1 TD) and Onuki Satoshi (4 rec./48 yards and 2 TDs).  The Caterpillars registered a total of 142 yards rushing with Jun Haratani leading the team with 81 yards and the final TD.  The game was never close as right out of the gate as a poised and confident Aaron lit up the Thunder defense with solid passes that led to an unanswered 14 point lead in the first quarter, at which point the team never looked back. The Caterpillar defense held American import and UCLA alum Dymond Lee to ten completions for 113 yards on 21 attempts, while the Thunder backfield gained a team total of 35 yards. Lee also threw an interception and fumbled once against a defensive unit that would not bend or give up a touchdown. 

Image by Freepik

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