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Disappointing Defeat but the Wolverines Must Fight On |
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Tuesday, 30 June 2009 10:18 |
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The Wolverines suffered a setback to their playoff aspirations this weekend with a disappointing 34-14 defeat to the Glasgow Tigers. The game was a well-fought encounter hanging in the balance for the majority of game but a Tigers interception return for a touchdown sealed the Tigers victory, proving to be just too much for the chasing Wolverines. After a touchback on the opening kick-off, the Tigers speedily got themselves on the scoreboard with a touchdown on their opening series. Some good early running, interspersed with some effective passing, culminated in a nine-yard touchdown run by Kieran Phillips on a sweeping option play. With a successful PAT to follow the Tigers raced into an early 7-0 lead.
Throughout the remainder of the 1st quarter both teams failed to construct a scoring drive. However, as the game moved into the 2nd quarter the Tigers did again find the endzone on a 1st down play at their own 35-yard-line with a quick-fire 65-yard touchdown pass from Matt McCusker to Ruaridh MacDonald down the right sideline. Derek Russell’s extra point attempt was again successful giving the Tigers a 14-point lead. Moments later McCusker and MacDonald again connected with an almost carbon copy of the earlier touchdown as MacDonald found himself behind the Wolverine secondary and sprinting into the endzone for a 35-yard touchdown. This time the extra point attempt was blocked by the Wolverines who made sure that the game was no means beyond reach at 20-0 midway through the 2nd quarter.
Indeed the Wolverines clawed themselves closer before half-time with two huge plays. Firstly, a well-sustained drive was capped off with a QB sneak by Wayne Glover for a touchdown inches away from goal line. After a successful extra point the Wolverines then prevented the Tigers, who had good field position, from re-affirming their 20 point lead, firstly by forcing a difficult looking 40-yard field goal attempt and then smothering that field goal attempt. At the break the Wolverines entered the changing room trailing 20-7 but did so having finally gathered some momentum to take into the second half.
The third quarter was dominated by penalties and suffocating defence and it wasn’t until the fourth quarter that either team added to the first half points they had tallied. With the minutes on the clock ebbing away Carl Rimmer emerged with a huge interception for the Wolverines as the Tigers looked poised to extend their lead with 3rd and goal. With awkward first down position inside their own 10-yard line as a result of the turnover, an untimely play unfolded for the Wolverines. The Tigers unleashed good pressure and when the Wolverines fumbled in the endzone the ball was recovered by the Tigers defence for a touchdown. The call did seem questionable as it appeared the Wolverine knee was down before the ball squirmed out which would have resulted in the play being adjudged as a safety rather than a touchdown. The further two points are less insurmountable than a further seven when you are chasing a game and fighting for playoff lives.
Nevertheless, with 8 minutes to go in the final quarter the score stood at 27-7. The Wolverines, refusing to lie down, set about trimming the deficit and set up a frantic finale when Jon Peachey connected with Neil Sullivan in-stride who then showed the Tigers defence a clean pair of heels as he raced to the endzone for an 83-yard score. The point was good and with time left on the clock the score sat at 27-14.
The elation generated from the electric score soon descended into disappointment as it proved to be too little too late and when David Carney emerged with a timely interception for the Tigers, his prompt return for a touchdown, put the game beyond all doubt.
Sitting with a won 4, lost 2 and tied 1 record, the Wolverines must now wipe away the anathema of this defeat and instead approach their final three games positively, looking for a clean sweep, starting with their away fixture to division leading rivals, the Manchester Titans. The play-offs, despite this untimely defeat, still remain very much in sight for your Lancashire Wolverines. Report by Christopher Ollett |
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Wildcats tamed as Wolverines push on |
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Monday, 22 June 2009 19:13 |
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The Wolverines notched up a second consecutive win on Sunday with a home victory over the Highland Wildcats, racking up an impressive 47 points and also collecting a shutout on defense en-route to the win. It was the second time this season that the Wolverines have managed to move past the Wildcats, a team full of endeavour, after the season’s earlier meeting had finished a similar 37-0. Most importantly the victory keeps the Wolverines in the hunt for a position in the playoffs.
The Wolverines had a blistering first half in which they scored 41 of their 47 total points. Quarterback David Mead tossed five touchdown passes earning the game’s MVP award. The biggest beneficiary of the quarterback’s good form was tight end Rick Cole who caught four touchdown passes from one from Adam Purcell in the second half and Cole was named Offensive MVP of the game. The game’s Defensive MVP honour was given to Ian Nicolson who returned a fumble for a touchdown on a 28-yard return.
Both teams had eventful opening series. The Wildcats, opening on offence, fumbled in their own territory and the ball was recovered by the Wolverines’ defence. However, their offence struggled to take advantage of such great field position and the drive resulted with a missed field goal attempt, as the ball bounced agonisingly off the left upright and the crossbar before bouncing back into the endzone.
When the Wildcats’ offence took over again on downs, the Wolverines’ defence forced the first of a throng of swift three and outs from the opposition offence. After a useful punt return which was taken out to the 45 yard line by Neil Sullivan, the Wolverines offence returned to the field for their second series. This drive produced a the first score of the game when, on 3rd down, quarterback David Mead connected with tight end Rick Cole for a 31-yard touchdown pass. Good protection had paved the way for Mead to stand tall in the pocket and allowed Cole to arch his route towards the right side of the Wildcats’ endzone. The ball was delivered with a deft touch and accuracy and after Cole had plucked the ball out of the air he turned up field and crossed into the endzone. The extra point that followed was good and so the Wolverines led 7-0 early in the first quarter.
The first score seemed to spark some fierce momentum within the Wolverines and instantaneously they followed up with a second touchdown. The defence, in no mind to be outshone, continued their penurious start to the game and forced a second fumble by the Wildcats offence. The ball popped out of the Wildcats running back’s cradled arms and was snatched up by defensive captain Ian Nicolson, who scampered into the Wildcats’ endzone for a 28-yard fumble return. This time the following extra point was missed leaving the game at 13-0. 
With the first quarter winding down the Wildcats had 3rd and goal and their quarterback rolled out direct from the snap and pitched out to his running back. The Wolverine defense were alert and forced the opposition running back out of room and completed the tackle at six-yard-line right on the sideline. This forced a field goal attempt which was blocked partly because the kick was low but kudos must go to the defensive unit who created enough penetration and extended their arms up to block the kick and keeping the Wildcats off the scoreboard.
Starting deep inside their own half the Wolverines put together an excellent offensive series moving with the consonance of a well-oiled machine. The offensive line afforded the quarterback Mead the time to pick his shots down including a tremendous 55 yard gain down the left sideline which was caught by Iain Pearson. The excellent drive was given a fitting end as Mead threw a beautifully accurate pass into tight coverage to his tight end Nick Russell who snatched the ball away from the surrounding defenders and artfully maintained possession of the ball on his way to the ground for another score. The extra point attempt that followed was good and gave the Wolverines a comfortable 20-0 lead at the close of the first quarter.
At the start of the second quarter the game lost some of its impetus although some well-crafted blitzing, particularly pressure created by the Wolverine secondary, was continuing to harass the Wildcat’s quarterback. After some scoreless series by both offences, the Wolverines appeared to re-tune themselves, moving downfield with some good offensive running. On a second down at the Wildcats fifteen, Mead rolled outside of the pocket to evade pressure and tossed his third touchdown of the game, again to Rick Cole, who managed to scoop up the ball from no more than six inches off the ground for a tremendous touchdown reception. The extra point was good and the Wolverines possessed a healthy 27-0 lead mid-way through the second quarter.
After the Wolverines’ defence forced another three and out, the Wolverines’ offence produced the games most exciting play – a highlight reel moment to go down in Wolverines’ folklore. Quarterback Mead connected with his tight end Nick Russell, he then masterfully tossed a lateral to Rick Cole who finished the impressive move with a scamper into the endzone for his 3rd touchdown of the game. Mead and his tight end duo were, simply put, stealing the show. Kicker Morton was now in fine form also and connected on another extra point attempt putting the game at 34-0 and completely out of reach for the Wildcat’s towards the end of the 2nd quarter.
With half time approaching there was still time for another offensive series for the home team. This time it was the running game which ate up a whole chunk of yardage as the offense progressed swiftly down field. The offensive line were successfully winning their battle in the trenches and then capping it off by helping to block down field. Once in the redzone it was left up to Mead and Cole to hook-up together for the fourth time as Cole caught the ball at the seven yard line and then powered his way into the endzone. With another extra point successful the Wolverines went into the half time break leading the Wildcats 41- 0.
After the interval the 3rd quarter got off to a scrappy start with both teams trading possession, playing solid defence and struggling to operate offensively. Comfortably in the lead, the Wolverines sent into the game some of their rookies for some valuable experience. Quarterback David Mead also left the game but deputising quarterback Adam Purcell was able to engineer a scoring drive as he threw an adroit 19-yard touchdown pass to Rick Cole, demonstrating the ability to get in-sync with the multiple touchdown scoring tight end. The resultant extra point attempt after the score, which proved to be the last of the game, was no good and so left the score at 47-0 full time.
At the close of play Head Coach Paul Horsburgh commented, “I’m pleased with today’s performance, although there were some silly mistakes too. We will work to correct these before the next game. We now need to push on and look to get a win against Glasgow to ensure we move another step closer to the playoffs.”
Next up for the Wolverines is a home fixture with the Glasgow Tigers at Blackburn RUFC with a 2.30pm kick off with another victory imperative before going into a potentially division deciding game with the current leaders Manchester Titans. Report by Christopher Ollett |
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Monday, 15 June 2009 20:23 |
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This Sunday will see the Lancashire Wolverines take on the Highland Wildcats at Blackburn RUFC with an 11am kick off. Following the game, the Academy will be holding the 2009 family fun day, including a lads (and girls!) v dads (and mums!) game of flag football to celebrate fathers day. The event is open to all and members of the Academy are encouraged to bring their families along for the event. Food and refreshments will be available from the clubhouse all day. |
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Colts too strong for Tomahawks |
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Monday, 15 June 2009 19:29 |
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 Travelling two hours in a coach to Dinnington Rugby Club on the outskirts of Sheffield, the Colts continued their quest for an unbeaten season, facing a much improved Sheffield Tomahawks side, small in number but not lacking heart. The game opened with the Colts winning the toss and opting to kick off to the Tomahawks, causing the Colts defence, dominant so far this season, to open the game. The Colts defence opened up by forcing a turnover on the Tomahawks 3rd down, handing the ball to the offence in good field position just inside the Tomahawks half of the field. The offence, led by returning injured QB Jonny Glover, stalled on this drive, with Eden Quigley, arguably the most talented player on the field, struggling to hit the gaps opened for him by the offensive line and key drops by the Colts WRs and TEs resulting in a turnover on downs, giving the Tomahawks the ball about the 30 yard line.
On the following drive, the Colts defence stood up once more, forcing the Tomahawks to punt. However, this punt was dropped by the Tomahawks punter and on a scramble, nearly ran for a first down before being wrapped up by impressive linebacker Stephen Donaldson-Ellison just short of the first down marker, giving the offence the ball just inside their own half. On this drive, the Colts passing offence, led by Glover, clicked, with a key conversion on a long 3rd down by receiver Joel Wilson, who would eventually finish the drive with a 20 yard touchdown catch, his second of the season. The conversion kick, attempted by Chris Astley, was uncharacteristically wide, leaving the score at 6-0 to the Colts. The defence again held, forcing a punt again, which was fielded by returner Phil Hooper and returned 50 yards to give the offence brilliant field position once again.
 With this field position, the Colts once again converted. The drive was, however, not without hiccups, with Quigley coughing up the ball. This fumble was jumped on by alert lineman Kurt Delafield, saving the drive which would end with wide receiver Rihan Malik coming up with his first TD catch of the year in miraculous fashion, tracking the ball, out-jumping the Tomahawks defenders, bobbling the ball then corralling it, taking the score to 12-0 to the Colts. The Colts this time opted to try a different approach for the 2 points, trying to run the ball in through makeshift tailback John Varney, who was bottled up by the Tomahawks defence.
After another stop by the defence, forcing the Tomahawks to punt again, the punter again had trouble handling the snap. This time, the Colts reached him before he could run for extra yardage, downing him at the 15 yard line, handing the offence time to finish off the half with another score. On this drive, team captain Sam Bloomfield caught a one handed, highlight-reel touchdown pass from the impressive Glover, taking the score to 18-0. With the PAT failing once again, the Colts headed into half-time with the score at 18-0. An inspired team-talk from head coach Geoff Leigh and a selection of fruits riled up the Colts players, eager to continue the work started in the 2nd quarter.
 The 3rd quarter started with the offence making good progress, but a neck injury to fullback James Littler caused the game to be suspended for just under an hour while Littler received medical treatment. With both teams retuning to the field of play, the Colts pressed on, capitalising on their field position, scoring with a Glover pass to tight end Seb Kerridge, his first of the season and Glover’s fourth on the day. Astley this time slotted through the extra point, taking the score to 26-0 at the end of the 3rd quarter.
Heading into the 4th quarter, the Colts defence stood up, with rookie CB Ste Czarnecki picking off an errant pass by the Tomahawks QB and running it in from 15 yards out for the Colts second defensive TD of the season. The extra point was again knocked over by Chris Astley, taking the score to 34-0. The Colts rookie contingent again contributed, this time through tailback Alex Hodson, his third of the season, capping off his day of tough running by carrying a Tomahawks defender with him into the end zone, the final score of the day, ending the game with a score of 40-0.
 The MVPs on the day were Glover for the offence, his four touchdowns on the day causing him to have arguably his best game to date. The defensive MVP was Czarnecki for his interception return for a touchdown, the special teams MVP was Brad Callaghan for his infallible effort throughout the game and the team MVP was Chris Astley, who played and excelled at all three phases of the game. The recipient of the Brick award for the biggest hit was linebacker Stephen Donaldson-Ellison.
The Colts next game is away to the Leeds Rams at South Leeds Stadium, with the Rams having just beaten the Bolton Bulldogs 32-0. It promises to be a good game and a good advertisement for youth football, with plenty of action for spectators to enjoy.
Report by Ste Czarnecki |
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Wolverines sting the Hornets |
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Monday, 08 June 2009 19:38 |
 This weekend saw the Lancashire Wolverines travel to the Hull Hornets for the second match up between the two sides this season. The first encounter at Blackburn RUFC led to a closely contested 19-6 victory for the Lancashire side. The Wolverines were looking to get the win that would keep them chasing the Manchester Titans for the BAFL 2 North conference title, and a place in the playoffs.
The game started with Wolverines kicker Danny Morton kicking the ball to the Hornets. Hull started in a positive manner, driving down the field on the back of strong running and passing by quarterback Gaz Hughes. The Wolverines defence held firm however, and managed to turn the ball over to provide the offence with their first opportunity. The offence took their opportunity, with excellent running by rookie Lee Nelson capped off by a touchdown run by quarterback David Mead, who has been finding the end zone regularly this season. The point after attempt was successful through the ever reliable Danny Morton.
The two teams traded possession for the majority of the first half following this score, however the Wolverines looked for standout receiver Iain Pearson with the last play of the half, and Mead found Pearson with a deep pass down the left sideline which he took to the end zone. Morton had a rare miscue with the extra point attempt, and this left the score at 13-0 to the Wolverines at half time.
In the second half the Wolverines continued to apply pressure, although possession wasn’t converted into points until mid-way through the third quarter. The Wolverines were deep in their own half when running back Lee Nelson broke free on a run which didn’t end until he reached the Hornets end zone 60 yards later. This was one of many plays made on the day by Nelson, and he was awarded the Offensive MVP award after the game. Morton returned to his usual way to leave the score at 20-0.
L ater in the quarter the Wolverines extended their lead with a deep pass from quarterback Wayne Glover, this going 82yards to rookie wide receiver Brendan Simcox for his first touchdown as a Wolverine. With the game at 27-0 and firmly under control for the Wolverines, play settled down with the teams trading possession until early in the fourth quarter. The Wolverines were looking to record their second shutout of the season, but the Hornets weren’t ready to let this happen, and a big run from Chris Brown resulted in the Hornets putting their first points of the day on the board. Quarterback Gaz Hughes successfully converted the 2-point conversion attempt with a run round the outside to put the score at 27-8.
The resulting kick-off was put out of bounds by the Hull kicker, giving the Wolverines excellent starting position on their 40 yard line. Head Coach and Offensive Coordinator Paul Horsburgh caught the Hull defence flat footed, and Mead completed another long pass to Pearson going 60 yards for the final touchdown of the day. Morton again converted, and with quarterback Wayne Glover consistently able to run the ball to take time off the clock, the final score was at 34-8 at the end of the game.
After the game, Head Coach Paul Horsburgh said:
“I am pleased with the performance of the team today. After the disappointing result against Manchester two weeks ago I was keen for us to bounce straight back and we did that today. All phases of the game improved, with the defence setting the tone for the game, highlighted by defensive back Jim Mawson’s defensive MVP performance. Offensively we started quickly and created some big plays, and I was pleased to see Lee Nelson step up and he thoroughly deserves his Offensive MVP award.”
Due to the late cancellation of the refereeing crew the game was played using three team judges, two from the Wolverines and one from the Hornets, and Horsburgh dedicated the Wolverines Game MVP award to chairman Steve Norris and defensive backs coach Gary Burke for stepping in to ensure the game went ahead. Horsburgh said of this:
“It was unfortunate that we were unable to have a refereeing crew today, but the three volunteers did a superb job. I think both sets of players deserve credit for their conduct, as they all stuck to the spirit of the game and there were no issues all day.”
The Wolverines have two weeks to prepare for their next game, which sees the Highland Wildcats visit Blackburn RUFC on Sunday 21st June. The game is an early start with an 11am kick off. |
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