Post by lionsroar on Jun 19, 2009 4:03:12 GMT -5
www.ledger-enquirer.com/293/story/753572.html
Columbus Lions still fighting, even with playoffs in hand
By Chris White - cwhite@ledger-enquirer.com E-Mail
With the bone in one of his fingers jutting out through his skin, Columbus Lions linebacker Eric Johnson decided it was best for the team to tape it up, tough it out and get back into the game last Saturday against the Fayetteville Guard. And when the Lions regained the lead and took over the game in the fourth quarter on their way to a 61-43 victory, he didn't see it as an excuse to leave the game. With a playoff spot secured, the rest of the team hopes to take a cue from Johnson and avoid finding excuses of its tonight when the Lions (9-3) hosts the Florence Phantoms (6-6) in the second-to-last regular-season game. "We definitely still want to play hard," Lions receiver Tirone Morris said. "First off, we don't want to lose at home. That's the big thing. But we always want to play hard. We want to play this game." The Lions still have plenty at stake. If Columbus defeats Florence tonight and tops Fayetteville on June 27, it will have home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. "Our destiny is in our hands right now," Lions coach Jason Gibson said. "We control everything." Florence, which sits in third place in the South Division behind first-place Columbus and Fayetteville (8-4), has nothing to lose. Even if the Guard loses its next two games and the Phantoms win out, Fayetteville owns the tiebreaker. That doesn't mean the Lions expect the Phantoms to roll over. Florence's defense has been particularly stingy against Columbus this season, holding the team to 37 points or less each time they met, and the teams split their first two meetings this season. "That's a big thing for us," Morris said. "We have a high-scoring offense, so we want to find a way to (score more) this week. We need to find a way to do that and just keep on playing our game."
Columbus Lions still fighting, even with playoffs in hand
By Chris White - cwhite@ledger-enquirer.com E-Mail
With the bone in one of his fingers jutting out through his skin, Columbus Lions linebacker Eric Johnson decided it was best for the team to tape it up, tough it out and get back into the game last Saturday against the Fayetteville Guard. And when the Lions regained the lead and took over the game in the fourth quarter on their way to a 61-43 victory, he didn't see it as an excuse to leave the game. With a playoff spot secured, the rest of the team hopes to take a cue from Johnson and avoid finding excuses of its tonight when the Lions (9-3) hosts the Florence Phantoms (6-6) in the second-to-last regular-season game. "We definitely still want to play hard," Lions receiver Tirone Morris said. "First off, we don't want to lose at home. That's the big thing. But we always want to play hard. We want to play this game." The Lions still have plenty at stake. If Columbus defeats Florence tonight and tops Fayetteville on June 27, it will have home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. "Our destiny is in our hands right now," Lions coach Jason Gibson said. "We control everything." Florence, which sits in third place in the South Division behind first-place Columbus and Fayetteville (8-4), has nothing to lose. Even if the Guard loses its next two games and the Phantoms win out, Fayetteville owns the tiebreaker. That doesn't mean the Lions expect the Phantoms to roll over. Florence's defense has been particularly stingy against Columbus this season, holding the team to 37 points or less each time they met, and the teams split their first two meetings this season. "That's a big thing for us," Morris said. "We have a high-scoring offense, so we want to find a way to (score more) this week. We need to find a way to do that and just keep on playing our game."