Copperheads destroy Drillers, turn to Flying Aces
Published on July 12, 2006 under National Indoor Football League (NIFL)
Texas Copperheads News Release
Katy, Texas - July 11, 2006 - After crushing the Beaumont Drillers 55-21 last Saturday night in a game that actually was not even that close, the Copperheads now turn their focus to grounding the Flying Aces.
The Rapid City Flying Aces have a reputation for trying to see how many points they can score before that clock reads zero. Although the Aces looked unbeatable earlier in the season, they have dropped a few games recently and finished the regular season with the same 11-3 record as the Copperheads.
The Katy Copperheads look to keep their 9-game winning streak intact as they take their ball control offensive attack into Rapid City, S.D. Saturday night.
The Flying Aces run a more Arena League-type offense - their game is all about lighting up the scoreboard. Katy coach Bryan Blake saw Rapid City explode offensively against his squad in their earlier match up in Week Four - and it was not pretty as the Flying Aces pulled away for a 88-44 win.
To beat Rapid City, Blake said the Copperheads need to play four full quarters - something they have been doing over the last few weeks. The Copperheads are hoping the defense plays as well as they did against the Drillers last week. Blake said he expects linebacker Kailan Williams and Greg Yeldell to be flying around the ball.
Aces quarterback Albert Higgs won the league MVP last year in Everett and is the centerpiece of the potent offense in Rapid City. "Their biggest asset is their quarterback. We will have to put continuous pressure on him to slow their offense. They make a lot of big plays."
For the Copperheads, Marc Saldana is expected to once again start at quarterback in their second playoff game. Saldana looked much more relaxed against Beaumont and probably had his best overall game of the year in the playoff win.
Another interesting thing about Rapid City is that they do not kick extra points; the team prefers to pile on the points by going for two-point conversions. It should be interesting to see if the Copperheads adopt the two-point ideology if this game becomes a shootout.
The kick return game should also be fun to watch, as Rapid City's James Jones and Katy's Darrick Wallace go head-to-head. Wallace has opened the last two games with kickoff returns for touchdowns.
National Indoor Football League Stories from July 12, 2006
- Copperheads destroy Drillers, turn to Flying Aces - Texas Copperheads
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