YOKOHAMA ¨C Takuto Hara rushed for 10 yards for the go-ahead touchdown with 5:51 remaining in the third quarter as the Obic Seagulls defeated the Nojima Sagamihara Rise 12-3 at Yokohama Stadium in the X League Central Division showdown on Sunday.

Both teams entered the game with a 4-0 record, but the three-time defending national champion Seagulls finished the first stage with a 5-0 perfect record.

In the X League, 18 teams are divided into three divisions with each team playing five divisional opponents in the first stage. The top three of each division advance to the second stage, called the ¡°Super 9,¡± while the other nine teams play in the ¡°Battle 9¡± stage. The Seagulls and the Rise have both secured a berth in the Super 9 stage, which starts on Nov. 2.

Under heavy rain, both teams got off to a sloppy start. Passes were off-target, long snaps sailed too high, and tackles were missed here and there. Obic starter Manabu Tatsumura, known as one of the better passers in the league, completed only 6 of 15 for 76 yards with no scores. The situation was not very good either for Nojima quarterback Masato Kinoshita, who was 8 for 19 for 43 yards, with no touchdowns.

Nojima turned to running attack, which gave it the game¡¯s early momentum. The Rise earned five first downs in the first half while the Seagulls had only two en route to a 3-0 halftime lead on Shin Idezawa¡¯s 43-yard field goal.

But the Rise failed to extend their momentum into the third quarter when they gave up a safety in the first possession. On the fourth-and-five at their 25-yard line, the long snap went too high over punter Kantaro Kimura¡¯s head. Kimura kicked the ball out of the end zone for a safety.

The Seagulls started the next drive at their own 37-yard line and advanced 63 yards on seven plays to score the game¡¯s only touchdown by Hara.

Trailing 9-3, the Rise had the ball on fourth-and-1 at their own 11-yard line with 4:35 to play in the game. They opted to punt instead of going for the first down that would have extended their drive. Then the Seagulls scored on Yosuke Kaneoya¡¯s 33-yard field goal to make it a two-possession game and took it away from the Rise¡¯s reach.

¡°This was one of the toughest first stages we ever had,¡± Obic head coach Makoto Ohashi said, looking back over the first half of the season. ¡°Every team has improved a lot. Also, we are the team to beat because we¡¯re the champion. Everybody studies what we do and is focused on beating us. That forced us to play with patience just as we did today. It is a good experience for my players, though.¡±