Hammers Win at Home over Columbus
April 7, 2013 - Professional Indoor Football League (PIFL)
Alabama Hammers News Release
HUNTSVILLE, Alabama - The Alabama Hammers got a fast start Saturday night against the Columbus Lions in the Von Braun Center arena.
They built a 14-0 lead in the first four minutes and went on to rout Columbus 72-45 before 2,489 fans. The Hammers improved to 3-1 while the Lions fell to 1-2 in the Professional Indoor Football League. Alabama moved into a first-place tie with Albany, which the Hammers will host next Saturday night at 7 at the VBC.
"It was a good all-around performance of all three phases by our guys," Hammers coach Dean Cokinos said. "It was a good rebound game for us (after a 64-51 loss at Albany on March 23). For the most part, it was a good all-around game. We still turned the ball over too much on offense. They got three interceptions."
Despite the interceptions, Russel Hill completed 18-of-36 passes for 281 yards and eight touchdowns. "Mixed," Hill said of his night. "Did a lot of good things but I made too many mistakes. Just got to eliminate those and quit putting us in bad situations."
Mico McSwain made nine catches for 201 yards and five touchdowns. Jeremy Grier had four catches for 41 yards and two touchdowns.
"The first couple of games, I wasn't showing up and my coach challenged me," McSwain said. "I just had to prove to him I'm the player I know I am."
Said Grier, "I just went out there and tried to give it all I had. We were disappointed about losing the game at Albany. We just wanted to come out and show our fans and finish hard."
The Hammers got an early gift when Columbus botched its onside opening kick attempt, committing an offside penalty which put Alabama on the Lions' 4. Hill passed to Grier for the game's first points at 13:37 and Brian Jackson kicked the extra point.
The Lions' first play from scrimmage resulted in an interception by Alabama's TJ Drakeford. Two plays later, Hill threw a 9-yard touchdown pass to McSwain and the Hammers led 14-0 at 11:15.
Columbus answered with a two-play, 40-yard drive capped by Marcus Jones' 26-yard pass to Gerald Gales. Chandler Brooks' extra point made it 14-7 at 9:47.
Hill's 1-yard sneak restored the Hammers' two-touchdown lead. But Columbus got a 3-yard scoring pass from Jones to Maurice Dupree and the Lions trailed 21-14 after the first quarter.
The first half had a thrilling finish with McSwain's 40-yard, catch-and-run on the final play. Jackson's extra point put the Hammers up 42-21 at intermission.
The Hammers extended their lead to 62-27 in the third quarter. Alabama's touchdowns in the quarter included Grier's 6-yard catch, his recovery of a fumble in the end zone and McSwain's 38-yard reception. In the fourth, the Hammers added Jackson's 30-yard field goal and McSwain's 12-yard catch.
With the victory, the Hammers matched their win total from the 2012 season and moved into a tie for the league lead with Albany (3-1), which was upset at Knoxville Friday night.
"We've just got to regroup," Cokinos said. "We'll start our normal work week on Monday and get to work on Albany."
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Professional Indoor Football League Stories from April 7, 2013
- Lions Get Smacked In Sloppy Loss To Hammers - Columbus Lions
- Hammers Win at Home over Columbus - Alabama Hammers
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