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 Topic: Columbus Destroyers: A Watershed Moment
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| Columbus Destroyers: A Watershed Moment |
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| Rob Hammersmith |
| Posted: 2006 March 06 at 11:13am | IP Logged
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Just minutes into the game the Columbus Destroyers found themselves down 17-3. Given the events of the first two and half seasons of Columbus Destroyers football, this start to the game seemed like an all too familiar story to Destroyers fans. On their first possession, the Destroyers had to settle for a field goal, which they followed up on the second possession with a John Kaleo intercepted pass. On the other side of the ball the Destroyers defense was unable to stop the New York Dragons offense on their first 3 possessions. Down by 14 early, it appeared that once again this was going to be a long Friday night road game for the Destroyers
The pregame strategy was clear: rattle the head of Dragons rookie QB Juston Wood, making his first career AFL start replacing the AFL legend Aaron Garcia who had suffered a broken leg in the previous week. But with a minute to go in the first half, a 31-17 Dragons lead showed the strategy had not been executed at all. The Dragons had scored on all five of their first half possessions, and unless the Columbus offense could score in the last few seconds of the half, they will have failed to reduce that early 14 point Dragons lead.
Following three failed attempts from inside the Dragons five, John Kaleo’s fourth down pass in the last couple seconds on the clock sailed into the stands uncatchable by any player, even Dragons defenders (would an interception really have mattered at that point?). This first half performance is what Columbus fans have known to be Destroyers football.
But something happened in that Destroyers locker room at half time. Was it anger and frustration exploding? Was it heart prevailing over adversity? Who knows? All we can say for certain is that the team that came out of that locker room after half time was not the same team that went in.
The Destroyers converted their first two possessions into touchdowns, and combined with Woods intercepted pass on the Dragons first possession, the game was now tied 31-31. Back and forth the two teams went: Dragons 38-31; tied 38-38; Dragons 45-38; tied 45-45. Finally, the Destroyers converted the third Dragons turnover of the second half into another touchdown putting the Destroyers in the lead for the first time in the game, up 51-45. But the agonizing history of the Destroyers continued to plague the team as the PAT was missed and converted by the Dragons defense for two points. What could have been a seven point Destroyers lead was now only four (Destroyers 51, Dragons 47).
Was the ongoing story of Destroyers inadequacy just toying with us by giving us a false sense of hope? It appeared to be so as the Dragons took the lead back 54-51, and even when the Destroyers answered that score with their own touchdown (Destroyers 58, Dragons 54), the one minute remaining on the clock appeared to set the stage for a last minute Dragons game winning drive.
But again, the team that came out of that locker room was not the same Destroyers team that had won only 10 games and lost 27 in their two and half seasons. This was now a team with heart, passion and the ability to execute. The Destroyers defense stepped up once again and produced the fourth Dragons turn over of the second half, followed up by a game sealing touchdown. Final score: Destroyers 65, Dragons 54.
Now even I concede that the Destroyers beat a team that had just lost a legendary QB and was relying on a rookie making his first AFL start who threw 4 interceptions. How impressive is beating a team adjusting to that key injury really? But what’s so important about what happened in this game is not who was the better team with or without injured key players. What’s important about this game is the evidence of heart and passion from these Destroyer players when everything that could go wrong in the first half seemed to go wrong. Destroyers fans haven’t seen this heart from the team before.
Certainly I’m not insinuating that this team with the new dynamic it found in the locker at half time is now playoff bound. The Destroyers remaining schedule is incredibly difficult (away games at 3 different 5-1 teams, and only one game remaining against a team with a current losing record). But a team with heart creates fans with hope. The Destroyers have won two games in a row and the next two games are at home. Destroyers fans have lost a lot of hope since that 2/13/2004 first game when 2,000 standing room only tickets were sold on top of the tickets for the 17,000 seats in Nationwide Arena. This come from behind road win against New York went a long way in restoring a lot of lost hope.
Of interest to Ohio State fans, after Cecil Doggette suffered a concussion early in the game, former OSU player BJ Barre filled in exceptionally leading the Destroyers in tackles with 6, and more importantly intercepting 2 passes. And if that weren't enough, on offense he caught 2 passes for 29 yards and a touchdown, as well as returned 2 kicks for a total of 70 yards.
Edited by Rob Hammersmith on 2006 March 06 at 11:23am
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Rob Hammersmith
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