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On a cold, foggy Saturday morning five flag football teams battled on the grid iron for the right to be called champion in the first Sembach Invitational Flag Football Tournament held Nov. 19 in Sembach.
Jeff Thomas, an operations specialist with the 18th Military Police Brigade, arranged the tournament with the intent of bringing something to the Soldiers and Airmen of Sembach to boost their morale in a growing community.
The 18th MP Bde. invited units from Sembach, Heidelberg and Mannheim, providing the opportunity for surrounding communities to partner together and make this event memorable for service members and their families.
“I only heard great things about this event and the anticipation of more sporting events to follow,” Thomas said. “The time I spent planning this tournament was well worth it for all the Soldiers, Airmen and families of the Sembach community.”
The tournament began with preliminary games determining the seeding of the first through fifth position of the teams, which established the bracket for the elimination rounds.
“In the elimination round all records from the preliminary round were thrown out and it was win and move on or lose and go home,” Thomas said.
After all the elimination games were played there were only two teams left remaining, the 435th Security Force Squadron and the combined team of the 95th MP battalion and the 18th MP Bde.
Motivated by a last second win over the number one seed, the Air Force dominated the Army with a 34-0 win claiming the title of champion and bragging rights in a battle of the services.
“The tournament was a great success,” said Staff Sgt. Joseph Patterson, the coach of the U.S. Army Correctional Command football team. “The weather was perfect for football. Win, lose or draw, all teams built camaraderie with other units in the area.”
