Post by Gene on Jul 1, 2012 11:50:48 GMT -5
Kennewick, WA - The Tri-Cities Fever players stood and smiled at midfield as ‘We are the Champions’ blared over the loud speakers at the Toyota Center.The Fever had just defeated the Wichita Wild for its second straight Intense Conference championship, downing the Wild 51-30 on Saturday night in front of an appreciative crowd.
In the midst of enjoying the victory, the players were quick to point out they have not reached their ultimate goal.“We want to win it all,” said linebacker Boris Lee.
The Fever (14-2) will get that chance in two weeks when they will play in the IFL championship game for a second straight season, facing the winner of the Green Bay-Sioux Falls game. A Sioux Falls win, and the Fever are headed to South Dakota for a rematch of last year’s game in which the Storm won 37-10. That game would be played on July 14. A Green Bay win, and the Fever would host the championship game on July 16.“I would love to play the championship game in front of our fans,” said coach Adam Shackleford. “We’ll just have to wait and see.”
The one thing the Fever didn’t wait on Friday night was getting its offense going that struggled to a slow start last week in a win over Colorado. The Fever jumped out early to a 31-17 lead at halftime and was able to extend that lead in the second half.
“We talked about coming out and getting off to a better start (tonight),” said Fever quarterback Houston Lillard. “We did that and I think we got better as a team tonight.”
He is right. The offense was good. However, the defense was just downright ridiculous.
The Fever bottled up the Wild’s top offensive threat Tywon Hubbard, who rushed 11 times for just eight yards. The Fever allowed a season-low 92 yards of total offense and three sacks and six tackles-for-loss. The defense also only allowed five pass completions for 38 yards.
“We knew what they wanted to do,” Lee said. “We just wanted to force Hubbard outside where we could contain him.”Shackleford added, “I think we took them out of their game a little bit by getting ahead early.”
At the same time, Shackleford had nothing but praise for the Wild.“That team plays hard and is physical,” he said. “They are a really well-coached team. They defensive line is good, but their defensive backs are best we’ve seen. They just fly to the ball.”
QB Houston Lillard had a solid night, completing 18 of 27 passes for 141 yards and two touchdowns. Ed Berry and Tre Young led the Fever with five catches apiece. Dennis Kennedy, Steven Whitehead, and Lillard all had rushing touchdowns.“This is a big win for us,” Lillard said. “We we want more.”
The Fever took control of the game in the second quarter. Whitehead broke a 14-all tie, returning a field goal 57 yards for a touchdown. Kennedy helped extend that lead with a 1-yard run with 1:10 left in the first half.
The Wild (9-7) would get as close as 11 early in the fourth quarter, but a Brady Beeson field goal, and a Jamar Howard 8-yard touchdown catch with 1:25 was enough.“This is better than last year because we did it at home,” Shackleford said of the title. “I am proud of my guys. It’s not easy getting this far.”
www.goifl.com/news/news-archive/77-tri-cities-fever/930-fever-advance-to-united-bowlbeat-wild-51-30
In the midst of enjoying the victory, the players were quick to point out they have not reached their ultimate goal.“We want to win it all,” said linebacker Boris Lee.
The Fever (14-2) will get that chance in two weeks when they will play in the IFL championship game for a second straight season, facing the winner of the Green Bay-Sioux Falls game. A Sioux Falls win, and the Fever are headed to South Dakota for a rematch of last year’s game in which the Storm won 37-10. That game would be played on July 14. A Green Bay win, and the Fever would host the championship game on July 16.“I would love to play the championship game in front of our fans,” said coach Adam Shackleford. “We’ll just have to wait and see.”
The one thing the Fever didn’t wait on Friday night was getting its offense going that struggled to a slow start last week in a win over Colorado. The Fever jumped out early to a 31-17 lead at halftime and was able to extend that lead in the second half.
“We talked about coming out and getting off to a better start (tonight),” said Fever quarterback Houston Lillard. “We did that and I think we got better as a team tonight.”
He is right. The offense was good. However, the defense was just downright ridiculous.
The Fever bottled up the Wild’s top offensive threat Tywon Hubbard, who rushed 11 times for just eight yards. The Fever allowed a season-low 92 yards of total offense and three sacks and six tackles-for-loss. The defense also only allowed five pass completions for 38 yards.
“We knew what they wanted to do,” Lee said. “We just wanted to force Hubbard outside where we could contain him.”Shackleford added, “I think we took them out of their game a little bit by getting ahead early.”
At the same time, Shackleford had nothing but praise for the Wild.“That team plays hard and is physical,” he said. “They are a really well-coached team. They defensive line is good, but their defensive backs are best we’ve seen. They just fly to the ball.”
QB Houston Lillard had a solid night, completing 18 of 27 passes for 141 yards and two touchdowns. Ed Berry and Tre Young led the Fever with five catches apiece. Dennis Kennedy, Steven Whitehead, and Lillard all had rushing touchdowns.“This is a big win for us,” Lillard said. “We we want more.”
The Fever took control of the game in the second quarter. Whitehead broke a 14-all tie, returning a field goal 57 yards for a touchdown. Kennedy helped extend that lead with a 1-yard run with 1:10 left in the first half.
The Wild (9-7) would get as close as 11 early in the fourth quarter, but a Brady Beeson field goal, and a Jamar Howard 8-yard touchdown catch with 1:25 was enough.“This is better than last year because we did it at home,” Shackleford said of the title. “I am proud of my guys. It’s not easy getting this far.”
www.goifl.com/news/news-archive/77-tri-cities-fever/930-fever-advance-to-united-bowlbeat-wild-51-30
Attachments:
