CFL strikes gold in Tinian

In the five-year history of the Commonwealth Football League, it has been a little difficult to field a team across the channel on Tinian, and those making the attempt to do so were faced with a number of problems.

Take last year for example. The Verizon Nitro was essentially formed from two separate teams that met on Saturday to take on the competition. While most members of the offensive unit had the luxury of practicing on Saipan and driving to the CPA Airport Field to play once a week, the majority of the defensive players had to wake up early, pack their gear, hop the ferry to Saipan, and hope that they would have enough players to field a team when they got to the gridiron.

All of the hassles were plain to see with a quick look at the standings as the hybrid team failed to win a game during the regular season. Despite all of the week-to-week hassles, the Nitro cranked out a win in the playoffs over the Barbarians to earn a berth in the 2004 CFL championship.

Though they eventually fell to the juggernaut that was the Shell Chiefs, several of the players expressed their desire to form an all-Tinian team in 2005. The only obstacle to fulfilling their dream was the lack of players on island.

The win over the Barbarians did more to fuel the hometown football fires, and when league organizers met last year to discuss the new season, coach Andre Winston and team representative Keith Nabors came to the table with news of the Typhoon.

Though they new there would be scheduling and logistical nightmares surrounding the off-island team, the CFL board decided to grant Tinian two home games for the first time in the history of the league.

Last month the Typhoon and their legion of fans turned out in droves to greet the Express Electronics Eagles at Tinian Municipal Field in San Jose Village, and thought many were attending political rallies, the bleachers and surrounding fence line were packed.

After the final whistle blew, the Typhoon lost out by only a touchdown, but the spirit they exuded upon their home turf had far more of an impact on the populace than the final score. Suddenly the island was caught up in the team, and kids who had never before seen a live game watched as their cousins, uncles, fathers, and brothers donned the equipment and waged a 100-yard war with the team from Saipan.

There were no rallies or other distractions this past weekend when the time came for the Typhoon to play their second game at home, and possibly twice as many spectators took their positions on the sidelines to witness their warriors in white pull off a thrilling 33-6 upset victory against the previously undefeated Shell Lightning.

By shifting a pair of games across the channel, the CFL organizers have created a long-term presence on Tinian, as the youngest fans on hand were raring to join the team when they are old enough.

Fourteen-year-old Bernardo Tumed said that he couldn’t wait to join the team when he gets older as he smiled from the fence line as the Typhoon posed for a group picture under the goal posts during the post-game celebration.

“Oh yeah, it’s the one we’ve been waiting for. This is great,” he said

Sixteen-year-old Brian Taitingfong is a little bit closer to joining the team and said that there is no question that he will join the team next year.

“Of course I will play for Typhoon next year—no question. It was great. It was the best game. I was cheering for them the whole time—from the start,” he said.

Future player Jesse Ray Borja said that he still has a few years to go before graduating Tinian High School, but the 14-year-old said that this was the second time to ever watch a football game on Tinian and that it was great to see his home team win.

Francisco Dela Cruz echoed the same sentiments, as the 12-year-old said that he plans to take the field with the team when he can as well.

“The game was good. It feels good. It feels good beating Saipan. I will definitely play with the Typhoon when I am older,” he said.

Former CFL board chair and present Lightning player-coach John Blanco said that the players and fans of Tinian will have plenty more football in their future if he has anything to say about it.

“We’re going to keep this up every year. It’s an awesome place to play. Yeah, we got our asses handed to us, but man I still want to play here next year,” he said.

That bodes well for the team and the league, as Typhoon Nation looks to rise under the lights of Tinian Municipal Field.