MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. -- It was time. Pressure was on for both Marine Corps Air Station Miramar Falcons and 1st Radio Battalion FREQS football teams. Both teams prepared and were ready for the championship game, at Paige Field House aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif., Nov. 19.
The game started off tough for the Falcons, and the FREQS managed to lead the first half of the game, 12-0.
That wasn’t going to stop the Falcons though. In the beginning of the third quarter, Falcons made their first touchdown, caught by Eric Cambell, a wide receiver for the team.
The FREQS won the championship game in the end, 19-7. Despite the loss, the Falcons kept their heads held high.
“It just didn’t feel like a real Falcons game out there tonight,” said Cambell. “Don’t get me wrong, it was a good game, but I know we could have done something else and won.”
“It was a good game from start to finish,” said Col. John Farnam, the commanding officer of MCAS Miramar. “The Marines from both sides gave it their all on the field.”
Players from both teams received rewards from Lt. Gen. John A. Toolan, commanding general of the I Marine Expeditionary Force. The Falcons did not leave the game empty handed.
“I’m looking forward to next season,” said Carlice Moffett, the head coach of the Falcons. “We now have unfinished business to handle.”
By the end of the night, both teams came together, not as opponents, but as Marines smiling, shaking hands, and congratulating each other on a game well played.
“When the game starts, we’re warriors against each other,” said Toolan. “When the game’s over, we’re warriors that fight together.”