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LIMA, AKRON WEEK 2
Early season match up
very important for Warriors.
By Joel Renner
Lima Warriors Staff
Reporter
6/7/07
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LIMA, Ohio
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Rarely is a
conference game in the second week of the regular
season so meaningful. It certainly was last year
between Grand Rapids and Lima in week six, and there’s
no question this week’s game is just as critical.
A year after
a contest against a team of this magnitude propelled
the Thunder to high playoff seeding and to the
conference championship game, title hopes and overall
confidence of both squads are possibly on the line as
two of the top United States Football Alliance’s teams
square off for the first time in Lima, Ohio on
Saturday.
“This has
been kind of a heated match up even though we haven’t
played each other,” head coach John Parkins said.
The Warriors
enter as the league’s second-ranked team in the
U.S.F.A. power rankings and the Jagz carry a long
tradition of success in the world of amateur football,
setting up the first match up between two of the top
teams that will compete in the league this season.
Lima was
undefeated going into Grand Rapids last July 15, and
Thunder quarterback Chris Kuipers nine-yard touchdown
pass in the second quarter handed the top-ranked
Warriors a 7-0 defeat.
“This is
that game, there are people choosing both sides and
for maybe the only time all year we are going into a
game as the underdog in many team’s eyes,” Warrior’s
offensive lineman John Lance said.
Kuipers went
on to lead the Thunder to a 12-1 season and a spot in
the conference championship game while Lima settled
for a 10-2 mark.
“They’re
going to come ready to play and this is supposed to be
billed as one of the biggest games in the league this
year,” Parkins said.
A big
difference this time is Lima has a lot of depth and
experience on offense at receiver, running back and
quarterback positions including Justin Henderson, who
the Warriors still have under center.
“A lot of
predictions say that whoever wins this game is going
to go on and win the championship game,” Parkins said.
The Warriors
offense was very effective in the first game against
Delphos and Henderson, who last year split time with
Kaene Runion, is considered one of the top
quarterbacks in the league, but he may need to prove
worthy of such high praise by performing well against
a tough Akron defense.
Henderson
threw for two touchdowns—all in the first half—and was
9-of-14 for 212 yards in the season opener, but that
came against Delphos in a 49-0 victory.
One of his
TD passes went to speedster Jeremy Bott, another
veteran, and Akron will have to focus their top
coverage players on many different Warriors to slow
down all of their star wideouts.
Warrior’s
players are also aware of the importance of a victory
in front of their home crowd at their new home field,
Lima Stadium.
“This is
going to be the best two teams in the western
conference,” Lance said. “This is our first game at
the Stadium.”
Maybe no
player in this game, however, will feel more pressure
than the Akron quarterback. The Warriors defense did
well in their first game of the season, allowing only
four yards of total offense and zero passing yards and
will be sure to pressure the quarterback throughout
the game. The Akron offense however did well in their
first contest; scoring four touchdowns in a 29-0 win
over the Mansfield Maurauders a week ago.
Members of
both teams will also have more on the line, as they
will reunite with a former teammate.
Issac
Williams, who plays on the offensive line, defensive
line and linebacker position for Akron, will
especially have more riding on this game as he makes
his way back to Lima for the reunion.
Akron and
Lima have many similarities with high-powered
offenses; defenses and both the Jagz and Warriors are
non-profit organizations that contribute a lot to
charity and their respective communities.
It appears
that Henderson may have picked a favorite target.
Runion had three catches for 94 yards in the opener.
As for the
ground game, sixth-year veteran Glenn White had the
most success with 46 yards and two touchdowns on four
attempts, though it’s likely he’ll continue to share
carries with Jeremy Bott and Andrew Cleckley. The two
were also successful with 43 yards on five rushes and
combined for a pair of touchdowns.
Both squads
know a loss Saturday could be foreshadowing for a
future playoff match up and neither team want their
U.S.F.A. title dreams crushed this early in the
season. The games between Grand Rapids and Akron hold
a lot of parallels since the Warriors and Jagz are
somewhat a mirror image of one another, but the
Warriors are hoping a different end result happens
this time around.
“There’s a
lot riding on this game early in the season,” Parkins
said. “The Warriors are going to bring it and I know
Akron will. It’s going to be a great game and
hopefully a lot of people come out and watch it.”
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