Improving Wizards Lose On Last-Second Field Goal
Keith Antigiovanni
Sunday June 9, 2002
Perhaps Wizards head coach Mike Risher said it best after the game “There are no moral victories in football.” Oh sure, Mobile has improved tremendously since Risher inherited a mess almost a month ago. Even though losing by three points is much better than when they were getting blown out by scores of 72-10, 80-18 and 65-7, for some reason it feels worse to lose by three. The Wizards showed a lot of heart coming back from a 10-point deficit to take a one-touchdown lead late in the game until the defense surrendered the game-tying touchdown.
The defense redeemed itself by stopping Florida as Mobile got the ball back with seconds to play. It appeared as if the scrappy Wizards would finally get their first win but disaster struck again when the basic exchange from center was fumbled giving Florida the ball at the Mobile five-yard line. Brandon Kornblue kicked the game-winning field goal for the Firecats dropping Mobile to 0-10.
To lose a game by fumbling a center exchange after the team fought so hard throughout the game is about as heartbreaking a defeat as there is. Despite the winless record Risher says the club is positive. “The team has been tremendously upbeat because of the fact we have so many new faces they really don’t know that they are 0-10,” He said.
Regardless of the record, the Wizards have come a long way. Just last month they couldn’t reach the end zone and couldn’t stop anyone else from reaching it. In the four games before Risher was hired, they allowed an average of over 72 points per game while scoring only an average of 10 points.
Two weeks ago they scored 50 points and this week they almost won the game.
“We need to continue to blend as a team, try to put a hold on the revolving door of players and see if we can compete as a solid team over the next several weeks and win some games. I will disappointed if we do not,” Risher said.
Keith Antigiovanni is a free-lance writer in San Diego, California. He has worked for several local newspapers covering sports, government and business. Keith started writing in 1995 after graduating with a Bachelors Degree in Mass Media Communications from the University of San Diego. Aside from working as a sportswriter he has a side business of providing marketing assistance/research for small businesses and also directs,produces and hosts a regular public access television show on Time-Warner Cable named "San Diego Yesterday". Antigiovanni is also a member of the San Diego Sportswriter Association.
