Post by fwp on Apr 5, 2010 18:30:13 GMT -5
www.lacrossetribune.com/sports/article_02cf1df6-4071-11df-9dc4-001cc4c03286.html
For a moment Saturday night you could hear their voices above the crowd. That didn't last long.
I have to admit, Kewan Dewberry and Travis Miller had pretty good pipes and kept a pretty steady beat to Queen's "We Will Rock You" on the La Crosse Center dasherboards. But I'm sure the La Crosse Spartans players were happy to lose the shouting/noise-making match with the folks they were trying to encourage.
Maybe you were one of the announced 3,278 spectators watching the Spartans' first regular-season home game. Maybe you were one of the few hundred left in the building as the final seconds ticked away in La Crosse's 39-27 loss to the Omaha Beef.
Whatever the case, you came to the first regular-season indoor football game at the Center in nearly seven years. At times you were really loud, especially in the fourth quarter when the Spartans were rallying. You didn't need much encouragement from Dewberry, La Crosse's quarterback, and Miller, an offensive lineman, to raise the decibel level a few notches.
But what are you saying today after watching the Spartans drop to 0-4? Are you talking about coming back on April 11 for La Crosse's next home game, against the Green Bay Blizzard? Or do you look at the forecast for that day (62 degrees and partly sunny, according to weather.com) and realize you don't get nearly enough fresh air?
I'm sure the Spartans hope they've done enough to make you want to come back and scream yourselves hoarse.
I don't have to tell you indoor football's track record in La Crosse isn't exactly what you would call exemplary. The River Rats folded after going 2-12 in 2000, their lone season. The Night Train (2002-03) didn't last much longer and at 5-23, didn't fare any better.
The Spartans' slow start isn't doing them any favors. But perhaps what they did Saturday won't keep the masses away from future games as if the words "Danger: Toxic Waste Spill" were in blinding neon lights outside the Center doors.
Granted, it was by no means an error-free night for the Spartans. An interception by Dewberry in the first quarter led to an Omaha touchdown and put La Crosse in a 14-0 hole. Spartans kicker Joe Mootz had two extra-point attempts blocked. And the first half ended with La Crosse, down 20-9, failing to get a play off from the Omaha 1-yard-line.
But the team that did very little right in its first three games - they were outscored 150-45 - didn't do half bad in the second half. The Spartans were within two points of Omaha at 29-27 with 8 minutes, 59 seconds left before Beef quarterback Ben Sankey caught the Spartans' secondary napping and fired a 38-yard touchdown pass to O.J. Simpson.
"What we did tonight means a lot," said Spartans running back Mark Bonds, who scored three touchdowns. "We're going to show the people in La Crosse that we're not a joke. We're going to show that we can compete with anyone in this league."
Mother Nature, on the other hand, can be a pretty intimidating opponent, especially after a crummy Midwestern winter like the one we just experienced. We celebrate not having to pick up a snow shovel for a few months. Our insides turn to tapioca on warm, sunny days.
Making a go of it here during the spring and early summer won't be easy for the Spartans, especially if they don't get things turned around in a hurry. But they showed Saturday night they certainly were trying. At times they played inspired football. At times it's even safe to say they were having fun.
I think a fair number of folks in attendance did as well. Whether or not they come back on April 11 - and for that matter, the rest of the Spartans' home games - will speak volumes.
For a moment Saturday night you could hear their voices above the crowd. That didn't last long.
I have to admit, Kewan Dewberry and Travis Miller had pretty good pipes and kept a pretty steady beat to Queen's "We Will Rock You" on the La Crosse Center dasherboards. But I'm sure the La Crosse Spartans players were happy to lose the shouting/noise-making match with the folks they were trying to encourage.
Maybe you were one of the announced 3,278 spectators watching the Spartans' first regular-season home game. Maybe you were one of the few hundred left in the building as the final seconds ticked away in La Crosse's 39-27 loss to the Omaha Beef.
Whatever the case, you came to the first regular-season indoor football game at the Center in nearly seven years. At times you were really loud, especially in the fourth quarter when the Spartans were rallying. You didn't need much encouragement from Dewberry, La Crosse's quarterback, and Miller, an offensive lineman, to raise the decibel level a few notches.
But what are you saying today after watching the Spartans drop to 0-4? Are you talking about coming back on April 11 for La Crosse's next home game, against the Green Bay Blizzard? Or do you look at the forecast for that day (62 degrees and partly sunny, according to weather.com) and realize you don't get nearly enough fresh air?
I'm sure the Spartans hope they've done enough to make you want to come back and scream yourselves hoarse.
I don't have to tell you indoor football's track record in La Crosse isn't exactly what you would call exemplary. The River Rats folded after going 2-12 in 2000, their lone season. The Night Train (2002-03) didn't last much longer and at 5-23, didn't fare any better.
The Spartans' slow start isn't doing them any favors. But perhaps what they did Saturday won't keep the masses away from future games as if the words "Danger: Toxic Waste Spill" were in blinding neon lights outside the Center doors.
Granted, it was by no means an error-free night for the Spartans. An interception by Dewberry in the first quarter led to an Omaha touchdown and put La Crosse in a 14-0 hole. Spartans kicker Joe Mootz had two extra-point attempts blocked. And the first half ended with La Crosse, down 20-9, failing to get a play off from the Omaha 1-yard-line.
But the team that did very little right in its first three games - they were outscored 150-45 - didn't do half bad in the second half. The Spartans were within two points of Omaha at 29-27 with 8 minutes, 59 seconds left before Beef quarterback Ben Sankey caught the Spartans' secondary napping and fired a 38-yard touchdown pass to O.J. Simpson.
"What we did tonight means a lot," said Spartans running back Mark Bonds, who scored three touchdowns. "We're going to show the people in La Crosse that we're not a joke. We're going to show that we can compete with anyone in this league."
Mother Nature, on the other hand, can be a pretty intimidating opponent, especially after a crummy Midwestern winter like the one we just experienced. We celebrate not having to pick up a snow shovel for a few months. Our insides turn to tapioca on warm, sunny days.
Making a go of it here during the spring and early summer won't be easy for the Spartans, especially if they don't get things turned around in a hurry. But they showed Saturday night they certainly were trying. At times they played inspired football. At times it's even safe to say they were having fun.
I think a fair number of folks in attendance did as well. Whether or not they come back on April 11 - and for that matter, the rest of the Spartans' home games - will speak volumes.