In the opening game of the inaugural Tahitian Festival of American Football this past weekend, American Samoa, with an 18 man squad, downed Tahiti 52-12 after totally dominating the first half.
The game was played at Stade Patar stadium in Pirae, Tahiti and marked the very first international contest for Tahiti. American Samoa was coming off a 30-10 victory over New Zealand two weeks ago.
Photo credit Massimo Colombini
American Samoan receiver Ryan Paaga, rated the fastest human being on American Samoa, scored six touchdowns for the visitors. Tahiti quarterback Francois Colonna de Elca engineered two second half touchdowns as the Tahitians battled back.
American Samoa now takes on Team Australia in the second game of the three-nation tournament on July 27. Australia has basically been assembled as a development team looking towards competing in the 2019 IFAF World Championships.
The tournament winds up July 30 with the host Tahitians facing Australia.