Warwick see off Staffs in comeback win
NEWCASTLE-UNDER-LYME, STAFFORDSHIRE – Sunday the 12th of February saw the Warwick Wolves travel to Newcastle-under-Lyme to face the Staffordshire Stallions and notch their first win of 2012.
First of all, credit must go the the Stallions for finding an alternate venue after both sides’ pitches were declared unplayable due to the bad weather. All of the Wolves would like to thank the Stallions for their dedication to putting the fixture on, marking the pitch, and allowing us to play.
Both teams entered the fixture with a 1-3 record. Whilst neither team had the easiest of starts to the season, the Stallions’ start had been tougher, facing the Derby Braves, Loughborough Aces and Birmingham Lions in their opening games, whereas the Wolves had faced the Loughborough Aces and NTU Renegades before picking up a win against the DMU Falcons. However, the Wolves had also two weeks prior been mauled by the Leicester Longhorns, and were determined to rectify that performance. There was also an extra incentive for the Wolves veterans to win to make up for last season’s fourth-quarter loss in the last game of last season. Therefore, with both teams arguably very similar in terms of record and style of play, the game would prove to be a tightly contested fixture with both teams’ seasons on the line.
The Stallions won the toss and elected to receive, and their special teams gave them decent field position. With this, Warwick’s D came on first, eager to make up for their performance against Leicester. And, on the very first play, the Stallions threw deep, only to have the pass picked off by five-year veteran Wolves free safety Phil Gaydon, who returned the ball almost to the line of scrimmage.
Having checked Staffordshire’s momentum, the Wolves’ O came onto the field looking to gain some momentum of their own. The Wolves managed a short drive before a pass to experienced receiver Charlie Douglas was intercepted by the Stallions’ tall free safety in great piece of defensive coverage. The Stallions began returning the ball downfield, behind some expert blocks, until he ran into two-way lineman and defensive captain Conor Durham, who put in a big hit to snuff out the return before it crossed the half-way line.
Possession went back and forth with no change to the score until the second quarter, where the Stallions were first to break the deadlock with a run to the Warwick D’s left hand side from inside the red zone. The Stallions’ O put in some good blocks to allow their running back to rush into the end zone untouched. A second run converted the touchdown, putting the Stallions up 8-0.
The Wolves then responded with a touchdown of their own towards the end of the second half. Kick returner Sam Wragg made an long return that, although was called back due to a penalty, gave the Wolves some momentum nonetheless. Wolves rookie and previous London Blitz Youth quarterback Joe Watt showed why he was rated second in the GB Youth trials scrimmage earlier this year by linking up well with his receivers, who between them set up the touchdown. The first play was a first-down pass to fifth-year veteran tight end Simon Kroll, who did well to turn 180˚ to face upfield and fall forwards even after being hit by an upfield Stallions linebacker. The second was a thirty-two yard pass to Charlie Douglas, who himself made a great catch in the blustery conditions and showed great strength to make eight yards after the catch despite being hit by three Stallions defenders as soon as he brought the ball in. It then fell to the running backs to smash the points home. Rookie running-back Scott Alexander was the ball carrier, scoring his second touchdown in as many games. Since the New Year Scott has come into his own, running like a truck back despite his size. Unfortunately, Warwick could not bring home the two-points after, with a pass to Simon Kroll intercepted by a diving Stallions defender.
By receiving the kickoff at the start of the second half, the Wolves were able to build on the momentum gained in the second quarter. Team captain and five-year veteran Pete Coppenhall made a good return only to have the ball moved backwards due to a frustrating penalty. This was symptomatic of the game, with Warwick gaining momentum but unable to capitalise due to unnecessary penalties and good defensive play, especially from Staffs’ fast linebackers.
However, Staffordshire were similarly kept out of the end zone by numerous three-and-outs forced by the Warwick D. The defence was marshalled by veteran outside linebacker Tom Chester, who put in an MVP performance. Tom has been ever-present for the Wolves this season, leading by example, and putting in a number of big hits. One of Tom’s biggest plays came during the third quarter. The Stallions quarterback rolled out to the D’s right, pursued by veteran defensive end Dave Boyles on outside contain. Tom capitalised on this and rushed the QB, who attempted to pump-fake at the last minute, hoping to throw off the linebacker – Tom leapt to block the pass, read the fake, put in a big hit and forced a fumble that was recovered by a Stallions player in the backfield.
Meanwhile, the defensive secondary shut down the Stallions’ pass with good performances from second-year cornerback Rackesh Patel, who was good in coverage and made a couple of big hits, and Phil Gaydon, who got a couple of pat-downs as well as his aforementioned interception. This forced them to run which limited their ability to make big plays against the D.
When asked about the defensive performance, Defensive Co-ordinator and Defensive Backs Coach Stuart Coles responded: “It was a big turnaround from the Leicester game two weeks ago and I was impressed with the attitude of the squad going into the game. Defensively we held up well under pressure, particularly in the last few minutes with two big red zone stops and a forced fumble. I can’t highlight anyone specifically; it was a real team performance and everyone should be proud of the win. We just have to carry this momentum into the next game against Northampton now.”
The game therefore remained at 8-6 until late in the third quarter, when the Wolves scored for a second time through wide receiver Pete Coppenhall. Similarly to Scott, this touchdown marked Pete’s second touchdown in as many games. Pete burnt his corner on a deep route, turned back to receive the pass from Joe Watt just short of the goal line, and turned upfield again without breaking stride before being tackled into the end zone. Unfortunately, Warwick could not convert the two-point conversion again, leaving the score at 12-8 to the Wolves.
The game was far from won, however, with the Stallions less than a touchdown behind and determined to fight for the win. Staffordshire put together a solid drive that was killed off by a turnover on downs forced by tackles from the whole defence, most notably a huge hit in the backfield by Wayne Drew, and a stop on the line of scrimmage on a fourth-and-one at the line held up by Conor Durham before the tackle was joined by a big gang-hit from middle linebackers Tom Hooper and Jack Trowsdale. The next Stallions drive stalled after solid tackles from the defensive linemen and linebackers before it was killed off entirely by a forced fumble and recovery by Wayne Drew.
Unfortunately, the D were only on the sidelines for one play before the Stallions D forced a fumble of their own. With two and a half minutes, it fell to the D to defend Warwick’s lead. Again, the Wolves made three big stops, with just over a minute left on the clock. The Stallions ran to the outside, the same play on which they scored before; however, this time, Rackesh Patel was there to force a fumble that was recovered one yard out of the goal line by rookie cornerback Liam Fishwick.
However, with the ball on the one-yard line, Warwick still needed a first down before they could run out the clock. On the first down, Joe Watt hit receiver Kieran Gosling on a seven-yard slant. Kieran managed to haul in the ball in a spectacular diving catch, which capped off a great game for the third-year veteran. On second down, the O lost yards due to good defensive play from the Stallions. Finally, on the third, second-year veteran running back Chip Osibamowo capped off a solid day’s rushing by picking up the five yards necessary to convert for a first down.
When asked about the game, Head Coach Pete Buckley expressed his satisfaction with the victory. “I am really pleased for the team to get this win they so deserved,” he said. “Staffs are an experienced, determined team but we showed great resolve to rebound from early setbacks to gain the comeback win. I want to highlight the play of our defence who were dominant today – notably a goal line stand to finish the game.” He went on to affirm that the Wolves would bring Sunday’s level of intensity into the game against next opponents the Northampton Nemesis.
The Wolves will face Northampton on Sunday the 19th of February at home and look to go 3-3.
MVPs:
Offensive MVP: Pete Coppenhall, team captain, for long touchdown, doing well to bring the ball in and get over the line.
However, Coach Buckley wished to emphasise the difficulty of choosing the award, due to the level of performance from the receivers and running backs – notably, Charlie Douglas and Simon Kroll for setting up the first score, Kieran Gosling for great receptions throughout the game, and Chip Osibamowo for hard and elusive running to make maximum yards per carry.
Defensive MVP: Tom Chester, defensive captain, who led by example all day, making key stops at key points throughout the game.
Special Teams MVP: Tom Hooper, who executed his assignment every time on every phase of special teams.
Rookie MVP: Joe Watt, notching his first Wolves career win starting at QB, rebounding from early setbacks in the game, showing poise and precision throughout, and a great throw for the go ahead touchdown.
