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CAMP ZAMA, Japan – Camp Zama’s Army team defeated the Navy team from Naval Air Facility Atsugi 28-13 in their annual flag football game Saturday at Zama Middle High School’s Trojan Field here.
Their victory came on the same day — Eastern Standard Time — that Army defeated Navy for the second straight year in the longstanding college rivalry match-up, held this year in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
The Camp Zama players formed a circle on the field to receive the winner’s trophy from Col. Marcus Hunter, commander of U.S. Army Garrison Japan, who congratulated both teams on the good, friendly competition.
Lenworth Lennon, co-captain of the Army team, said the game was fun and that their neighboring Navy rivals made for some formidable opposition.
“It was a hard-fought battle,” said Lennon, assigned to the 311th Military Intelligence Battalion. “Those guys played a tough game.”
The Army team came together just as the installation’s intramural flag football tournament was wrapping up. Assembled from players from many different units, the team did not have the chance to practice as a group before Saturday’s game. Lennon thought this factor might have made cohesion a challenge, but the team was able to come together quickly — a feat he and the other players compared to the fast camaraderie Soldiers forge in basic training.
Christopher Dilidili, also assigned to 311th, attributed the Army win to the fact that they started strong in the first half and kept that momentum going, and because each player was well-suited for his or her position.
“We definitely had good preparation today before the game,” Dilidili said. “We did a god job with talent management.”
Like his teammates, Dilidili said the Navy players’ athleticism made for a challenging game. Beyond the competition it provides, the annual match-up also allows the communities of both services the chance to come together.
“It’s awesome to have a friendly match [like this] every year because it helps the Army engage with the Navy and remind both of us that we have a sister branch close by,” Dilidili said. “And the game also brings family, friends and the community together.”
