NJ Cops April2018 | Page 55

Snow Bowl XII Winners Recreation A 1st Place: Passaic County Corrections Officers Local 197 2nd Place: Essex County Sheriffs Officers and Court Attendants Local 183 Also in playoffs: Passaic County Sheriffs Officers Local 286, Caldwell Local 81, NYPD Brawlers Tare Richardson of Essex County Sheriffs Officers & Court Attendants Local 183 catches a deflected pass to score the touchdown that defeated Passaic County Sheriffs Officers Local 286 in the semifinal game. “Everybody mattered,” Turner proclaimed. “If you played five minutes or if you played the whole game, each and every person mattered and contributed to us winning. All the cor- rections officers we work with and represent, this is for them.” Flag football radiates from the quarterback, with 90 percent of the plays being pass plays. The Passaic County corrections officers certainly had a passing fancy in Joe D’Errico, who has been at the helm for all of the previous playoff endeavors. When he eluded defenders for what seemed like five minutes before slinging one of his savvy, left-handed spirals to Anthony Peluso to give Local 197 a 20-0 lead in the championship game, D’Errico exhibited the guile that is so much a part of the Snow Bowl. He showed his guts in the semifinal, when Caldwell Local 81 scored to take a 13-12 lead with time running out in the second half. On the very next play, D’Errico threw a long touchdown pass, then completed another pass for a two-point conversion that spelled the 20-13 victory. “We had a good shot to win because our defense played so lights out,” D’Errico praised of his teammates, who gave up just one touchdown in its three divisional wins to qualify for the playoffs. “Because of them, if we could put up a touchdown, I knew we had a good shot to win. And it was such a great feeling to do it after all these years.” In the championship game, Local 197 got the ball to Mike “The Silent Assassin” Ludeke on the first play of the game. He made a quick spin, then went untouched into the end zone. “He’s not a man of many words,” Turner complimented. “He just plays with h