Team USA was unable to recover from conceding 17 unanswered first half points and despite outscoring Team Japan after the break went down to a 24-14 defeat at a Kawasaki Stadium overflowing with 4,800 enthusiastic football fans.
“We gave ourselves a mountain to climb and never fully recovered,” said Team USA head coach Jeff Scurran (Santa Rita, AZ). “But I am proud of the way we showed spirit and came back in the second half. This whole week has been an enjoyable and memorable experience and everyone conducted themselves with dignity and can leave here with their heads held high,”
After Japan came firing out of the starting blocks and scored on the game’s first possession, Team USA found its offense stifled and was forced to make adjustments at halftime. After Japan had extended its lead to 24-0, Akeem Satterfield (Erie Prep, PA) turned the tide with a one-yard touchdown run and Daniel Nicholas (Canyon Del Oro, AZ) hit Aubura Taylor (Santa Rita, AZ) on a 15-yard score. But the fourth quarter comeback came too late to deny Japan victory.
Team USA lost the coin toss and Japan, having elected to receive the ball, overcame some early nerves to put points on the board early. Things might have been different had fumbles on the opening kickoff and the third play of the game bounced into US hands.
Quarterback Shohei Kato and six feet seven receiver Hiroki Matsubara both gained crucial first downs and a 15-yard penalty also helped move the ball before the blistering speed of Tatsuya Kureta took him in for a rushing touchdown to delight the home crowd.
Team USA went three and out on its first possession, the highlight of the fierce Japanese defense being a hit by safety Hideoshi Yano that stopped Marquese Wheaton (Mountain Pointe, AZ) in his tracks. Fumbled balls continued to elude the US as a snap over the head of Masashi Ishikawa forced the punter to improvise and he narrowly got his kick away with Satterfield bearing down on the ball.
With 3:54 played in the second quarter, Japan quarterback Kato went to the air and hit his receiver a fraction before Wheaton arrived to try for the interception and the defensive back’s gamble left 47 yards of open field for a 14-0 Japan lead.
The touchdown was rough justice on the US defense that had started to show signs of calming a frantic first half. Tony Martin (Somerset, WI) came up with an interception as American confidence grew, but the Japanese defense continued to flush Nicholas out of the pocket and he was sacked and then forced to dump off a short pass that Taylor turned into a tough 11-yard gain.
Faced with a difficult fourth and one decision at his own 30-yard mark, coach Scurran opted to punt the ball away rather than risk turning the ball over so close to the red zone.
Japan took the ball at its own 36-yard mark and drove downfield to set up a 19-yard Ishikawa field goal and a 17-0 lead as first half time expired.
Team USA stalled at the beginning of the third quarter and Japan delivered the sucker punch that effectively ended the contest. Two pass interference calls, the second a harsh call on Tyler Ward (Seven Lakes, TX), helped move the chains to the two-yard mark. Japan punched the ball in to leave Team USA facing a 23-point deficit and only 17:27 in which to recover.
Wheaton caught a 44-yard pass down the right sideline despite being impeded by the cornerback and Nicholas picked up a first down on a short run as Team USA gathered momentum. On the first play of the fourth quarter, Riley Bushman’s (Sabino, AZ) 11-yard reception came up just a yard shy of the end zone, so Satterfield stepped up to put six points on the board for Team USA. The two-point conversion attempt was fumbled away.
It was Japan’s turn to feel the heat defensively and after they had been forced to punt, Team USA drove again. Nicholas eluded the blitz to find Scotty Smith (Davis County, KY) for a first down, but facing third and 11 on the Japan 24, Nicholas was hit as he threw and Japan pounced on the loose ball.
Throwing caution to the wind, Nicholas pitched a bomb to Wheaton worth 35 yards and after Satterfield had been stopped for a loss, the Southern Arizona player of the year lofted a 15-yard scoring strike to Taylor. A successful two-point conversion pass from Nicolas to Satterfield meant the US was behind only two scores with 4:13 remaining.
As quickly as hope of a recovery had appeared it vanished as Michael DiGangi’s (Highland, AZ) onside kick landed untouched out of bounds. When the US did get the ball back, Nicholas was pressured into a desperation pass and Yasuhiro Kawano came up with the game-ending interception.
Quarterback Nicholas, who completed 16 of 23 attempts for 179 yards, one touchdown and an interception, also led the US on the ground with 25 yards on 12 carries, ahead of Taylor (9-7), and Satterfield (5-6-1). Wheaton was the most productive receiver with 5 catches for 81 yards, followed by Taylor (6-46-1), Scotty Smith (3-32), Bushman (1-11) and Satterfield 1-9.
Defensively, Wheaton stepped up with 7 tackles and an interception, while Ward, Mike Parsons (Erie Prep, PA), Mike Snively (Santa Rita, AZ), Nick Viola (Villa Angela St Joseph, OH) and Jordan Ralph (Gibson Southern, IN) each had three tackles. Martin claimed a tackles and an interception and there were three sacks for Viola and one for Darius Petraitis (Villa Angela St Joseph, OH). Japan’s starting quarterback Kato (Kwansei Gaukin University) completed 13 of 21 pass attempts for 162 yards, one touchdown and an interception.
Quotes and photos to follow…
Great Game.
I was thouroughly impressed by team USA. Mostly because they did not fall apart or get demoralized after getting behind 24-0 and actually took control, turned the tide and turned a bad run around into an awesome display of courage and persistence. They played the second half like champions and demonstrated more character than they would have by winning. It would have been nice to have a positive score , but simply winning the game would not have reflected them as the champions they are as clearly as the demonstration of guts that they showed by actually coming together, pulling through as a team, and taking control of the game after such a bad start.
By: Don Thompson on March 22, 2008
at 2:17 pm
To Team USA, the coaches, Patrick Steenberge and Shinzo. “Weru dan” and “Domo Arrigato”. (Which means, Well Done and Thank You Very Much) for a life changing experience. To all you parents and family back in the states you should be very proud our your young men. I have been here “living this dream” with the team and I can tell you they are ALL WINNERS. Sure, we hoped the final score would have been different, but our time here has made us all better people and made us realize that the “game”, is just that, “a game”. I, along with everyone on this trip, will bring home countless stories, photos, and memeories that we will share with everyone, so you too can enjoy this fabulous adventure. Thank you to the caoches for inviting Michael to be part of USA Sports History. He has had the time of his life. He has made many new friends and will remember this trip forever. Thank you also for letting me be able to share this never ending fantacy. I am more proud than ever to be an American and a Dad. (I still can’t get my chest in the door) Sayonara, from, Kawasaki, Japan
By: Dennis DiGangi on March 22, 2008
at 11:04 pm
Thank you parents…for raising such wonderful young men. I can’t tell you how good it was to see young American men acting like the true scholar-athletes they were chosen to be and I can tell you all that you would have been so proud of them in every phase of this trip.
Like every coach in the country, I would have loved to win this game with a group of high school seniors vs. a Japanese team comprised of mostly college freshman and even a few college sophmores (yes, they did have a few high school players). Let me tell you from my heart that your son’s played with class and character and you would have been proud of their 2nd half comeback. We truly overcame a very tiring schedule, a strange diet…and being treated like “rock stars” for a week. It was very easy to understand why we started the game slowly, but in the end, we left with everyone’s respect.
I can honestly say that the behavior of the entire group was spectacular and each and every athlete will go home with a lifetime of memories. I would do this trip again in a heartbeat.
Thank you so much for trusting me with your most precious asset, your child.
Jeff Scurran
Head Coach
Team USA
By: Jeff Scurran on March 23, 2008
at 1:50 pm
The TOP TEN Reasons to come back for Global Challenge 2009…
10. The grace period for returning $1400 porcelain dolls is one year.
9. Everything is only an hour and a half away.
8. Mike Rogers (International)
7. The female Japanese Team Managers
6. Heated toilet seats and bidets
5. 4000 Yen and all you can drink
4. There is no shortage of meat at the Korean barbecue.
3. The vending machines on the 8th and 12th floors
2. Players (and coaches) from “Podunk” Kentucky
1. In Tokyo, equipment managers can strike out more often than baseball players.
By: Coach X on March 23, 2008
at 3:53 pm