Post by Gene on Apr 25, 2008 23:52:18 GMT -5
Phantoms easily take apart depleted Huntington squad
Friday, Apr 25, 2008 - 11:30 PM
By Shawn Singleton
FLORENCE — All week, the Florence Phantoms prepared for Friday night’s rematch with American Indoor Football Association power Huntington and its brash coach Teddy Keaton.
When the game began, Florence didn’t get the Heroes or Keaton, but a makeshift version of the team instead.
Keaton and every other Huntington player quit the team due to financial strife with the Heroes’ ownership group two days before the game.
The Phantoms showed no mercy, getting 23 points from its defense as Florence handed the first-place Heroes their worst loss of the season, 66-12 at the Florence Civic Center.
“The defense had a lot of built-up tension from our past losses,” Florence middle linebacker Nick Freet said. “We had to take it out on someone, and Huntington happened to be here.”
“All during practice, I didn’t know I was going to play this game because of my Achilles and my neck. But I knew I had to step up,” Phantoms linebacker Cory Groover said. “We’ve practiced two weeks in a row with no breaks. We came out fired up tonight.”
The league replaced the team with a local players and members of Baltimore’s practice squad before Friday’s game.
“A win’s a win,” Florence coach Tavares Bowens said. “We appreciated this team coming out and playing hard under the circumstances.
“But as far as we’re concerned, we played the Huntington Heroes tonight.”
From the opening kickoff, the Phantoms (3-3 overall, 2-1 East Division) took advantage of the short-handed Heroes. After Florence stopped Huntington on a fourth-down gamble, it took just one play for the Phantoms to crack the scoreboard.
Omar Jacobs found former South Florence standout Torrey Pettigrew in the end zone from 25 yards away and Florence held a 7-0 lead with 11:17 remaining in the opening period.
Then Freet took over. The Phantoms’ middle linebacker made two huge plays in the first quarter that led to Florence scores. After scoring a safety on a sack of Huntington’s Earl Harvey, Freet forced a fumble on a first-and-goal attempt on the initial play of the second quarter that the Phantoms recovered on the Florence 6.
Jacobs capitalized on Freet’s punishing hit by completing a 30-yard rainbow to Tres Moses to give the Phantoms a 16-0 advantage at the 11:18 mark of the second.
The Phantoms’ defense got on the scoreboard once again on the Heroes’ next possession. Leonard Moore blasted Harvey in the end zone. Former USC star Brian Brownlee pounced on the gift for another Florence score and a 23-0 lead with 6:46 left before halftime.
Jacobs capped the first half by finding A.J. Bennett from 17 yards away as time expired for his third scoring pass of the game. The Phantoms ran into the locker room with a 30-0 tally.
Jacobs finished with five TD passes, three to Moses. Bennett finished with two TDs, including a scoring catch from former Lakeland teammate Aso Pogi in the fourth.
Friday, Apr 25, 2008 - 11:30 PM
By Shawn Singleton
FLORENCE — All week, the Florence Phantoms prepared for Friday night’s rematch with American Indoor Football Association power Huntington and its brash coach Teddy Keaton.
When the game began, Florence didn’t get the Heroes or Keaton, but a makeshift version of the team instead.
Keaton and every other Huntington player quit the team due to financial strife with the Heroes’ ownership group two days before the game.
The Phantoms showed no mercy, getting 23 points from its defense as Florence handed the first-place Heroes their worst loss of the season, 66-12 at the Florence Civic Center.
“The defense had a lot of built-up tension from our past losses,” Florence middle linebacker Nick Freet said. “We had to take it out on someone, and Huntington happened to be here.”
“All during practice, I didn’t know I was going to play this game because of my Achilles and my neck. But I knew I had to step up,” Phantoms linebacker Cory Groover said. “We’ve practiced two weeks in a row with no breaks. We came out fired up tonight.”
The league replaced the team with a local players and members of Baltimore’s practice squad before Friday’s game.
“A win’s a win,” Florence coach Tavares Bowens said. “We appreciated this team coming out and playing hard under the circumstances.
“But as far as we’re concerned, we played the Huntington Heroes tonight.”
From the opening kickoff, the Phantoms (3-3 overall, 2-1 East Division) took advantage of the short-handed Heroes. After Florence stopped Huntington on a fourth-down gamble, it took just one play for the Phantoms to crack the scoreboard.
Omar Jacobs found former South Florence standout Torrey Pettigrew in the end zone from 25 yards away and Florence held a 7-0 lead with 11:17 remaining in the opening period.
Then Freet took over. The Phantoms’ middle linebacker made two huge plays in the first quarter that led to Florence scores. After scoring a safety on a sack of Huntington’s Earl Harvey, Freet forced a fumble on a first-and-goal attempt on the initial play of the second quarter that the Phantoms recovered on the Florence 6.
Jacobs capitalized on Freet’s punishing hit by completing a 30-yard rainbow to Tres Moses to give the Phantoms a 16-0 advantage at the 11:18 mark of the second.
The Phantoms’ defense got on the scoreboard once again on the Heroes’ next possession. Leonard Moore blasted Harvey in the end zone. Former USC star Brian Brownlee pounced on the gift for another Florence score and a 23-0 lead with 6:46 left before halftime.
Jacobs capped the first half by finding A.J. Bennett from 17 yards away as time expired for his third scoring pass of the game. The Phantoms ran into the locker room with a 30-0 tally.
Jacobs finished with five TD passes, three to Moses. Bennett finished with two TDs, including a scoring catch from former Lakeland teammate Aso Pogi in the fourth.
that made me laugh though, after the week some of us have had, I need that. Thanks. Good luck to you guys the rest of the season
