The Farm Show Arena had its fair share of festivities Saturday night as the Harrisburg Stampede took on the Erie Storm.  Nipsey, a DJ from 105.7 “The X” was on hand for pregame festivities as well as helping with some in game contests.  While watching pre-game warm-ups, one could tell that the players came ready to play. They looked especially pumped, as this was the first of two consecutive home games. 

William Hines, whose name is being made known amongst Harrisburg faithful, took little time in making an impact. The first score of the game culminated with a tipped pass and an interception that went from endzone to endzone. Hines has been establishing himself throughout the season with knack for big plays. Last game’s performance against Reading included two fumble recoveries, one for a touchdown.  With the first score of the game coming from the defense, his follow-up performance would not be a disappointment.

Hines said after the game, “These fans in Harrisburg help this defense play inspired football.  I love putting on a show in front of the hometown fans, and tonight the balls were just finding me and I was able to make the most of it.”

The first half included interceptions from both Marcus Sargeant and William Hines. While the defense played solid, the offense was stop and go as Erie put the pressure on. A blocked field goal by Erie gave Harrisburg a safety, putting them up 9-7 in the first quarter. The first half ended on a good note for Harrisburg, as Derrick Scott nailed a clutch field goal right before the half. This put Harrisburg up 17-16.  Even with the lead, Harrisburg could not have been satisfied at the half, after a very up-and-down two quarters of play.

The Yakima Valley Warriors (2-1) beat the Wenatchee Valley Venom (1-2) 64-48 in the home debut at the Sun Dome Saturday Night. This was the first home win in history for the young Warrior team.”We are excited to get that first home win and look forward to San Jose on Saturday Night at the Sun Dome.” said CEO/Founder Michael Mink.

The Warriors took a 12 to 6 lead at the end of the first quarter and never looked back. The Warrior Defense gave the Venom offense major issues with an attacking defense that produced 4 sacks and 5 turnovers. Former University of Washington Wilson Afoa had 5 tackles, 2 fumble recoveries and 2 Sacks (6 on the year) to dominate the Venom Offensive Line. Ryan Wright recovered a touchdown for the defensive unit that has worked hard all season.

The Warrior offense was fantastic under the direction of QB Ben “The Gun” Running (Southern Oregon). The first year QB threw for 5 TD’s for 255 yards and ran in 2 more to cap off the night.  Gabe Hatchett (Southern Oregon) had 4 catches for 75 yards and 2 td in one half of play. (Gabe exited game with a slight hamstring pull) Jamel “Jersey” Harris (Temple) who was picked up from the Venom 2 weeks ago had 4 catches for 61 yards and 2 td.

“We played hard and didn’t get caught in the Venom pre-game activities.” They realized we were all business and will not back down.” said Head Coach Lance Brown “ We had a lot of players tonight come of age and when some of our leaders went down we had guys step up tonight.” said Mink.

The Wolves’ (3-0) 58-32 victory over the Ogden Knights (0-3), Saturday night at the Cow Palace, with its largest crowd yet estimated at 4,000  would seem to suggest that the wolves are not just another expansion team.  The victory enabled the wolves to maintain their tie for first place in the western division against reigning division champion and division rival the Wyoming Calvary

This was the third meeting between the two teams including the Wolves pre-season drubbing of the visitors last month. However, last week’s nail biter saw the outcome in jeopardy until the final play.

This time quarterback Omar Jacobs sealed the win with two touchdowns to stand out WR A.J. Bennett in the final minutes. The touchdowns gave Jacobs six on the evening, including a rushing score for a total of 186 yards, while Bennett finished the game with three touchdowns and 101 yards.

Defensively, the Wolves started slow before consistently badgering Ogden quarterback Jeremy Glover, Closing the game with 7 sacks and 3 fumble recoveries, 2 of which ended in Defensive touchdowns by Linebacker/Fullback Marvin brown.“Our defense really took off,” said Wolves Head Coach Bennie King. “Altariq, Antonio, and Pac Man took it to them and that really allowed us to do what we wanted.” “We had some questionable calls early that hurt us,” said King. “Those are out of our hands but we can’t lose our composure because that is something that we can control.”

The Wolves will take their season opening three game winning streak on the road next week to Yakima, Washington to take on the Washington Warriors(2-1).

The Richmond Raiders had everything on Saturday night at the Coliseum, warm evening, entertainment,  and a crowd of 3000 on hand to see them win with solid defense and big play offense.  The Raiders beat the Fayetteville Guard 55 to 49, but the score was not as close as it seemed.  The Raiders fell behind early when the Guard’s Gildersleeve ran in from seven yards out on a busted pass play to take a seven to nothing lead over the Raiders. That was the last time the Guard would have the lead.

On the next series Jay Jackson would haul in a 37 yard pass to score the Raiders first points of the game.  The Raiders Mike Crawford out of Virginia Tech would force a fumble on the next Guard series deep in the Raider territory.  When the Raiders returned to the field Jerrett Brown from William and Mary would take the ball around end and run 37 yards to daylight and another 6 Raider points.

The Raiders would take a two point lead going into the half. When they returned for the third quarter they would shut out the Guard for the next 15 minutes while scoring 14 unanswered points to go up 41 to 25.  The Raiders would than score 14 additional points in the 4th quarter to take a commanding lead before Guard pulled close with a late 4th quarter score.

Robbie Jenkins a Culpeper County High School standout and Bridgewater College National Title Winner would throw 5 touchdowns, while running another in. The Raiders came together as a team playing tough against  good opponent last night and got big plays out of their defense and offense that allowed them to put up some big numbers.  The Raiders now 2 and 2 on the season on are on the road the next two weeks and face the Reading Express next week on Saturday night at 7pm.  They return to the coliseum on April 30th to face the Eire Storm.

The Yakima Valley Warriors (1-1) beat the Arctic Predators (0-2) 52-21 in Wasilla, Alaska on Sunday Afternoon. This was the first win in franchise history for the young Warrior team.”We are excited to get that first win and look forward to our rematch with Wenatchee on Saturday Night at the Sun Dome.” said CEO/Founder Michael Mink

The Warriors were down 21 to 17 at the end of the first half came out on the warpath to start the third quarter. The Warrior Defense shutout the Predator offense with an attacking defense that produced 7 sacks and 4 turnovers. Ryan Wright had 2 sacks and Ryan Staton had 2 interceptions.

The Warrior offense continued to improve under the direction of QB Jason Williams. The first year QB threw for 3 TD’s and provided the leadership needed for Victory. Don Chapman( running back) had a stellar day with over 4 TD’s and continued to move the chains for the Warriors.  Gabe Hatchett, Reggie Ellis and James Mayfield all added touchdowns for the Warrior Offense.

 The Warriors return home at 10:30 am Monday at Yakima regional. Opening night is this coming Saturday, April 3rd 7:15pm at the Sun Dome. Visit www.yakimavalleywarriors.com for further information or call the Warriors office at 509-249-1110.

Mariners Defeat Richmond 49-45, Increase Record to 4-0

BALTIMORE, MD (March 28, 2010) – They bent, but didn’t break. Just a week after posting a league record shutout in a 59-0 win over the Fayetteville Guard, the Baltimore Mariners’ defense had their reputation and the game on the line versus the Richmond Raiders. With less than a minute to go and nursing a 49-45 lead the Mariners defense faced a Richmond fourth and goal just inches from the end zone. As Raiders quarterback Robbie Jenkins drove forward off his center’s right shoulder, he was promptly met by Mariners’ defenders Adam Goloboski and Fearon Wright who drove the Raider signal caller away from the goal line, securing the win and running the Mariners season record to 4-0.

 “This is the kind of win that builds character for our team. We struggled on offense and defense tonight; we just could not get in sync, but in the end the team came through and earned a victory that will bring them back to earth a little bit, but also provided them with some adversity they can build on,” said Mariners Head Coach Chris Simpson.

On a night when the Mariners offense and defense struggled, their special teams moved to the forefront as Baltimore kicker J.R. Cipra posted 19 points including three field goals and five unos; earned by splitting the uprights with a 57-yard boot on kickoffs. Defensive back and returner Richard Johnson also added to the special team scoring with a 53-yard return for a touchdown on a missed field goal attempt.

Despite 3-0 Record, Baltimore Looks to Improve with Tougher Challenges Ahead

BALTIMORE, MD (March 25, 2010) – There is an old English proverb, “A smooth sea never made a skilled mariner.”  Baltimore Mariners Head Coach Chris Simpson knows this is true as he prepares his 3-0 team for tougher challenges ahead and seeks improvement as they face adversity, “Our mindset has been the same all season. We focus on the game at hand and improving each week as a team. We have not won the conference or the championship yet. We have 11 more games left, plus, the playoffs. It's too long of a season to get satisfied and comfortable.”

With their 3-0 start, the Mariners are also in uncharted territory. In their inaugural 2008 season, in which they finished 4-10, Baltimore did not earn their fourth win of the season until their 13th game. In 2009 after a sluggish start they earned win number four in week seven, but finished with a flurry winning five of seven to compile a 9-5 record and make the playoffs. Now after just three games they are poised for their fourth victory this weekend. Coach Simpson must also balance the confidence that comes with his team’s 3-0 start and overconfidence that could lead to a letdown. “Starting out 3 - 0 on the season builds confidence. We understand that there is a fine line between that and being overconfident. I don't mind a little confidence and a little swagger. That is part of why we haven't lost yet. However, we are mature enough to know that there are things that we must improve upon as individuals and as a team. As there coach, it is my job to keep them grounded and hungry.”

The San Jose Wolves started their season off with an onslaught against the Arctic Predators on Saturday night resulting in a devastating 64-12 win for San Jose. On the first play from scrimmage, Wolves’ standout quarterback Omar Jacobs threw a 30 yard touchdown pass to receiver Jason Boyd, who caught the ball in a horizontal dive in the end-zone.  From there on it was smooth sailing for the Wolves, as Omar Jacobs threw for 170 yards on 9 for 14 passing with 5 touchdowns, and only one pick. The Predators had no answer for Jacobs, and seemed to be outclassed throughout the game. Head Coach Bennie King commented “Tonight we came out and executed the game plan on offense, and our defensive line was dominant.” The defense was lead by Defensive Lineman Altariq Brown who had three sacks on the night. “Altariq’s presence upfront set the tone for us defensively and made our secondary job pretty easy” said King.  The Wolves will travel to Utah on Saturday March 27th, where they will take on the Ogden Knights in a rematch of their exhibition game. The Wolves exploded with a 48-16 victory in the preseason match up; however, with the regular season underway, an energized and well coached San Jose Wolves team expects a better effort from the Knights. King stated: “Great teams win on the road and we expect a much better effort from Utah.”

A near sellout crowd pushed the home team Venom to victory on Saturday, with a 54-25 win over the Yakima Valley Warriors. The Venom boasted a veteran offense against the youthful Warriors defense that saw all-star QB Ronnie Simpson knocked from the game. The Warriors defense was left on the field and could only hold ground so many times in this offensive minded arena game.

The Venom had to work down the field patiently and was very effective as the game went on. The Warriors despite 2 blown coverage’s played hard and delivered some crushing hits. The Warriors offense struggled early until QB Jason Williams hit Reggie Ellis with a 45 yard TD. The Warriors ground attack started to work in the 2nd half as Don Chapman Rushed for 2 touchdowns. The Warriors next

The Warriors home opener is April 3 Saturday night 7:15 pm at the Sun Dome.

Visit www.yakimavalleywarriors.com for more information or call the Warrior office at 509-249-1110.

Go Warriors!