Hail Mary was Full of Grace for Fire
Kevin Sedelmeier
Tuesday June 1, 2004
This victory, this ending – it was even more improbable than a successful Norm McDonald sit-com. Missing regulars Tony Stallings, Justin Thomas, and Ryan Russell to start the game, Offensive Specialist James Scott got hurt in the first half and was carried off the field at halftime by teammates. Throw in feisty Dennis Fryzel playing the entire game with a separated shoulder and hero Anthony Payton banged up all over, this win was a testament to the Fire’s spirit and determination. According the Quarterback Matt Sauk, who threw four more touchdowns giving him 45 half way through the season, everyone stepped up to fill in for the injured. “A lot of these guys were playing hurt,” he said. One of those players who stepped up big was Takuya Furutani, who had a touchdown reception, a few great kickoff returns, and played solid defense. “He’s definitely a player,” said Sauk.
“Both teams fought hard,” said Head Coach Tommy Johnson. “They (the Fire) hate to lose. They hate to be in a situation where they’re going to let each other down.” If lineman Brandon Dyson’s forth quarter shouts of encouragement to his teammates on the bench were any indication, the Fire wasn’t going to lay down and lose when they trailed late 47-34.
It was a wild forth quarter. There was the season premiere of The Jason Ferguson Show. On three crucial consecutive plays with the Pioneers deep in Louisville territory and ready to make it a three score lead, Ferguson made a tackle for a loss, sacked Scranton quarterback Tim Hicks, and recovered Hicks’ fumble after a sack by Nick Myers. Ferguson, understood the urgency of the Fire’s late defensive stand. “I looked up at the clock, and we needed a big play to turn it around, and it seems like all year we’ve had a big play somewhere that’s turned the game around,” said Ferguson. “Tonight I just happened to be the guy that made it.”
Aside from his defensive heroics, Ferguson along with Myers, and Derrick Sheppard among others did a great job containing the Pioneers’ Ufuoma Pele. The huge tackle, who was flagged with four late hits on Fire QB Matt Sauk when these two teams met earlier this season, was not a major factor all night. Yes, sometimes Fire players got penalties for holding him, but the bottom line was simply that Sauk was not sacked once. The Fire lead the league in sacks against them, only giving up two all season. Ferguson is quick to spread the credit. “Coach Adam Shackleford does a great job with our offensive line,” her says. He is correct. This year’s Fire line on both sides of the ball is deeper and better than ones in years past.
The Fire got their second huge break of the quarter in the last minute when Pioneer kicker David Davis missed a 20-yard field goal that would have just about sealed the game for Scranton. The Fire took over and moved the ball to midfield. An ill-fated play that would have been better served by downing the ball took ten seconds off the clock, and left the Fire with just five seconds. All Sauk could do is heave a desperation pass high of the net and hope that one of his teammates won the jump ball.
There in the mass of humanity lay Anthony Payton flat on his back. Barely able to run his patterns in the fourth quarter, he gutted it out, and was in the right place at the right time when the ball fell right in his arms. The crowd was stunned when the officials signaled touchdown. (I hadn’t been so surprised in Freedom Hall since Bruce Springsteen played little-known Back in Your Arms in April of 2000.) That tied the score, and consistent and reliable Marc Samuel was perfect with the extra point to end the game. It was fitting that Payton was the hero.
After the game, he stayed to sign autographs despite his condition. “I’m so hurt right now,” he said, “I can’t even tell you.” Throughout the game, Payton was slow to get up on a handful of occasions, including one headfirst collision with the end zone wall. Despite the pain, Payton stayed focused. “I tried to block it out, but I was hurt,” she said. “But I didn’t want to let my teammates down. I didn’t want to let the fans down, either, so I had to suck it up.” Payton, a Fire favorite, who returned to the Fire this season after playing in Buffalo and Cincinnati last year, has been a key to this year’s team with his veteran leadership.
Like Payton, Fryzel, who Coach Johnson says “catches everything” played his normal game – all out. He had nine catches for 75 yards, and made big special teams tackles. Johnson said Fryzel’s pain was so intense, the receiver was nearly crying on the bench. Fire fans knew he was as tough as they come, but this was over the top (but not in a Stallone arm wrestling-child custody sort of way, of course.) While an early prognosis was not given, it’s likely Fryzel may miss some time with the shoulder injury. It’s a good thing Russell and Stallings are both slated for returns in the next week or so. And the thought of getting Stallings back in uniform and out of the Animal Planet jungle makes Johnson “happy as I can be.”
So, despite missing some of its top playmakers, the Fire prevailed over the league’s top-ranked team, a solid group who are well-coached. The Fire gave the quintessential team effort Saturday night. “We have a team that comes together. We’re fighting for each other instead of ourselves,” said Sam Crenshaw who stepped up his contribution with five catches and solid defense.
In the end, the Fire didn’t play their best game of the year. They gave up two kickoff returns, some open touchdown receptions, and seemed a little out of rhythm. Yet they beat the league’s #1 team. It again points to this team’s character of always fighting and never giving up. And sometimes there’s nothing wrong with a little luck, either. People get lucky all the time: LSU who beat Kentucky at Commonwealth Stadium in 2002 on an amazing final play, Michael Bolton who once actually sold millions of records, and any guy who has ever dated Jessica Alba. When you’re good and you give a hundred percent, it’s not called luck. Instead, we’ll call it justice. Fate. A well-deserved break.
Smoke Signals
One of the best hits all night was by a little girl leveling an even littler boy during the Kid-Mascot Race during a timeout in the action. To his credit, the little tyke, got right back up and finished the race … with Fire mascot Axe, a large rough-looking muscular Dalmatian chasing him with tomahawks. Let’s hope the whole experience won’t be scarring for the little guy.
Poor Pioneer kicker David Davis. He missed the chip shot field goal to seal the game for his team. But that’s not the most painful part of his story. He has one of the oddest stances of any place kicker you will ever see. The former USC star stands angled in a manner that looks like it is conducive to a nasty groin pull. As he emerges from the stance, he slightly lifts his leg like a flamingo and then kicks the ball. You fear he’s going to injure himself on every attempt.
When Takuya Furutani scored on a pass from Matt Sauk, his end zone celebration looked to include Mr. Miyagi’s secret “Crane” technique from The Karate Kid.
Led by Fire Owner Will Wolford, former Buffalo Bill great Kent Hull, and sports commentator and talk show host Bob Valvano, the auctions for the V Foundation were a success. Autographed jerseys, a Colts ticket package, and a Roger Clemens autographed glove were just some of the items on the block. The Fire also helped sponsor the V Foundation’s Memorial Day’s Celebrity Bocce Tournament. It was a huge success, raising over $50,000 for cancer research. The affable Valvano, one of the finest sports announcers in the business, did a wonderful job pulling off the tournament of a sport not exactly well-known in the area.
Pioneer coach Les Moss did a good job all night of keeping his players away from possible fisticuffs. Knowing the escalated tensions from their previous game with the Fire, he obviously wanted to keep his team out of trouble.
In Saturday’s preview article for the game, the Courier Journal identified the Fire’s head coach as Tommy Jones. Hmmm. It’s not unusual for the CJ to either make a mistake when it comes to the Fire or not cover them at all.
According to the Fire’s Anthony Payton, “Arenafan is the best website.”
Kevin Sedelmeier is a native Louisvillian. A graduate of the University of Louisville with a B.A. in Communication and M.A. in English, he works as a technical writer and has written fifteen screenplays and numerous short
stories. He lives with his wife Elizabeth, son Lukas, and their dog Springsteen.