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‘‘A lot of these other guys are used to the pace of the indoor game,” Jenkins said. ‘‘This was my first game indoors, so it was different. The speed of this game is so fast. You have to make the right decision at the snap. You have to work with your teammates. Everything just happens so fast, you have to be on the same page with your teammates. It feels great to win our first game.”

Like Jenkins, Chesapeake defensive back Leonte Collins was pleased with the victory and thrilled to have a chance to entertain the hometown crowd. Of the 3,176 fans who nearly filled Show Place Arena, a dozen were family and friends of Collins, a Surrattsville High graduate who later played for Hampton University and attended the National Football League scouting combine.

‘‘It was great seeing that crowd out there,” Collins said. ‘‘We came here to put on a show and that’s what we did. I kept telling the other guys before the game, let’s go out there and show the fans what we can do and they’ll keep coming back. It was a great game and the fans were behind us the whole way. It meant a lot to me because my family hadn’t been able to see me play in five or six years.”

In the fast-paced game of indoor football, both fans and players might have a difficult time getting adjusted to some aspects of play. To say the least, it differs greatly from traditional outdoor football. There is a running clock except for the last minute of each half, wide receivers can move in any direction before the snap and defenses are only permitted to blitz one man. There is no punting and teams can attempt field goals from anywhere on the field.

Chesapeake Tide owner Martin Johnson II spent nearly as much time interacting with fans in the lower level of the arena as he did watching the game. Like a youngster on Christmas morning, Johnson toured the arena to shake hands with fans that caught errant footballs, which the Tide allows fans to keep. Some fans had already hit the concession stand and donned dark blue Tide jerseys.

‘‘My main concern is that everybody has fun,” Johnson said. ‘‘It’s always great to win, but for me I want the fans to have fun and want to come back. The game is entertaining and all these fans know that right after the game they have 30 minutes to meet the players and get autographs. As long as everyone is having fun, then I’m happy. Of course, it always helps when you win.”

Chesapeake trailed, 27-12, early in the third quarter when Aaron Hairston plowed forward from three yards out for a touchdown. But the Tide responded with 17 unanswered points and claimed the lead for good when running back Michael Kelly scored on a one-yard run. A pass from quarterback Chris Thompson to Colby Cloude added the two-point conversion that gave the Tide a 37-30 lead with 34 seconds remaining.

New England quarterback Marc Eddy then drove the Surge to the Chesapeake 14-yard line with two quick completions. But his last three passes were incomplete. On fourth down, Eddy attempted to find wide receiver Dallas Mall in the back of the end zone but his pass sailed into the front row of the seats.

Midway through the second quarter, with the Tide trailing 13-6 and the Surge threatening to add to their lead, the officials inadvertently awarded the Tide the ball. After Hairston was tackled short of a first down on third-and-two at the Chesapeake 9-yard line, the officials awarded the hosts the ball via the change of possession.

Sensing that the mistake could be clarified promptly, New England coach Rick Buffington met with the officials to go over the sequence of plays, fully expecting to have the ball for one more play. But after the officials huddled for nearly four minutes, they still awarded the ball to Chesapeake. Four plays later, Thompson connected with Kelly on a 12-yard strike to narrow the deficit to 13-12.

New England had been awarded a first down in Chesapeake territory thanks to a personal foul and on first down from the Tide 17, quarterback Marc Eddy connected with Tyler Grogan for six yards. On second down, Hairston went off left tackle for two yards and on third down he was tackled for no gain. But at that point the officials awarded the ball to Chesapeake, and the Tide quickly capitalized on their mistake.

Late in the third quarter, Chesapeake defensive lineman Jesse Hudson made two plays that altered the course of the game. He chased down Eddy and slammed him into the retaining wall. On the next play, Hudson recovered a fumble at the line of scrimmage when Eddy mishandled the snap from center.

E-mail Ted Black at tblack@gazette.net.