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Will history repeat itself for Coyotes?

May 26, 2004 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Central Valley Coyotes News Release


Flashback with me to about one year ago. I was sitting in my office trying to think of a story idea to write on a 1-6 Bakersfield Blitz team. We had just lost three games in a row and were getting ready to hit the road in Week 9 to play the Green Bay Blizzard. I was sitting at my desk when Head Coach James Fuller came by and asked how things were going. I told him about my dilemma, and he sat back, thought to himself for a couple minutes and then replied back to me, “Ant, we’re going to go to Green Bay, grab a win and then make a run at defending our West Division title. So sit tight and you’ll have plenty of stories to write about in the second half.”

For a second there I wanted to tell him, “have you been watching the same team I have?” None the less, I took his word and the rest is history.

It turns out he was right on the money. The Blitz went over to Green Bay, defeated the Blizzard 38-31 and then finished out the season with a 6-1-1 record, securing a post-season berth.

Now as I sit in my office waiting for Coyotes Head Coach Cree Morris to come by and tell me I’m going to have plenty of stories to write about in the second half. I ask myself, will history repeat itself?

The most ironic part of it all is that this year in Week 9, the Coyotes host the expansion Bakersfield Blitz.

But enough of my ramblings. The fact of the matter is that Central Valley holds the key to their own success. Despite dropping a close contest to the Hawaiian Islanders, 48-56 in Honolulu, Hawaii last weekend, the Coyotes showed a glimpse of the old franchise from a year ago.

Rookie quarterback Kyle Biggs has seemed to have sparked a new fire into the club. His attitude on and off the field has transferred over into confidence on game night. The offense will rest heavily on his shoulders, but that is a task he is willing to take on.

“It’s my job to lead this team onto the field,” said Biggs. “I’m willing to accept my role as the starting quarterback and get things going for this team. We’re only one step away from turning things around 180 degrees.”

Coach Morris, like Coach Fuller, has broken down the season into four quarters. He looks at every quarter as a chance to improve for post-season. If the Coyotes are even to think about the post-season, a win this weekend against Bakersfield is imperative.

“We have to finish off this second quarter strong,” said Morris. “A win against Bakersfield will give us some momentum heading into a tough final second half stretch. We have a good team though and hopefully we can turn some heads in the process. I can’t guarantee a winning streak like Fuller, but I can promise you these kids will give everything they have on the field.”

Once again, Central Valley will have complete control of their own destiny to finish out the remainder of the season. Eight of their last nine games will be against divisional opponents, with the non-divisional game sending the Coyotes to Oklahoma City, to take on a Yard Dawgz team that has played well throughout the year thus far.

In order for the Coyotes to duplicate last years performance, they will almost have to run the table to finish this season. Let me be the first one to tell you, I’ve seen it done before.

So will history in fact repeat itself? Will the Coyotes make another run like they did last season? Well, only time will determine the fate of Central Valley.

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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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