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WARRIORS READY FOR
HOME OPENER
With a win last week, Lima looks to have a repeat
performance versus West Ohio
By
JOEL RENNER, University Independent
Lima Warriors Staff Reporter
6/6/06
– LIMA
- A 32-9 all-time record at home might signify a home
field advantage.
This
is the history that the Lima Warriors bring into their
home opener this Saturday. With a week of rest under
its belt following a season-opening win, the Ohio
Valley Division leading Warriors opens its five-game
home schedule against the West Ohio Wranglers. The
game will be brought to you by Custom Audio Concepts
and X107.5. Kickoff is at 7:05 p.m. this Saturday,
June 10 at War Memorial Stadium in Ada, Ohio.
The
Warriors beat Southwest Michigan 35-0 on June 3,
shutting down the opponent’s offense all day. The
game had the feel of a post-season game for the
Warriors lineman Brock Hartman, but he knows there is
always room for improvement.
“We
still need to work on pass blocking and trying to get
Justin (Henderson, quarterback) protected,” said
Hartman.
The
Warriors have never lost a home opener and are trying
to extend their string to six straight years.
“That
is a good goal for us, but we have a lot of work to
do,” said linebacker Jason Bott.
The
Warriors are hoping to come away with the same feeling
as last year’s season-opener. A year ago, Lima
clicked offensively in a 60-0 win against the
Wranglers in the two squads first ever match up, which
carried over to three straight shutouts in the
following games for the Warriors.
In the
pre-season, the two teams played and Lima came out on
top 30-0.
“Pre-season was kind of nasty, but we are going to be
more focused now and we are going to show them exactly
what a true blowout is,” said running back Jeremy
Bott.
The
Warriors are hoping for an even better outing against
the Interstate Football League (IFL) Wranglers, who
with a win can equal its win total from last year when
West Ohio finished 1-10 overall and 1-7 in league
games. The (0-0) Wranglers, led by quarterback and
head coach Brandon Meyer will play their first game of
the season on Saturday.
West
Ohio will face some of the nation’s best running backs
when it faces Lima’s many talented, award-winning
players. In their first game, the Warriors running
game accumulated 254 yards behind six different
running backs and three touchdowns by Columbus
“Toledo” Mitchell, Chris Brooks and Andrew Cleckley.
“We
need to work on scoring in the red zone this game,”
said Mitchell.
The
Midwest Third Team All-American quarterback Justin
Henderson, who had two touchdown passes last game,
will give the Wranglers trouble. Henderson completed
eight of fourteen passes for 104 yards in the first
game.
“We
are going to try and extend our shutout record to 16
out of 31 games and we want that blowout so bad,” said
Jeremy Bott.
Despite the Warriors confidence, they still know the
importance of good sportsmanship.
“We
know a lot of the players for the Wranglers and we are
friends after the game," said Bott.
Coach
John Parkins knows that the Warriors can not look past
this game despite the lopsided victories in the past.
“The
Wranglers showed a lot of heart in the pre-season game
and never gave up,” said Parkins.
The
game will be a good family atmosphere for the fans as
a new sound system will be present at the stadium and
numerous sponsored activities throughout the game will
take place for the fans to take part in, including the
Superior Federal Credit Union Runback for Cash where
one lucky fan could win $100 and the Home Depot
Touchdown Toss contest.
$1.00
from each ticket sold at the gate will be donated to
Big Brothers Big Sisters.
“It’s
going to be unbelievable and there should be a good
turnout of people,” said cornerback Dustin Hunt. “The
fans are in for a real treat to watch some intense
football.”
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