This time, Zama American held onto the lead.

Emmanuel Sloan threw a 45-yard touchdown pass to Nelson Bishop in the closing minutes, snapping a 13-13 tie, and the Trojans hung on to edge Robert D. Edgren 20-19 in a Japan Football League home contest.

The Trojans (1-2) stopped an eight-game losing streak. Edgren fell to 1-1.

Yokota stretched its Pacific-record winning streak to 42 regular-season games. The host Panthers fell behind 7-0 on the opening kickoff, but cruised past Nile C. Kinnick 28-7. It was the Panthers’ 17th straight victory over the Red Devils (1-2).

In the DODDS-Korea League, Seoul American (2-0) beat Taegu American (0-1) in a downpour at Camp Walker’s Kelly Field.

JapanZama 20, Edgren 19: At Camp Zama, the Trojans made sure they didn’t give up a 13-7 halftime lead just four days after failing to hold onto a 13-0 lead against Kinnick.

“We played better,” coach Steven Merrell said, adding that his charges worked hard on tackling after fading in a 36-20 loss to Kinnick on Monday.

“We did the things when we needed to do them,” Merrell said. “We played a tough offense that held onto the football. Our kids played right to the end.”

Jon Tolliver ran seven yards for one score and Sloan sneaked in for another as Zama charged in front 13-0. Jacque Moton ran 89 yards on a sweep for a TD that cut the margin to six at the half.

Josh McDonald tied it 13-13 on a 22-yard run, but Sloan replied with his game-clinching pass. Andrew Blankenship’s 4-yard burst made the final margin one point.

“Credit their coaches. They did a great job,” Edgren coach Chris Waite said. “They ran their offense really well. I had trouble getting my defense into position.”

Yokota 28, Nile C. Kinnick 7: With regular running backs Anthony McNeill and Tony Presnell nursing ankle injuries, the Panthers turned to freshman Derek Seward, who responded with 242 yards on eight carries and touchdown runs of 86, 24 and 90 yards at Yokota Air Base.

The 86-yarder came just before halftime, a “big score” for Yokota, which played a sub-par first half, coach Tim Pujol said. “That was a great feeling, to go into halftime like that.”

Seward had been playing flanker and wingback, but the Panthers put in running plays for him during the week to “get him more involved in the offense,” Pujol said. “It paid off.”

Kinnick went ahead 7-0 on Tyree Hunt’s 70-yard return of the opening kickoff, but it was all Yokota from there. Presnell ran six times for 32 yards, including a 9-yard TD run. McNeill ran 17 times for 60 yards.

“We didn’t get it done in the second half,” Kinnick coach Gary Wilson said. “That’s been our hurdle.”

Hunt ran 21 times for 108 yards and had 105 return yards. John Bollinger went 9-for-22 for 89 yards, and T.J. Jones caught four passes for 58 yards.

South KoreaSeoul American 19, Taegu American 12: The Falcons couldn’t breathe easy until junior tight end Joe McLean caught his second touchdown pass from senior quarterback Daniel Burns in the closing seconds.

“That was a great game. It was nice to see,” Falcons offensive coordinator LaRoy Slaughter said, adding that he’s not seen that competitive a Taegu squad since 1993, in the old Korea Youth Activities League.

“Their line was well-coached and disciplined.”

Ronald Penn also scored for the Falcons, who like the Warriors had oodles of trouble holding onto the football in the wet, muddy conditions.

“It was a mess,” Taegu coach Ken Walter said. “But we got it in. It was a tight one. We made a ton of first-game mistakes. I was proud of our kids.”

Angel Hickman ran 30 yards for a first-quarter touchdown and Antonio Harris 40 yards for a third-quarter TD for Taegu.

Weather takes its tollTwo Okinawa Activities Council high school football scrimmages and four Joint Military Athletic Council basketball games were scrubbed because of Typhoon Nari, school and base athletics officials said Friday.

Kubasaki’s White and Green teams were to entertain Kadena’s Black and Gold teams at 5 and 7 p.m. at Kubasaki’s Mike Petty Stadium on Camp Foster. Those were canceled after schools were shut down at mid-morning Friday after Tropical Cyclone Condition of Readiness-1 was issued.

OAC member and Kubasaki athletic director Fred Bales said the two games would be moved back to Sept. 28, which had been an off-day in league’s calendar.

Also, Saturday’s girls volleyball matches, Yomei at Kadena and Yomitan at Kubasaki, were scratched because of the weather, Bales said.

On the military side, J-MAC commissioner Gerrard Barnes announced that Friday’s games would be pushed back to an as-yet-undetermined date.

Yokota of Japan was to play 1st Marine Aircraft Wing and Kadena Air Base B, 3rd Marine Division was to face K-Unified and 3rd Marine Logistics Group was to battle Kadena Air Base A at Kadena’s Risner Fitness and Sports Complex.

Elsewhere in the Pacific, daylong rainfall washed out Friday’s entire Korean-American Interscholastic Activities Conference tennis slate.

Osan American was to visit Seoul American, Taegu American was at Seoul Foreign, Taejon Christian International was to travel to Yongsan International-Seoul, and Korea International was at Seoul International.

Saturday’s forecast called for continued heavy rain through mid-day, threatening that day’s tennis schedule as well. SIS was at Osan, Taegu at YIS-Seoul, TCIS at Seoul Foreign at KIS at Seoul American.

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