By Bob Stoll

In the Major Division finale, the Bucs relied on two late touchdowns that followed two early fumble recoveries to defeat a stubborn Giants’ squad, 37-20.

The Bucs’ special teams unit handed the offense the ball twice in the first quarter of the game. J.P. “Sure Thing” Moran recovered a fumble at the Giants’ 12 yard line and, two plays later, Anthony Oliva powered in from the 5 for the score. 

The Giants’ next possession was also costly as Joseph “A-Train” Natelli recovered another fumble that set up a 6-yard touchdown run by Moran. When Natelli added the extra point, the Bucs led, 13-0. They added two more touchdowns in the second quarter as A.J. “Thunder” Solecki ripped off a 30-yard run and deposited the ball in the end zone for the score. 

Not to be outdone, Abraham Williams broke out on a 25-yard run and, when the dust settled, the Bucs held a commanding, 25-0 lead. 

The Giants got on the scoreboard late in the first half when Niko Tuason hit Dominick Raphael with a 15-yard scoring strike. On their next series, Tuason rambled down the left sideline for 12 yards and another Giants’ score. Tuason added the two-point conversion to give the Giants a shot as the deficit was just 10 points at 24-14.      

The game became a stalemate in the third quarter, but the Bucs came out hard and fast in the fourth. Dan “Sizzler” Ryan tossed a 5-yard touchdown pass to Solecki for six points and Moran notched his third score of the game, this one a 12-yard run right up the middle of the defense. 

That score proved to be the backbreaker, as just before the Moran score, Jasiah “Daylight” Raso had capped off a long Giants’ drive by sneaking in from the 1 yard line to keep the Giants within 11 points. Moran’s final score of the game brought the score to 37-20 to close out the Major Division season.