Pioneers Extinguish Fire
Michael Balakier
Sunday May 2, 2004
The Pioneers (4-0), known through their first three games for being stingy on defense, relied on their offense to overpower the Fire (3-1).
“We’re not going to be able to hold every team under 40 [points],” said Pioneers head coach Les Moss.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton was led offensively by quarterback Tim Hicks, who set a new franchise record with eight touchdown passes. Hicks finished the game 19-of-28 for 275 yards and one interception.
“That was the best game I’ve ever played in,” said Hicks. “Just two really really good teams fighting hard and at the end we just wanted it more, plus the fans helped out, and we just ended up winning because we wanted it more.”
Hicks’ main target on the night was offensive specialist J.R. Thomas, who is emerging as Hicks’ primary go-to guy. Thomas caught 10 of Hicks’ 19 completions for 154 yards and three touchdowns, earning him offensive player of the game honors.
“He’s fast,” said Hicks of Thomas. “When you got somebody that fast that can stretch the field, nobody can guard him. All I got to do is throw it somewhere in the vicinity and let him go get it.”
The Pioneers offensive continuity was also showcased against Louisville, as they scored touchdowns on all but two of their possessions, including touchdowns on all their first half possessions.
“They’re getting better and better and they’re going to continue to get better,” said Moss. “They’re starting to get comfortable with each other now.”
With the win, the Pioneers, who are ranked #2 in the af2 coaches’ poll, all but solidified their claim to the number one spot atop the poll. The Wichita Stealth, who are ranked #1 in the poll, had a bye this week, but based on schedule strength, the Pioneers stand a chance to overtake the Stealth’s top spot. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s opponents combined record is 9-8, while Wichita’s opponents combined record is 2-10 (the Stealth have played Peoria twice).
Regardless if the Pioneers take the top spot in the coaches’ poll, the team knows they now have targets on their backs for being one of two remaining undefeated teams in the league.
“Every week is a big game,” said Pioneers’ defensive specialist Kyle Grove. “We can’t take any team lightly cause everyone is coming after us. Any time you’re undefeated, every team wants to be that first team to give you that first loss.”
The Pioneers open division play next week at Albany and then travel to Peoria the following week. They return home May 22 to play new divisional foe Cape Fear.
Game notes
Keystone Karma: Going out on a limb here, you could say the Pioneers were destined to win Saturday night’s game against the Louisville Fire before it even began. About an hour before kickoff, the Pennsylvania bred Smarty Jones won the 130th Kentucky Derby, which is held at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. Smarty Jones is owned by and was bred at Someday Farm, which is located in New Hope, Pa., his jockey, Stewart Elliot, began his career at Philadelphia Park, and his trainer, John Servis, resides in Bensalem, Pa. Adding to the fate of Smarty Jones winning in Louisville is the fact that Smarty Jones is undefeated in his seven starts. Perchance it was just fate that on the day a Pennsylvania horse won racing’s most coveted race (in Louisville), that the Pioneers were destined to win against the Fire. And who knows, maybe as long as Smarty Jones stays undefeated, the Pioneers will as well.
Screened: Throughout Saturday night’s game, the Fire constantly relied on screen passes to try to bolster their offense. On several occasions, it wasn’t unusual to see the Fire running three consecutive plays of screens. It was apparent in the statistics as well, as Louisville quarterback Matt Sauk completed 21-of-35 passes for only 179 yards.
“They did some things against what they saw on tape that hurt what we were doing and we had to change up on them,” said Moss. “That’s part of the game. They did a good job of game planning.”
Moss also explained that when a team relies so heavily on screen passes, it usually indicates that they are worried about the defense’s pass rush. And although the defense can make adjustments to handle the screen, it still comes down to just making a tackle.
“It (screens) happens a lot,” said Moss. “There may be a time we have to do that.”
Pioneers DS Kyle Grove didn’t expect the Fire to run as many screens as they did.
“I expected them to go deep like they had been against other teams,” Grove said, “but when you have a good secondary like ours you can’t just throw deep every play. They did a good scouting job, and it was a good game.”
Michael Balakier first discovered a knack for writing during his senior year in high school while reporting for his school`s newspaper. Aside from being an Arenaball fan, Michael is an avid Syracuse University athletics follower, which poses a problem for him, as he attends the University of Pittsburgh. Michael plans on using what he has learned through his Arenafan experience to remain as impartial as he can during future Syracuse/Pitt events. Michael also serves as co-Editor of the af2 section of Arenafan Online.
