First-round action pitted the 10U Washington Colts and Washington Saints against one another. It was sure to be a close game as the Saints finished the regular season in third place and the Colts tied for fourth.

Stingy defense and a bevy of penalties against each team made it the low-scoring standoff one would have expected. In the end, Calek Smaw’s 2-point conversion after a 42-yard touchdown explosion by Josiah Jennette made the difference in an 8-6 win for the Colts.

Jennette’s long run with 3:17 left in the third quarter was the first touchdown of the game. Jeremiah Glaspie and MyQuan Clark moved the ball well early in the ensuing drive, putting the Saints in the red zone as they attempted to knot the game.

The Colts nearly stopped the drive short of the end zone, but Glaspie was able to move the sticks on fourth down with a run down to the 1-yard line.

That set the table for Max Vansant to punch in the touchdown. He went for a similar dive through the middle on the conversion, but came up just inches short of the tying effort.

It gave the ball back to the Colts with 7:45 left to play. They hoped to drive down the field and extend their lead while also chewing away at the game clock.

But the Saints made that a tough task. Wright Collins led an aggressive defensive line into the backfield as he made a tackle for a loss of 5 yards on the Colts’ first play of the series. Nevertheless, Jennette was able to rumble 35 yards along the right sideline to convert on a second-and-17.

The Saints, despite allowing the Colts into the red zone, made the stop when Collins notched a fourth-down sack. It gave them the ball on their 25 with 2:21 left and two timeouts.

The Saints opened the playbook on their final drive. It got them over midfield, but the clock ran out with them 26 yards from the end zone.

The win puts the Colts in the second round of the 10U playoffs.