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WARRIORS #1 AFTER CONTROLLING LIONS
Defense
and Special Teams keys to Lima victory over
Cleveland.
By Joel Renner
Lima Warriors Chief Staff
Reporter
6/24/07
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LIMA, Ohio
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Almost sixty minutes of heart-pounding football went
by before John Parkins and the Warriors’ players
could feel any sense of relief and start celebrating
as the Warriors lined up in the victory formation to
kneel on the ball.
Porfirio
Sutton caught a tipped pass for a 74-yard TD in the
first quarter, then the whole Warriors’ defense
played with great intensity the rest of the game and
Eric Knapp sealed the victory by recovering a
fumbled punt with less than a minute remaining as
the Warriors beat the team that was considered the
best semi-pro team in Ohio, the Cleveland Lions, 9-7
on Saturday.
“These guys
played their hearts out tonight,” Lima coach John
Parkins said. “The Lions came out in the second half
and were fired up, but you can’t say enough about
our defense and they really stepped it up.”
Parkins,
the Warriors coach for the last five years, may have
coached the Warriors’ biggest win in their short but
successful history in beating a Cleveland team with
30 years of tradition and loaded with talented
players.
Special
Teams played terrific all game and the Warriors used
two crucial blocked field goals to propel themselves
to victory. The coach especially had to be pleased
after Brent Ridenour kicked a critical 22-yard field
goal as the Warriors (4-0) expanded a 6-0 lead into
halftime as the clock ran off.
“It was
the game-winning field goal,” Parkins said. “Brent
coming in to make that clutch kick was big.”
On a day
when Cleveland’s defense put the clamps on
quarterback Justin Henderson and most of his
targets, the Warriors continued to persevere.
Cleveland is a respected team in the world of
amateur football and the Warriors’ players felt
Saturday’s game compared to past battles with Grand
Rapids, the only team the Warriors have lost to in
the last three seasons.
“It felt a
lot like playing against Grand Rapids,” said
defensive end Adam Gill, who said he felt this was
the biggest win in Warriors’ history. “A couple
seconds there you start getting a little doubtful
and then somebody comes up with a big play.”
With the
Lions (0-1) seeking a field goal to go ahead for the
first time in the game, the Warriors’ shocked the
crowd with a second field-goal block of the night
against the Lion’s kicker, who was kicking over
50-yard field goals before the game, to stay ahead
9-6 with 2:25 left.
The play
was one of many crucial defensive stands by the
Warriors, which also held former Ohio State tailback
Lawrence Vickerstaff and the rest of the Lions to 14
rushing yards in the game.
“As the
game was going on, (Eric) Siefker pulled us together
and said our defense was going to change the game,”
defensive end Isaac Melton said.
Rain
started to arrive and the Warriors decided to play
it safe and run the ball to melt the clock for two
minutes before punting with 49 seconds left and
Knapp recovered the muffed catch.
The Lions
came out of the gate in the second half, marched
down the field like predicted and put on an
offensive clinic with amazing catch after catch.
Jon Hunek finally put Cleveland on the board as he
threw over the top of two Warriors’ defensive backs
to find a receiver in the corner of the endzone for
the Lions’ lone score. Just that quickly—after the
Lions’ first drive of the third quarter, some may
have felt the tables had turned, but the Warriors’
defense showed heart and didn’t let the Lions
celebrate again.
The
victory extended Lima’s record to 25-4 in the past
three seasons, dating back to 2004 in a 60-0
home-opening victory over West Ohio. The Warriors
have only lost to Grand Rapids in that time and
hopes to win the United States Football Alliance
title this season.
“For one
of the first times in team history, we stepped up
and won the big game,” offensive lineman John Lance
said, who is a team captain and six-year veteran of
semi-pro football.
The game
lived up to what it was exactly supposed to be as a
backyard brawl at Lima Stadium, which has hosted two
victories over terrific opponents thus far this
season and the crowd was electric once again.
Andrew Cleckley (seven carries, 59 yards) and
Henderson (11-of-20 for 168 yards with three
interceptions and a TD) led the Warriors into
field-goal range before halftime. Ridenour received
great blocking by the line and he converted the
22-yard attempt with four seconds left, followed by
the crowd giving the hometown heroes a standing
ovation, while heading to the locker room.
A light
downpour started late in the game and defensive
players like Brandt Huttis, Yansey Donald and Ty
Carpenter used their quickness to deny the Lion’s
passing attack and they also lead the team in
tackles. The Warriors broke through on the ground
and rushed for 131 yards. Sutton led the Warriors
in receiving with two catches for 81 yards and a TD
and Jeremy Bott and Joe Butcher each caught four
passes for 34 yards.
The Lions
may have left Lima with a sour taste in their mouth
after the first ever match up, but both sides showed
great respect for one another.
“I don’t
think anyone was completely happy with their team’s
performance, but it was a great game and atmosphere
to be a part of despite the loss,” said Chip
McClain, Lion’s running back and former Miami
University player. “I thank Lima for their
hospitality and wish them nothing but the best of
luck in the future. Make no mistake; they earned
this win and thus the title “Best in Ohio”.
The
Warriors may have turned the ball over six times on
offense and allowed their first points in four games
on defense, but that was against a terrific team
loaded with former Division 1 college players.
“We feel
that anybody on our defense can play and win the
game for us,” Melton said. “We are at least 22
players deep on defense. We all play together and
that’s why we win.”
Parkins
said he saw a lot of heart in his team tonight, but
knows to take each game one at a time to reach the
ultimate outcome that is a national championship.
“At this
point, these guys are feeling confidant and I hope
they keep the same intensity level up and don’t have
any letdowns,” Parkins said.
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