Same Story Different Game
Dallas Dunn
Monday July 9, 2001
The Columbus Wardogs closed out their home schedule against the Macon Knights on Saturday night in front of a crowd of 4,962, the largest crowd of the season. The results were the same as they have been all season, a 68 - 17 loss. The Wardogs dropped to 0-14 and set the af2 record for most losses in a season. With only 2 games to go in the season the Wardogs are hoping to avoid the winless season.
The game started off with the crowd being very loud. Columbus loves to hate Macon. The rivalry goes back to the local minor league hockey and baseball teams. Macon received the kickoff and the Columbus defense came out strong but Macon drove the length of the field and scored. In fact, Macon scored touchdowns on all four of their first half possessions.
The Wardog offense looked out of sync once again from the start. QB Jerome Weaks looked like a man lost when he was behind center. When the offensive line did give him time to throw he took too long to make a decision and tried to force it or just throw it into the stands. At the end of the 1st quarter it was Mac 15, Col 0.
Columbus finally got onto the board with a Stan Whitlock 40 yard field goal with 7:55 left in the half. On the ensuing kickoff Macon’s Jeff Higgins ran it back for what appeared to be a touchdown but he had stepped out at the 7-yard line so on the next play he ran around the left end for a score. The score was now Mac 27, Col 3.
Columbus changed quarterbacks and Will Burch came in and led the Wardogs to their first touchdown. It was a 15-yard pass to J.C. Thomas. The PAT made the score Mac 27, Col 10. The half would end that way and it would be the closest the Wardogs would come.
I spoke with several fans during half time about the team and if they thought the team would return. Owner Ed Randle has insisted that the team will be back next year. “We definitely are coming back,” Randle said. Even though attendance has been way off of what Randle had expected he still is firm on the team coming back next season.
Jim Duncan a season ticket holder said he would wait and see if the team is here next year before he renews his seats. He said, “I like the game but I would love to see our guys get a win for us.”
Steve Roberts, another season ticket holder, said he would be sending in the $25 to hold his seats for next year. “I love this game and even when we lose I have a great time. This is a great Saturday night event for us around here, baseball is boring I want to see action and this game provides it.”
After speaking with quite a few fans I got the feeling that most are being cautious before they put down their money. They say they will support the team but they want a winning team not a record setting losing team. Mr. Randle and General Manager Mike Sammond both say that the team next year will be different. They have not said if current head coach Greg Oglesby will return. Prior to this season his coaching experience had been limited to high school football. He had never even seen an arena football game. Oglesby was promoted to head coach on May 21st after the firing of Joe Campbell, who is currently the offensive coordinator for next week’s opponent, the Jacksonville Tomcats.
The second half started much like the first ended. Jamaal Garman intercepted Will Burch and returned it to the 7-yard line where the Knights drove in on the next play. The rest of the second half was more of the same with Columbus committing turnovers and Macon capitalizing on them. Columbus just played like a team that does not have any idea how to win. At the end of the 3rd quarter the score was Mac 53, Col 17. The crowd started to leave and several fans booed the team on the way out.
The most excitement of the night came with 1 second to go when Columbus turned the ball over and Macon leading 68 to 17. The Knights called time out inside of Columbus’s 10-yard line and tried for a touchdown pass. After the game several Wardogs players took offense to the “rubbing it in” move and started toward Macon’s bench. A small fight ensued and the head coaches quickly broke it up.
Rumor has it that one of the Macon assistant coach’s stated, ‘We kicked your 0 and forever butts and you will never win a game.’ If it is true you can be sure next year’s Wardogs will use it as a rallying cry.
After the game the Wardogs auctioned off the game jerseys of all of the players. They started each off at $150 dollars and had very few takers. Matt Burnstein’s mother bought his jersey for $220. It seemed family members bought most of the jerseys. The money raised would go to the team.
Now that the home portion of the Wardogs schedule is over and with only two remaining games one has to wonder what happened to this team? I started covering this team when it was announced and through out the start of tryouts and training camp I had a feeling that this team was doing things the right way. Majority Owner Ed Randle and Minority Owner/General Manager/President Mike Sammond did nothing out of the ordinary to put a quality product on the field.
With Macon coming into the league months before the Wardogs a lot of the local talent was already signed. That was one of the major hurdles; the other in my opinion was the selection of Joe Campbell as Head Coach. His knowledge of the game from playing and coaching for the Nashville Kats did not carry over to this team. He just did not have what it took to run a team and that in my opinion was what killed this season. He stuck with Weaks as his QB and let Ed Randle and Matt Hicks go, both QB’s that had performed better in practice and games. He played stand out Matt Burnstein way to little and Butterfield way too much.
He had a team that could have competed but he tore it down. Mr. Randle and Mr. Sammond may have already started the search for a new AFL experienced coach. One who knows what type of player it will take to win and one with the organizational skills to run a team. What this team needs to get things on the right track for next year is a win against Jacksonville.
Look for an end of the season article and off-season tidbits. I know this team will be going through many changes in the off-season and keeping you up to date on everything could be challenging. I am looking forward to next season when there will be a much better team on the field representing Columbus.
Dallas Dunn has been an Arena Football League enthusiast since he
first attended a Tampa Bay Storm game in 1991. He graduated from Nova
Southeasten University with a Bachelor's Degree in Management. He has
spent the last 18 years in the Army and is currently stationed at Fort
Lewis, Washington with his wife Stephanie. He covered the Columbus
Wardogs during their inaugural season of 2001 for Arenafan and is now
covering the Everett Hawks.