Post by fwp on May 15, 2010 7:00:30 GMT -5
sportsyakima.com/2010/05/warriors-look-for-redemption-against-cavalry/
YAKIMA, Wash. — There were plenty of things that went wrong for the Yakima Valley Warriors in last Saturday’s loss to Western Division-leading Wyoming.
And the team won’t have to wait long to find out if they’ve made the proper fixes to help snap a three-game on-field losing streak (with a forfeit victory in there).
Yakima Valley turns right around and travels to Wyoming for a rematch today with the team that beat them 65-28 a week earlier in the SunDome.
First and foremost, the Warriors need to do a better job of protecting quarterback Ben Running, said Michael Mink, director of football operations.
“Our blocking was horrible,” Mink said Thursday, just before the team headed out to Casper. “They came up the middle on us all night and we couldn’t block them.
“It was probably the worst performance by our (offensive) line all season.”
In an effort to shore up that weakness, Mink said they’ll slide John Sloan, a 6-foot-2, 320-pounder over from guard to center, giving them more size in the middle.
“We’ve made some adjustments to stop the way they attacked us,” he said.
Defensively, the team continues to tinker, adding another defensive back, Travis Motley, who previously played with the Kent Predators of the Indoor Football League.
The team will get back its top defensive lineman, Wilson Afoa, who missed last week’s game.
Yakima Valley also welcomes back head coach Lance Brown, who wasn’t with the team last week as he attended to league business, Mink said.
Even though Wyoming enjoyed a one-side victory to move to 7-0, Mink welcomed the chance for quick redemption.
“I’d prefer to play them while it’s still fresh in our minds,” he said, adding that he believes there is not as much disparity between the Cavalry and the Warriors as Saturday’s score may have indicated.
“We’re not that far off and we’re just trying to get better each week,” Mink said. “We’ve got the talent, we just don’t have the (indoor football) experience.”
Gaining that experience as quickly as possible will be crucial as Yakima Valley heads into the second half of the season in the middle of the playoff hunt.
At 3-4, the Warriors are in third place in the West Division, trailing Wyoming (7-0) and San Jose (6-1), and would be in postseason if the season ended today. However, in addition to Saturday’s game with the first-place Cavalry, the Warriors also play second-place San Jose twice more, including the season finale in the SunDome.
“We’d like to be 4-3 rather than 3-4 … but I have us pretty close to where I thought we’d be at this point,” Mink said of the expansion team. “Our goal is to go to Wyoming and beat them to set a tone for the rest of the season.
“The bottom line is guys have to go out there and make plays.”
YAKIMA, Wash. — There were plenty of things that went wrong for the Yakima Valley Warriors in last Saturday’s loss to Western Division-leading Wyoming.
And the team won’t have to wait long to find out if they’ve made the proper fixes to help snap a three-game on-field losing streak (with a forfeit victory in there).
Yakima Valley turns right around and travels to Wyoming for a rematch today with the team that beat them 65-28 a week earlier in the SunDome.
First and foremost, the Warriors need to do a better job of protecting quarterback Ben Running, said Michael Mink, director of football operations.
“Our blocking was horrible,” Mink said Thursday, just before the team headed out to Casper. “They came up the middle on us all night and we couldn’t block them.
“It was probably the worst performance by our (offensive) line all season.”
In an effort to shore up that weakness, Mink said they’ll slide John Sloan, a 6-foot-2, 320-pounder over from guard to center, giving them more size in the middle.
“We’ve made some adjustments to stop the way they attacked us,” he said.
Defensively, the team continues to tinker, adding another defensive back, Travis Motley, who previously played with the Kent Predators of the Indoor Football League.
The team will get back its top defensive lineman, Wilson Afoa, who missed last week’s game.
Yakima Valley also welcomes back head coach Lance Brown, who wasn’t with the team last week as he attended to league business, Mink said.
Even though Wyoming enjoyed a one-side victory to move to 7-0, Mink welcomed the chance for quick redemption.
“I’d prefer to play them while it’s still fresh in our minds,” he said, adding that he believes there is not as much disparity between the Cavalry and the Warriors as Saturday’s score may have indicated.
“We’re not that far off and we’re just trying to get better each week,” Mink said. “We’ve got the talent, we just don’t have the (indoor football) experience.”
Gaining that experience as quickly as possible will be crucial as Yakima Valley heads into the second half of the season in the middle of the playoff hunt.
At 3-4, the Warriors are in third place in the West Division, trailing Wyoming (7-0) and San Jose (6-1), and would be in postseason if the season ended today. However, in addition to Saturday’s game with the first-place Cavalry, the Warriors also play second-place San Jose twice more, including the season finale in the SunDome.
“We’d like to be 4-3 rather than 3-4 … but I have us pretty close to where I thought we’d be at this point,” Mink said of the expansion team. “Our goal is to go to Wyoming and beat them to set a tone for the rest of the season.
“The bottom line is guys have to go out there and make plays.”