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A couple of host-rights tickets have been punched for next month's U.S. Forces Japan-American Football League North Division playoffs. Still to be determined is which games Misawa and Yokota will end up hosting.

Four players scored touchdowns and the Jets pulled away from Yokosuka with a 17-point fourth quarter in blanking the Seahawks 31-0 Saturday at Robert D. Edgren High School's Eagles Field.

Meanwhile, the South Division's playoff picture became as clear as mud as defending champion Foster rebounded from a rain-soaked 12-0 shutout June 9 and got two touchdown passes from James Sanford on successive possessions in a 28-0 shutout of Kadena at Ryukyu Middle School.

Misawa improved to 2-1 and secured at least host rights for a first-round game July 7. Yokota leads the North at 2-0 and also clinched host rights. The Misawa at Yokota game on June 20 will determine the North title and first-round playoff bye.

Foster and Kadena are tied 2-1 atop the South Division, but Foster holds the point-differential tie-breaker edge, plus-16 points, with Hansen trailing by a half-game at 1-1. Hansen visits Foster on June 16 and Kadena travels to Hansen on June 23; each game is playoff-critical.

Misawa 31, Yokosuka 0MISAWA AIR BASE, Japan - Coach Jeremy Sanders said the Jets tweaked their defensive middle and passing game to get better results than their 20-10 home loss to Yokota the week before.

"It was a good, solid team effort," Sanders said. "We played all four quarters for the first time this season."

Quinton Murphy, Jakai Alson and Brandon Hudson each ran for touchdowns of 45, 55 and 5 yards, Charles Campbell threw 40 yards to Devon McMillan for a score and Aaron Bradley's 20-yard field goal as time ran out capped the scoring.

Misawa needs to win at Yokota on June 30 by two or more points. "That's what we're planning on," Sanders said.

Foster 28, Kadena 0KADENA AIR BASE, Okinawa - "We needed that," Bulldogs coach Gerald Sharber said of the 12-0 loss the week before, adding that it served as a good slap in the face. "We got in a good week of practice, we didn't get our heads down, we actually played today."

"They showed up. We didn't," Kadena coach Bob Friend said.

On successive plays and possessions to open the second half, Sharber called a play-action pass, on which Sanford found Ian Williams open for touchdown catches of 50 and 65 yards, which proved to be the backbreakers for the Dragons.

Earlier, Jayson Durden put the Bulldogs on the board with a 1-yard run. Mike Henderson capped the scoring with a 30-yard interception-return touchdown.

Football

U.S. Forces Japan-American Football League

W L Pct. PF PA

North Division

x-Yokota Air Base 2 0 1.000 73 19

x-Misawa Air Base 2 1 .667 84 35

Yokosuka Naval Base 0 4 .000 15 118

x-clinched at least home-field

advantage for first round of playoffs.

South Division

Camp Foster 2 1 .667 68 34

Kadena Air Base 2 1 .667 48 34

Camp Hansen 1 2 .333 34 76

Playoff possibilities

North Division

Yokota Air Base - Clinched at least home field for first round of playoffs. Can clinch regular-season title and first-round bye with win June 30 over Misawa Air Base.

Misawa Air Base - Clinched at least home field for first round of playoffs. Can clinch regular-season title and first-round bye with win by two points or more June 30 at Yokota.

Yokosuka Naval Base - Plays the postseason on the road.

South Division

Camp Foster - Holds point-differential tie-breaker edge in head-to-head competition with Kadena. Can clinch regular-season title and first-round playoff bye with win June 16 over Camp Hansen OR Kadena loss June 23 at Camp Hansen. Clinches first-round playoff host rights with loss June 16 to Camp Hansen by 11 points or fewer AND Kadena win June 23 at Camp Hansen. Plays postseason on the road with loss to Camp Hansen by 13 points or more AND Kadena win June 23 at Camp Hansen.

Kadena Air Base - Clinches regular-season title and first-round playoff bye with Camp Foster loss June 16 to Camp Hansen AND win June 23 at Camp Hansen. Clinches first-round playoff host rights with Camp Foster win June 16 vs. Camp Hansen AND win June 23 at Camp Hansen. Plays postseason on the road with Camp Hansen win June 16 at Camp Foster AND loss June 23 at Camp Hansen.

Camp Hansen - Clinches regular-season title and first-round playoff bye with wins June 16 at Camp Foster AND June 23 vs. Kadena. Clinches first-round playoff host rights with win June 16 by 13 or more points or loss by 11 or fewer points at Camp Foster AND loss June 23 to Kadena OR loss June 16 at Camp Foster AND win by 31 points or more June 23 over Kadena. Plays postseason on the road with loss or win by 11 points or fewer June 16 at Camp Foster AND loss June 23 to Kadena.

Saturday, June 9

Misawa Air Base 31, Yokosuka Naval Base 0

Camp Foster 28, Kadena Air Base 0

Saturday, June 16

Camp Hansen at Camp Foster, 3:30 p.m.

Yokota Air Base at Kadena, 6 p.m.

--30--/dso/yng/spr

ornauerd@pstripes.osd.mil

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Dave Ornauer has been employed by or assigned to Stars and Stripes Pacific almost continuously since March 5, 1981. He covers interservice and high school sports at DODEA-Pacific schools and manages the Pacific Storm Tracker.

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