Army downs Navy in flag football game at Camp Zama

Stars and Stripes

CAMP ZAMA, Japan – Make it three straight for the Army in the Kanto Plain Commanders’ Cup flag-football rivalry series with the Navy.

Under clear skies with temperatures in the mid-50s, soldiers made it a happy rivalry day on their home turf at Zama American High School’s Barry Huitema Memorial Field, beating the sailors 27-19 on Saturday.

It was the latest matchup in a series that coincides with the Army-Navy service-academy games that conclude college football’s regular season.

This year’s service-academy game, the 119th in the series, was played Saturday at Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field and Army also won that game.

Locally, Army took a 10-7 lead in the annual Commanders’ Cup series that began in 2001 with Yokosuka sailors and Marines doing battle with Zama soldiers.

That has evolved over the years into a virtual crosstown rivalry, with Zama soldiers playing against Naval Air Facility Atsugi sailors and Marines.

Such flag-football rivalry games have been played in the Pacific since 1990, when the first such game was played at Torii Station Okinawa.

Coupled with Army’s 11-10 victory Saturday at Okinawa’s Camp Shields and Army’s 25-0 win on Dec. 1 at Camp Humphreys, soldiers now hold a cumulative 49-19 lead in the series.