At 6 feet and 240 pounds, fullback/linebacker Michael Gilliam is the perfect representative of a big, physical Osan American football team. Likewise, fleet-footed running back Antoine “Flash” Feagin is emblematic of a Daegu American team long on speed but short on size.
The contrasting styles will line up at 6 p.m. Friday at Camp Walker’s Kelly Field with everything on the line. Their best-of-three series to determine which will host Zama American in the Class A title game is deadlocked at a game each.
“Do or die. End of the season for somebody,” coach Ken Walter of Daegu American said Tuesday.
Walter’s Warriors throttled the Cougars 37-14 on Sept. 25, taking advantage of seven lost fumbles. In last Saturday’s rematch, Gilliam ran for two scores, Jake Mattison threw for two TDs and Osan fumbled just once, but had to hold off a Daegu rally for a 28-26 victory.
Even if Osan seems to have found its groove, Cougars coach Mike Miano believes his team has its work cut out.
“If we play the same way we played last Saturday, we might lose the game,” Miano said. He cited problems the Cougars had shutting down Feagin and Daegu’s passing and reverse plays.
“We have to adjust defensively,” Miano said. “We need to do a better job of containing the run and the pass. They have a very effective offense, third year of the same offense under the same coach.”
All season, Walter said he worried that his team, although talented, didn’t have the depth to stay with the Cougars. Those fears proved right last Saturday, when two-way star David Martinez was carried off the field and other players suffered dings and bruises. “In that game, they got into us,” Walter said. “We’re a thin team, a small school, 18 or 19 on varsity. Osan will come out hard. They have some big guys and we don’t.”
So, what will decide Friday’s rubber game?
“It will come down to the fourth quarter,” Walter said. “Who plays best and who makes the fewest mistakes. That will play a big part. Special teams will play a big part.”
Miano said the Cougars plan to “stick to their guns” offensively. “Give up fewer points and, hopefully, we’ll be the ones who host Zama.”
Elsewhere, the Guam Interscholastic Football League playoffs continue with Guam High trying to secure its first Bamboo Bowl berth.
Standing in the way is Father Duenas Memorial; the semifinal kicks off at 3 p.m. Saturday at Panthers Field.
Zama hopes to lock up its first DODEA Japan league title and has an outside shot of sharing the Kanto Plain Association of Secondary Schools title on Friday. The Trojans visit Nile C. Kinnick; kickoff is at 7 p.m. at Yokosuka Naval Base’s Berkey Field.
Yokota is also vying for a share of the Kanto championship. To earn that, the Panthers need to beat an American School In Japan team that routed Yokota 48-8 on Oct. 9 at Mustang Valley. The rematch is at 7 p.m. Friday at Yokota’s Bonk Field.
Scores and standings
DODEA Japan
W L Pct. PF PA
Yokota 5 1 .833 191 71
a-Zama American 4 1 .800 138 92
Robert D. Edgren 2 4 .333 128 135
Nile C. Kinnick 0 5 .000 54 214
a-clinched berth in Far East Class A title game on Nov. 7 at Daegu or Osan American
Kanto Plain
W L Pct. PF PA
ASIJ 4 1 .800 174 43
Zama American 3 2 .600 100 89
Yokota 3 2 .600 131 105
Nile C. Kinnick 0 5 .000 60 238
Friday, Oct. 30
American School In Japan at Yokota, 7 p.m.
Zama American at Nile C. Kinnick, 7 p.m.
DODEA Korea
W L Pct. PF PA
x-Daegu American 4 1 .800 110 76
Osan American 2 2 .500 64 77
Seoul American 1 4 .200 48 69
x-clinched 2009 DODEA Korea Football League title
Friday, Oct. 30
Osan American at Daegu American, 6 p.m.
Guam
Playoffs
Quarterfinals
Friday, Oct. 23
Game 1-Father Duenas Memorial 49, Okkodo 13
Saturday, Oct. 24
Game 2-Guam High 48, Southern 6
Game 3-John F. Kennedy 14, Simon Sanchez 12
Semifinals
Friday, Oct. 30
Game 4-John F. Kennedy at George Washington, 7 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 31
Game 5-Father Duenas Memorial at Guam High, 3 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 6 or Saturday, Nov. 7
Third-place game
Game 6-Game 4 loser vs. Game 5 loser, site and time to be determined
Bamboo Bowl
Game 7-Game 4 winner vs. Game 5 winner, site and time to be determined
DODEA Pacific Far East Playoffs
Class A
Championship
Saturday, Nov. 7
Zama at Daegu or Osan, time TBD
Class AA
At Camp Foster, Okinawa
Semifinals
Monday, Nov. 9
Game 2-Yokota vs. Kadena, 5:30 p.m.
Tuesday, Nov. 10
Game 1-Seoul American vs. Guam, 5:30 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 14
Third place
Game 3-Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser, 1 p.m.
Championship
Game 4-Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner, 5 p.m.
The Top Ten
The Top Ten teams in the Stars and Stripes' 2009 Far East high school football ratings, with records through Oct. 24, points and last week's rating, as compiled by Dave Ornauer of Stars and Stripes sports. Ratings are based on teams' win-loss records, quality of wins, strength of roster, schedule and leagues, point differential and team and individual statistics. Maximum rating is 500 points:
Record Pts Pvs
1. Kadena, Okinawa 6-0 472 1
2. Geo. Washington, Guam 6-0 460 2
3. ASIJ 6-2 456 3
4. Guam High 6-1 452 6
5. Zama American, Japan 5-2 440 3
6. Father Duenas, Guam 5-2 432 7
7. Daegu American, South Korea 5-1 428 5
8. Yokota, Japan 6-3 412 8
9. John F. Kennedy, Guam 4-3 380 9
10. Osan American, South Korea 2-3 376 --
Week 9 grid honors
Guam-Aaron Cosey 9-for-14, 144 yards, 3 TDs; 2 rushing TDs. Jason Brunson 83 yards, 3 TDs, 13 carries. Devon Jacobs 33 yards, 2 TDs, 3 catches.
Osan-Jake Mattison 6-for-6, 140 yards, 2 TDs. Dominique Williams 105 yards, 1 TD, 4 catches. Mike Gilliam 122 yards, 2 TDs, 6 carries.
Daegu-Josh Gosserand 90 yards, 1 TD, 8 carries. Antoine Feagin 44 yards, 2 TDs, 11 carries. David Martinez 167 all-purpose yards.
Zama-Michael Spencer 102 yards, 23 carries. Mike Jorgenson 9-for-18, 84 yards, 2 TDs. Matt Cole 22 yards, 2 TDs, 3 catches. Cory Peckins 1 interception, 1 fumble recovery.
ASIJ-Hayden Jardine 11-for-19, 175 yards, 4 TDs. Tom Jardine 107 yards, 3 TDs, 6 catches; 1 fumble recovery. Alex Busam 97 yards total offense, 2 TDs, 17 touches. Jamie Masman 2 sacks.
Yokota-DeEric Harvin 146 all-purpose yards, 1 TD. Gerald McCloud 153 yards, 1 TD, 20 carries. Wesly Cannonier and Ross Matsumoto 1 red-zone interception each. Gabe Huizar 2 field goals.
Kadena-Shariff Coleman 181 yards, 2 TDs, 12 carries. Thomas McDonald 26 yards, 2 TDs, 7 carries; 36-yard TD catch.
Week 10 lookahead
Friday
Japan
ASIJ at Yokota, 7 p.m.-Host Panthers are healthy once more, but between JROTC trip to Camp Fuji and homecoming, do they have enough to handle a Mustangs team operating like a well-oiled machine at the moment? ... Mustangs 22, Panthers 12.
Zama at Kinnick, 7 p.m.-Winless in Kanto Plain and DODEA Japan, the Red Devils might seem the perfect antidote for a Trojans team needing to get its groove back. Still, Kinnick led Zama for awhile the first time they played. ... Trojans 18, Red Devils 11.
Guam
John F. Kennedy at George Washington, 7 p.m.-Island's oldest rivalry renewed once more with berth in island's Bamboo Bowl championship game at stake. Don't expect anything closer than the last time they played. ... Geckos 21, Islanders 3.
South Korea
Osan at Daegu, 6 p.m.-This one's for all the marbles, big, physical Cougars taking on small, fleet Warriors for host rights to the Class A title game. Series even 1-1. Game just as tight. ... Cougars 19, Warriors 18.
Saturday
Guam
Father Duenas at Guam, 3 p.m.-It won't be as easy as the last few games have been, for the Friars gave the Panthers their closest battle in victory this season. But the "Three Caballeros," Cosey, Brunson and Jacobs, lead the Panthers to their first Bamboo Bowl bid ever. ... Panthers 21, Friars 17.
Last week-6-1, .857.
Season-37-12, .755.