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WHILE the GTA Teleguam Raiders and Tan Holdings Southern Cowboys were prepping for their matchup in the Guam National Youth Football Federation Manha Division on Sunday morning, family and friends in attendance knew they were in for a great match.

With both teams bringing nothing but their top-notch performance, a winner was not to be decided until the final minutes of the fourth quarter. When the clock struck zero and the final whistle was blown, it was the Raiders who used a late scoring drive to propel them to a 14-13 victory over the Cowboys.

Heading into the final period, the Cowboys were holding on to a slim 13-7 lead. The Raiders remained poised and composed and immediately went to work. After marching the ball downfield, an 8-yard run by Samuel Tereas set up a first and goal from the 1-yard line for GTA Teleguam. However, the Cowboys put a halt momentarily after Jesse Babauta forced a fumble only to be recovered by the Raiders.

On the ensuing play, Tereas busted a 2-yard plunge for the touchdown and equalized the game at 13-13. Moments later, the Raiders’ Kieran Aguon converted the PAT to give his team a one-point lead with less than a minute in the game. The Cowboys failed to convert as time on the clock ticked away to give the Raider nation reason to celebrate.

In the opening drive of the game, Tan Holdings wasted no time making a statement on offense and combined a mixture of pass and run to keep the Raiders’ defense off-balanced.

After making their way into the red zone, the Cowboys’ Travon Jacobs pounded 6 hard-earned yards for the game’s first touchdown and a 6-0 lead. Before the first quarter came to an end, GTA Teleguam responded with a touchdown and successful PAT to take a 7-6 lead.

Superb defense

Both teams came out in the second quarter playing superb defense. Neither was able to gain enough positive yardages to put points on the board. When the whistle to signal the halftime break was blown, the scoreboard reflected a one-point Raiders edge.

GTA Teleguam threatened to score early in the third period after a Tereas run set up a first and ten situation inside the 20-yard line. The Cowboys had some trouble defensively and allowed the Raiders to get to the 1-yard line, forcing them to call a timeout. Whatever was discussed in the huddle proved to work as the Cowboys forced a fumble and recovered to change possession.

On the first play after the turnover, the Cowboys’ Nico Velez sped 79 yards downfield for the touchdown. A converted PAT gave the Cowboys a 13-7 lead after three quarters.

The Cowboys return to the gridiron on Saturday at the University of Guam field and are scheduled to take on the Jets, while the Raiders return to action on Sunday at Eagles Field against the LMS Hal’s Angels.

With both the Raiders and Cowboys entering the Metgot Division undefeated, each team was looking to keep their unbeaten streak alive. At the end of the day, it was the Raiders who defeated the Cowboys 19-12 to improve their season record to 3-0. With the loss, the Cowboys drop to 2-1 on the season.

Other results

• Raiders defeat Cowboys 8-6 (Matua Division).
• Giants defeat Eagles (Mandikiki Division).
• Eagles defeat Giants (Manha Division).
• Giants shutout Eagles (Matua Division).