Japan overpowered by U.S. in World Championship final

In the end, it was an opponent too powerful, with too much depth, and which made you pay in the worst way for a mistake. Three times on this night, in fact.

“It was a total defeat,” Japan head coach Kiyoyuki Mori was quoted as saying after Saturday’s 59-12 loss to the United States in the final of the IFAF World Championship in Canton, Ohio, giving the host nation its third straight title.

“This is our level at this point. There was a bit more that we could do, but it’s not like we can say we had a chance to win. It may be difficult to be competitive on the same field.”

In addition to a defense that scored three touchdowns and held Japan to minus-7 yards rushing, the U.S. quarterbacking pair of Kevin Burke and Dylan Favre had a near-perfect day passing, combining to complete 23 of 25 passes for 209 yards and a touchdown, while each also ran for a score.

Aaron Wimberly had an 18-yard touchdown run, and tournament MVP Trent Steelman, a standout quarterback at Army who mainly played wide receiver but also took snaps in a wildcat formation, broke away on a dazzling 36-yard TD romp.

Lixil Deers quarterback Shohei Kato threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Fujitsu Frontiers wide receiver Jumpei Yoshimoto, and the Japan defense scored a touchdown of its own when Obic Seagulls defensive lineman Shota Tomita recovered a fumble in the end zone to account for Japan’s points.

For the Americans, there was no hiding the fact that their pride was on the line as representatives of the homeland of the sport.

“We’re world champs,” Steelman was quoted as saying after the game on the official tournament website. “That’s what America does. We play football. We came in with the mentality that we’re going to teach the rest of the world that this is our game, and we did that for four games straight games.”

While the score indicates a blowout, Japan did have some positive moments and had cut the lead to 16 points early in the third quarter on Tomita’s fumble recovery. But as in their 43-18 loss to the U.S. six days earlier, the Japanese needed many more breaks to go their way. Very few did.

As a sign of how destructive one mistake can be, Japan put together a solid opening drive behind Kato, moving from its own 20 to the U.S. 38. But then Kato underthrew his receiver and linebacker David Guthrie picked off the pass, returning it 75 yards for a touchdown. Alex Gross, who would torment Japan all day, threw a block downfield that cleared the way for Guthrie.

The Japanese then stepped up with an impressive goal-line stand. After Bryan Douglas returned a punt 45 yards to the Japan 19, the U.S. had 1st-and-goal at the 5. But three runs yielded just four yards and, going for it on 4th down, linebackers Kensuke Amaya of Lixil and the Fujitsu Frontiers’ Atsushi Fujita stopped Sedale Foster for no gain.

The U.S. was not to be denied on its next drive, however. Burke, who completed 11 of 13 passes for 84 yards, moved the U.S. 55 yards in nine plays, capped by his 2-yard plunge up the middle. A 13-yard pass Luc Meacham, Burke’s former teammate at Mt. Union College, set up the score. A second successful 2-point conversion made it 16-0.

Wimberly, one of 10 Americans named to the All-Tournament First Team along with Burke and Steelman, scored on the U.S.’s next drive, with another 2-point conversion making it 24-0 early in the second quarter.

Then Japan committed its second costly turnover. On 3rd-and-1 at the 46, Panasonic Impulse quarterback Tetsuo Takata was overwhelmed by a wave of defenders, with Sherlock applying the hit that caused the ball to pop loose. Defensive back Kyle Olugbode picked it up in full stride and went untouched 36 yards for a score. The U.S. opted to kick the extra point, making it 31-0 with 5:50 left in the half.

It was to Japan’s credit that it bounced back with its lone scoring drive of the game. Kato completed four passes in taking his team 71 yards in six plays, capped by his scoring strike to Yoshimoto, who made a nifty cutback to evade Douglas at the 5 and get into the end zone. The 2-point attempt was no good, leaving the score 31-6.

But with nearly three minutes left, the U.S. wasn’t finished. With Favre, the nephew of NFL great Brett Favre, taking over, the U.S. drove from the 19 to the Japan 30, where Favre hit wide receiver Drew Banks to put the ball on the 1. Japan stopped Favre and Foster on consecutive runs, but then Favre found tight end Ernst Brun in the back of the end zone with :04 left to give the U.S. a 38-6 lead at halftime.

The teams exchanged punts to start the second half, with Panasonic’s Shintaro Saeki putting his out at the U.S. 2. On the first play, Favre fumbled the snap and nose guard Tomita was there to pounce on the ball in the end zone. Again the 2-point conversion attempt was unsuccessful, but Japan had pulled to within 16 points.

“It was my first touchdown individually, so it is something to remember,” Tomita said. “But it was a disappointing result, so I want this to be something to build on four years from now.”

It didn’t take long for the Americans to pad the lead. After an unsuccessful onside kick gave the U.S. the ball inside Japanese territory, Steelman took the ball on an inside reverse on second down and rambled 36 yards for score, breaking two tackles along the way.

Japan continued to battle and Takata led a drive from the 20 to the U.S. 11. After a 3-yard pass and an incompletion, Takata was sacked by defensive lineman Malcolm Goines for a 5-yard loss. Going for it on 4th-and-12, his pass fell incomplete and with it, pretty much Japan’s chances for a comeback.

The U.S. was forced to punt on its next drive, but ate up over five minutes on the clock as the game went into the fourth quarter. The outcome was completely put out of doubt when Sherlock forced a second Takata fumble and Gross recovered in the end zone.

Favre, who was 12 for 12 for 124 yards, completed the scoring with a 9-yard touchdown run with 3:15 left.

Sadly, Obic linebacker B.J.Beatty, one of two U.S. team members with experience playing in the X-League, did not get to appear in the game. Beatty had been suspended after being ejected from the previous game against France for a targeted hit in the third quarter during a punt return.

Kurihara, Katsuyama, Isagawa named to All-Tournament First Team

Three Japanese players were selected to the All-Tournament First Team: IBM Big Blue wide receiver Takashi Kurihara, Fujitsu Frontiers offensive lineman Akira Katsuyama and Obic Seagulls defensive back Keizaburo Isagawa.

“As an individual, it was decided by what I did on the global stage, so I’m happy,” said Kurihara, who had a game-high six receptions for 85 yards in the final. “But it didn’t contribute to a team victory, so I need to work harder in the future.”

Second team selections were Lixil Deers quarterback Shohei Kato, IBM running back Ryo Takagi, Lixil wide receiver Naoki Maeda, Fujitsu tight end Takahiro Haruta, Fujitsu offensive lineman Yutaro Kobayashi, Panasonic Impulse kicker Shintaro Saeki, and Lixil linebacker Kensuke Amaya.

The X-League was also represented in the first-team selection of Australian offensive lineman Aaron Carbury, who plays for the Bulls Football Club.

—Ken Marantz for the X-League