Post by rkb on May 1, 2008 15:41:57 GMT -5
We are truly fortunate to have the news coverage that we have! If anyone from the journal checks out this board, thank you for the coverage!!!!
www.djournal.com/pages/story.asp?ID=272634&pub=1&div=Sports
MudCats back half of schedule full of challenges, road games
5/1/2008 7:14:58 AM
Daily Journal
BY JOHN L. PITTS
Daily Journal
TUPELO - After Saturday night's indoor football game game with the Florence Phantoms, the Mississippi MudCats will have to tackle the challenging back half of their schedule.
That will include five road games, starting with a May 9 visit to their AIFA South Division co-leaders, the Columbus (Ga.) Lions. And while the MudCats are unbeaten in all 13 of the games they have played at BancorpSouth Arena, they are a more vulnerable 5-4 on the road during the past two seasons.
"First, we have to take care of business at home against Florence, then we're going to be spending a lot of time on the road," head coach Brian Brents said Wednesday. "The home-and-home games against Columbus after that are going to be important, because they're tied with us in the standings right now."
After an April 5 loss to Carolina, the Lions have won three games in a row. They play their state rivals, the Augusta Colts, on Saturday before the back-to-back games with MudCats. The Lions' game here will be on May 17 - the next-to-last regular-season home game for Brents' team.
Time to heal
- Brents and his staff have taken advantange of their depth to rest several players with nagging injuries in the last couple of games. Defensive back Jonathan George, who leads the team with six interceptions, sat out Saturday's 68-51 win against Augusta.
"It's good to know we have four or five guys who can play well in the defensive backfield and that we don't have to rush anybody back from injuries," Brents said. "It's the same thing with our receivers and our lines."
Defensive lineman Tim Love came back from a week off to play effectively, even filling in some on the offensive line late in the game.
"We've got a few small injuries where we're debating whether to sit a few guys out this week," Brents said. "The main thing, we want to make sure we're as healthy as we can before before we hit the road again"
Heroes in peril?
- The latest American Indoor Football Association team with serious financial issues is the Huntington (W.Va.) Heroes.
The Heroes lead the AIFA's East Division at 5-2 but fielded a hastily assembled roster of replacement players and lost 66-12 Friday night at Florence.
According to media reports, Heroes players who had not been paid for several weeks refused to board the bus for the road trip to South Carolina. Heroes coach Teddy Keeton, who led Lakeland to the AIFA championship last season, resigned on Sunday.
The Heroes have a new head coach, Carlos Clayton, who was promoted from Keeton's staff, and are trying to assemble a new roster this week.
Another Heroes assistant, defensive coordinator Charles Gunnings, left the team Sunday to take over as head coach of the Fayetteville Guard. Gunnings was 12-0 with the Guard last season in the NIFL before he quit in a contract dispute.
MudCats memos
- The fourth of five MudCats Little League matchups is Saturday at BCS Arena: 8:30 a.m., Tupelo vs. Booneville; 9:45 a.m., Saltillo vs. Fulton; 11 a.m., Aberdeen vs. Ripley. ... Interviews with Brents and MudCats' quarterback Tommy Jones are featured in the weekly podcast at the official league site, www.aifaprofootball.com.
Appeared originally in the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal, 5/1/2008, section C , page 4
www.djournal.com/pages/story.asp?ID=272634&pub=1&div=Sports
MudCats back half of schedule full of challenges, road games
5/1/2008 7:14:58 AM
Daily Journal
BY JOHN L. PITTS
Daily Journal
TUPELO - After Saturday night's indoor football game game with the Florence Phantoms, the Mississippi MudCats will have to tackle the challenging back half of their schedule.
That will include five road games, starting with a May 9 visit to their AIFA South Division co-leaders, the Columbus (Ga.) Lions. And while the MudCats are unbeaten in all 13 of the games they have played at BancorpSouth Arena, they are a more vulnerable 5-4 on the road during the past two seasons.
"First, we have to take care of business at home against Florence, then we're going to be spending a lot of time on the road," head coach Brian Brents said Wednesday. "The home-and-home games against Columbus after that are going to be important, because they're tied with us in the standings right now."
After an April 5 loss to Carolina, the Lions have won three games in a row. They play their state rivals, the Augusta Colts, on Saturday before the back-to-back games with MudCats. The Lions' game here will be on May 17 - the next-to-last regular-season home game for Brents' team.
Time to heal
- Brents and his staff have taken advantange of their depth to rest several players with nagging injuries in the last couple of games. Defensive back Jonathan George, who leads the team with six interceptions, sat out Saturday's 68-51 win against Augusta.
"It's good to know we have four or five guys who can play well in the defensive backfield and that we don't have to rush anybody back from injuries," Brents said. "It's the same thing with our receivers and our lines."
Defensive lineman Tim Love came back from a week off to play effectively, even filling in some on the offensive line late in the game.
"We've got a few small injuries where we're debating whether to sit a few guys out this week," Brents said. "The main thing, we want to make sure we're as healthy as we can before before we hit the road again"
Heroes in peril?
- The latest American Indoor Football Association team with serious financial issues is the Huntington (W.Va.) Heroes.
The Heroes lead the AIFA's East Division at 5-2 but fielded a hastily assembled roster of replacement players and lost 66-12 Friday night at Florence.
According to media reports, Heroes players who had not been paid for several weeks refused to board the bus for the road trip to South Carolina. Heroes coach Teddy Keeton, who led Lakeland to the AIFA championship last season, resigned on Sunday.
The Heroes have a new head coach, Carlos Clayton, who was promoted from Keeton's staff, and are trying to assemble a new roster this week.
Another Heroes assistant, defensive coordinator Charles Gunnings, left the team Sunday to take over as head coach of the Fayetteville Guard. Gunnings was 12-0 with the Guard last season in the NIFL before he quit in a contract dispute.
MudCats memos
- The fourth of five MudCats Little League matchups is Saturday at BCS Arena: 8:30 a.m., Tupelo vs. Booneville; 9:45 a.m., Saltillo vs. Fulton; 11 a.m., Aberdeen vs. Ripley. ... Interviews with Brents and MudCats' quarterback Tommy Jones are featured in the weekly podcast at the official league site, www.aifaprofootball.com.
Appeared originally in the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal, 5/1/2008, section C , page 4
