Navy country knows the mantra by heart: Beat Army!

Yet while the annual college contest between the United States Military Academy (Westpoint, NY) and the United States Naval Academy (Annapolis, MD) rarely ever crosses to the west of the Mississippi River, the Pacific Northwest has had its own deep-rooted clash of the branches since the turn of the century.

The latest chapter of this intense flag football rivalry came to pass on its biggest stage yet Dec. 8 in front of over 3,000 fans at Lumen Field in Seattle, where a fourth quarter interception by Navy defensive back Raelon Hill and a late-game missed field goal gave Navy the win by a defensive score of 2-0.

Forget the lowest-scoring game in the series’ history; NFL games haven’t seen that kind of score since 1938.

“We were definitely against the wall,” said Navy lineman and linebacker Gage Pierson, currently serving in the command of the USS Nimitz. “We managed to come out with a pick on that one drive. Thought it might be a touchdown, but oh well. Very defensive game, and Army played really well.”

The Navy Region Northwest team, comprised of sailors and marines from Kitsap, Everett and Whidbey Island and the Army team made up of men from Joint Base Lewis-McChord had regularly exchanged wins since the rivalry’s inception in 2000, a creation aided by former marine and former Oakland Raider Otis Sistrunk.

Beyond the immersive pride on display mirroring the annual “America’s Game” to the east, the game also succeeds in bringing together the men and women serving America’s armed forces for spirited yet friendly competition.

Well, at least it’s friendly before kickoff and after the final snap. “It’s what up, how’re you doing and I’ll catch you after the game,” said Navy linebacker Mikah Graham. “Until the end of the game, not cool right now. We all got to meet each other, become some sort of family, just get close, you know.”

“It kind of carries over honestly,” added Navy wide receiver and defensive back Justin Rowe. “You think about the big academy game, but honestly we feel like we are in that academy right now. It’s not hatred cause they’re our brothers at the same time. We’re coming into this game to win.”

This year’s game also succeeded in expanding its reach through a partnership with the Seahawks that created opportunities for fan integration and on-the-field extracurriculars. The contest is typically hosted on fields local to each base, but the news of this year’s location gave players some extra electricity.

“This is a real cool experience for people in the military,” said Navy coach Jason Henderson. “I know its just flag football, but this is a big deal for us every year.”

Like any good rivalry, streaks began to develop. Navy had won seven straight from 2013-2019, but after the COVID-19 pandemic canceled the 2020 contest, Army was the one riding a three-game winning streak onto the Seahawks’ turf. Last year’s game was a 35-28 triple overtime heartbreaker for Navy, but as Henderson was faced with preparing his team for the larger-than-life stage in his first year heading the team, said his focus was the mission on the turf.

“Be versatile,” he said. “Bend, but don’t break. Don’t let them get in our heads and just play our game, ‘cause we know we have more playmakers than they do and big-time players make big plays in big moments.”

If the final score did not already indicate it, scoring was scarce. Navy appeared poised to take the lead on its opening drive with quarterback Amir Fling leading his lead close to the red zone, but they came up empty on a missed field goal.

Backed up deep in its own end, Navy drove the field again and found itself in a goal-to-go series of downs. Four unsuccessful tries later, and Army got the ball back, but the defense assured it would not be for naught. A called penalty on Army in its own end zone gave Navy the game’s only points, a safety with 1:17 left in the half.

Even before halftime, there were so many moments that Navy might break out. A last-minute second-quarter drive ended with a missed field goal, and Army twice drove within a handful of yards to the endzone in the second half.

Two big-time plays ended those scoring hopes. Hill came up with the first on a third-down interception nearly returned for a touchdown if not to a mid-return penalty.

The second, a sack of the quarterback on Army’s last drive, helped back the ball up to give Army’s placekicker a harder look at potentially winning the game. Like the miss at the end of the half, it was wide right, and the Navy sidelined exploded in celebration.

“It’s tough, ‘cause all we can do in this game is jump up and down (for field goals), so really it’s just relying on the crowd and our team cheering. Seeing that go wide right just solidified it,” Henderson said.

Navy now holds a 15-9 series lead.

Navy defensive back Jonathon Wolfe breaks up an Army pass near the goal line.

Navy linebacker Gage Pierson, right, wraps up a little too much around an Army receiver, drawing a penalty against Navy.

Navy defensive back Scott Drake helps break up an Army pass bound for the endzone.

The Seattle Seahawks “Blue Thunder” drumline gives visiting fans a halftime performance.

Army’s quarterback escapes being sacked, but an endzone penalty gives Navy a safety.

Navy’s defense tries to pull the flag of Army’s scrambling quarterback.

Musician 2nd Class Elizabeth Wetzel sings the National Anthem at Lumen Field prior to the 24th annual Army-Navy flag football game.

A few thousand football fans packed into the corner seats of Lumen Field to watch the 24th annual Army-Navy flag football game.