YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan — For the fifth time in six seasons, the Yokosuka Seahawks have captured the U.S. Forces Japan-American Football League regular-season championship and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.

But the way Yokosuka (4-2) sealed that deal on Sunday left a bad taste in the Seahawks’ mouths, coach Robert Cole said. Yokosuka lost its regular-season finale 12-7 to Yokota (3-3 overall, 3-2 league), but won out thanks to a points-differential tiebreaker; the Seahawks beat the Warriors 12-6 on July 1 at Yokosuka.

“That’s not the way we wanted to win” the regular-season championship, Cole said after a game in which the Seahawks threw three interceptions and lost two fumbles, one of which was returned 95 yards for the game-winning touchdown by Yokota’s Mardie Wilson.

“The guys are taking it hard. We beat ourselves,” Cole said. “My guys played as hard as they possibly could today. They gave as much as they could. But five turnovers. You can’t turn the ball over inside the 10 and twice inside the 30.”

Despite the defeat, Yokosuka earned the right to host Atsugi, which finished last in the league for the third straight season, in the second of two semifinals on Aug. 26.

Yokota and defending champion Misawa (3-3) will meet in the first semifinal Aug. 19. The site of the game will be determined Saturday when Yokota plays at Atsugi. A victory will mean a home playoff game; a loss will send the Warriors to Misawa.

“We decide our own destiny,” Yokota coach Chris Bell said.

After Atsugi’s 14-12 win Saturday over Misawa, which ended the Falcons’ 20-game losing skid, his players now know they “can’t take Atsugi lightly,” he said.

“I called that Atsugi victory,” Bell said. “I said for three weeks, it was going to happen. Atsugi had something to prove. We can’t go there and give up a win and put us into position to have to travel to Misawa. We have to play a complete game and make Misawa come to us.”

Yokota did just enough Sunday to win, but the Warriors needed to beat the Seahawks by six or more points to have a shot at the regular-season title and home field in the playoffs.

Quarterback Bruce Turner hit Patrick Piazza from 15 yards out to give Yokota a 6-0 first-quarter edge, then Wilson capped Yokota’s scoring on the Seahawks’ next possession.

Seahawks quarterback Cameron Haines then sliced the final cushion to five points, passing 6 yards to Curtis White for a fourth-quarter touchdown, followed by Charles Blakely’s extra-point kick.

Yokota charged back, trying to win the points tiebreaker, but failed on four tries into the end zone in the final seconds. Bell said the Warriors could have accomplished that much earlier in the game if they’d taken better advantage of the five turnovers.

“We have to capitalize on those mistakes, and we didn’t do it today,” Bell said.

Migrated