In a tremendously well-played game Saturday in Jackson, Ocean County, the Buffalos lost 19-14 to the Tidewater Titans of Maryland.

Early on, things did not look good for St. Bart's, whose members come from East Brunswick, Spotswood, Milltown and Helmetta. Overwhelmed by the Titans' speed, the Buffalos quickly found themselves down 13-0.

But, as anyone who watched this team play knows, it is not in its character to give up. The relentless and determined herd of Buffalos fought back. The offense, which struggled through the first half moving the ball on the ground, went to the air. They quickly completed three passes of 16, 12 and 31 yards, setting up their first score and cutting the lead to 13-7 at the half.

The defense made some adjustments as well and held the Titans scoreless for almost three quarters. St. Bart's continued to air it out in the second half, completing five of six passes for 75 yards — 37 of them resulting in a game-tying touchdown pass with 1:09 left on the clock.

On the crucial extra point, the Buffalos went to the air again and connected on a well-executed option pass to take a 14-13 lead. Now, they just had to hang on.

But on the first play from their own 40- yard line, the Titans threw a "Hail Mary." The ball was first tipped by a St. Bart's defender, and was tipped again by the Titan receiver, who then dove and grabbed the ball just before it hit the ground. This gave them the ball on the Buffalos' 20-yard line as the clock ticked down. Two plays later, with 23 seconds left on the clock, the Titans punched it in for the winning touchdown.

This brought an end to what the coaches described as an amazing game that made the community proud. The results may show second place, but to the Buffalo family, they are the champions.