Post by fwp on Jul 26, 2009 7:29:35 GMT -5
www.elpasotimes.com/sports/ci_12916882
EL PASO -- Beating a team three times in one season, according to cliché, is a rough task.
When the El Paso Generals face San Angelo this afternoon in the second round of the Indoor Football League playoffs, though, they are entering fairly virgin territory. They'll be trying to beat the Stampede Express for a fifth time.
"It's like playing basketball with your brother out in the back yard," Generals coach Brian Brents said. "You play them so much, there's that chance they are going to get you."
That didn't happen the first four times the teams played, though the final two games were both one-possession victories for the Generals. While El Paso was cruising to a 12-2 mark that rendered the last month of the regular-season largely meaningless, San Angelo scrambled to a 6-9 mark (6-5 vs. teams other than the Generals) and just scrapped into the playoffs with the third and final spot in the Lone Star Division.
Then they upset Abilene in the first round, which Brents certainly didn't consider an upset. From the early stages of the season, when the Stampede Express were struggling, he told anyone who would listen that San Angelo was the toughest opponent in the Lone Star Division.
"I always said that they were very talented, especially with Sonny Cumbie at quarterback," Brents said. "They struggled with injuries early, but after Sonny Cumbie got in, they got back on track. We knew we'd have to play them. We'd rather have played Abilene, but here we are.
"But we're in playoff mode right now. As far as we're concerned, we haven't played them yet."
Right now, El Paso is excited to be playing meaningful football again after a bye week that followed a victory march through the last part of the regular season.
"This really gives us more energy playing a game that matters," defensive back Sam Smith said. "The playoffs give us a new energy."
"We clinched our division a long time ago," Brents said. "It's tough in the middle part, the late part of the season. Weeks 10 to 14, we had to keep guys focused, almost like a job. When you get in the playoffs, the excitement comes around again. We're happy to be at home, we're hoping to take advantage of it."
Defensively, El Paso is faced with having to face Cumbie, a former star at Texas Tech.
"They've got some players," Smith said. "'We do, too. He's a top-notch quarterback, their offense is good, but we have one of the best defenses in the Indoor Football League."
They'll be challenged this afternoon.
Bret Bloomquist may be reached at bbloomquist@elpasotimes.com; 546-6359
Game time
What: San Angelo Stampede Express vs. El Paso Generals in a second-round playoff game.
When, where: 4 p.m. today, El Paso County Coliseum.
Tickets: $5-$25, available at all Ticketmaster outlets and the Coliseum box office.
Information: 544-8444.
EL PASO -- Beating a team three times in one season, according to cliché, is a rough task.
When the El Paso Generals face San Angelo this afternoon in the second round of the Indoor Football League playoffs, though, they are entering fairly virgin territory. They'll be trying to beat the Stampede Express for a fifth time.
"It's like playing basketball with your brother out in the back yard," Generals coach Brian Brents said. "You play them so much, there's that chance they are going to get you."
That didn't happen the first four times the teams played, though the final two games were both one-possession victories for the Generals. While El Paso was cruising to a 12-2 mark that rendered the last month of the regular-season largely meaningless, San Angelo scrambled to a 6-9 mark (6-5 vs. teams other than the Generals) and just scrapped into the playoffs with the third and final spot in the Lone Star Division.
Then they upset Abilene in the first round, which Brents certainly didn't consider an upset. From the early stages of the season, when the Stampede Express were struggling, he told anyone who would listen that San Angelo was the toughest opponent in the Lone Star Division.
"I always said that they were very talented, especially with Sonny Cumbie at quarterback," Brents said. "They struggled with injuries early, but after Sonny Cumbie got in, they got back on track. We knew we'd have to play them. We'd rather have played Abilene, but here we are.
"But we're in playoff mode right now. As far as we're concerned, we haven't played them yet."
Right now, El Paso is excited to be playing meaningful football again after a bye week that followed a victory march through the last part of the regular season.
"This really gives us more energy playing a game that matters," defensive back Sam Smith said. "The playoffs give us a new energy."
"We clinched our division a long time ago," Brents said. "It's tough in the middle part, the late part of the season. Weeks 10 to 14, we had to keep guys focused, almost like a job. When you get in the playoffs, the excitement comes around again. We're happy to be at home, we're hoping to take advantage of it."
Defensively, El Paso is faced with having to face Cumbie, a former star at Texas Tech.
"They've got some players," Smith said. "'We do, too. He's a top-notch quarterback, their offense is good, but we have one of the best defenses in the Indoor Football League."
They'll be challenged this afternoon.
Bret Bloomquist may be reached at bbloomquist@elpasotimes.com; 546-6359
Game time
What: San Angelo Stampede Express vs. El Paso Generals in a second-round playoff game.
When, where: 4 p.m. today, El Paso County Coliseum.
Tickets: $5-$25, available at all Ticketmaster outlets and the Coliseum box office.
Information: 544-8444.