Air Force Academy pulled off something of an upset Friday in Colorado Springs, defeating Army 31-25 in the second game of the Commander-in-Chief Trophy series.

Air Force has played both of the team’s games in the series, having lost 28-0 at Navy. Army and Navy finish off the series in the New Year. With Navy 1-0, Air Force 1-1, Army 0-1, all three teams could still win it.

For Air Force this was a big result after some setbacks through the season.

“We knew with a younger team and a new coaching staff that we would have to go through some tough games,” said Air Force Coach Denny Merideth. “But as the season has gone on we’ve seen the guys play with a lot more confidence. They understand their positioning on offense and defense much better.”

Merideth said figuring out where to be in support and how to maintain possession through the phases was something the team had to learn. 

Army, meanwhile, has been going through some changes, too.

“We’re just building toward something,” Army’s Peter Basnight said earlier in the season. “We are working together well and we’ve got a lot of heart, and we are looking to build on that into the spring.”

But they have had setbacks against Iona, Kutztown, and Air Force - all close games, but ultimately not their’s to win.

Air Force came out hot, getting up by a score of 12-0 through the first seven minutes, with flanker Gregor Kerdikoshvili scoring and converting in the opening minute, and then Braden Smith going over.

But West Point would reply with two penalty kicks from Thomas Del Pino, and then Andrew Irwin finished off a scrum move for a 13-12 lead.

Basnight made it 20-12 and that’s how the half ended. Air Force started the second half the way they did the first, putting Kerdikoshvili - an exchange student from the Georgian National military - over for his second try, which he again converted. Then lock Hunter Hancock powered over a few minutes later and Kerdikoshvili’s conversion put Air Force up 26-20. Both of those tries came when Army had Mitchell Sanderson in the sin bin.

Army responded with a try from John Sproul to make it a one-point game, but Air Force battled well in the breakdown and kept the Army attack at bay. With three minutes left fullback Will Maschmeyer scored to make it 31-25 for Air Force.

It was a tough finish for Army, which gets back on the field in March, but it has also been a learning experience for the Black Knights. For Air Force, they have one more game, against New Mexico, before taking a break.