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LIMA MOVES TO 2-0 WITH WIN OVER AKRON
Henderson rushes for
two touchdowns and throws for another in Warriors
victory.
By Joel Renner
Lima Warriors Staff
Reporter
6/10/07
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LIMA, Ohio
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As soon as
the words “Warriors come out and play” were blasted
from the loudspeaker, the Lima Warriors players ran to
the red letter “L” in the center of the field and the
fans stood up and cheered at the new home in Lima
Stadium.
The message
was clear: Lima was about to show another league
powerhouse who’s really No. 1.
In the first
ever match up between the Lima Warriors and Akron Jagz,
quarterback Justin Henderson riddled Akron for 232
yards passing and was responsible for three
touchdowns, leading the Warriors to a 28-0 win
Saturday night.
The victory
keeps the Warriors (2-0) in perfect position for a run
to the United States Football Alliance Title. Keep
winning, and they will accomplish their goal.
After the
game, Warriors players celebrated with the fans
dressed in a sea of red and black, commending an
opening win at the stadium that the Warriors hope to
call home for many years to come.
“It was a
win and I’m proud of the guys,” Lima coach John
Parkins said. “They stepped up against a big opponent
and they played tough.”
Despite that
the Warriors have a winning tradition, still the
players were having one heck of a party on their way
to the locker room.
“It’s a big
deal for the Lima Warriors organization,” linebacker
Jason Bott said. “We had a great turnout today and
the field is wonderful to play on.”
The
Warriors’ defense, which replaced starting middle
linebacker Davey Settlemire this season, looked
championship caliber, holding an Akron team that
scored 29 points in its previous game, scoreless.
“The defense
played lights out,” Parkins said. “They had a big
goal line stand and kept them out of the end zone.”
As for Akron
(1-1), which was outplayed on the night, the Jagz will
need to improve if they hope to get past Lima in a
possible upcoming match later in the season for a
chance at the title game.
“I was
very excited about the game,” wide receiver Joe
Butcher said. “I worked eight hours today and then
once I got here, I was energized. Everybody was
excited.”
Herby Loftin,
Jagz’ starting QB, struggled throughout the game as he
felt constant pressure from the Lima Defense. He
threw for 68 yards with two interceptions.
The Warriors
look to use their win against Akron as the springboard
to their first league title in their seven-year
existence. But they know they have many hurdles
before the dream becomes reality.
Loftin,
showed that he could take a hit, but he couldn’t pull
off the type of comeback needed against Lima’s solid
defense.
“The Jagz
are big and aggressive, but it is tough to put it in
the end zone against these boys,” Parkins said.
There was
one big reason, however, for Lima’s success
offensively—Henderson.
A year ago,
Henderson split time at quarterback and this season
has stepped up in his role as starting QB.
He was
everything Akron feared: a leader and a playmaker.
He ran two
first-half carries to the end zone at 10:03 in the
first quarter, 14:01 in the second and also threw a
31-yard strike to Joe Butcher in the fourth quarter
for a touchdown.
“Justin had
a big game today,” Parkins said. “He’s great at
moving out of the pocket, keeping his eyes down field
and picking up the receiver.”
The second
touchdown run was a powered up the middle at the start
of the second quarter and sucked the life out of the
Jagz crowd.
“I’ve been
thinking of the game all week and playing it over and
over in my mind,” Henderson said. “I knew what I had
to do today and we all stuck together as a team.”
The game was
relatively close until Henderson marched the offense
85 yards down the field before sailing the ball down
the sideline and found Butcher in the corner of the
end zone for the touchdown. Butcher’s momentum from
the catch threw him onto the pole vault pit where
“X-Factor” decided to do a back flip and give the
crowd a second show as the Warriors led 21-0 with 7:14
to play in the game.
“His little
flip over on the bag got the crowd into it,” Parkins
said.
Butcher had
five catches for 134 yards, against a defense who
couldn’t concentrate on just one receiver. Porfirio
Sutton also had a big game and finished with two
catches for 42 yards.
“Joe’s just
fun to watch,” Parkins said. “He made a great third
and long grab across the middle and I think that was
one of the biggest plays to keep us going.”
Saturday
night’s game was an early-season blockbuster with two
of U.S.F.A.’s heavyweights both on the field and in
tradition.
The last
time the Warriors failed to be 2-0 starting the
regular season, the Ohio Cardinals beat Lima 7-6 in
the Warriors inaugural season in 2001. The team has a
six-year streak at the moment in starting the season
with two straight wins.
The Jagz at
times picked up big chunks of yards on the ground, but
turnovers in the passing game killed the team as
Yansey Donald, Pierre Jackson and Wayne LeGrant all
had interceptions. Jackson picked off the ball in the
first quarter and might have gone all the way if a
Jagz player wouldn’t have tracked him down by the
sideline to save the TD.
“The defense
steps it up when they have to,” Parkins said. “It’s
always like that. They bend but don’t break.”
Loftin took
vicious hits from Warrior pass rushers, including
rattling shots from linebacker Jason Bott, linebacker
Eric Knapp and cornerback Dustin Hunt for sacks. Hunt
was named defensive player of the game with five and a
half tackles, one sack and four pass deflections.
The Warriors
capped off the scoring in the fourth quarter as Glenn
White scampered in for a 27-yard touchdown to seal the
deal. Ryan Elliot was a perfect 4-for-4 on extra
points in his debut at kicker.
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