Osceola Secures Victory Number Two
March 22, 2006 - National Indoor Football League (NIFL)
Osceola Ghostriders News Release
There was good news and bad news for Osceola Football at the Silver Spurs Arena on Sunday night. First, the bad news: the Florida Frenzy scored a touchdown early in the first quarter to take a 7-3 lead. Now, for the good news: they'd only get one more while the home team scored five touchdowns, a field goal and even a defensive safety as Osceola ran its record to 2-0 with a 42-14 win over the Frenzy out of Hollywood.
As it was in the season-opener, shutout victory (rare in the National Indoor Football League) over the Greensboro Revolution, the defense was the story. Defensive linemen Chad Mascoe, Harvey Joiner, Terrell Showers and John Porter made a home in the Frenzy backfield. A defensive play, a Damien Demps interception, even set up Osceola's first touchdown, a 1-yard QB sneak by Ramon Robiinson. The unit held the Frenzy to minus-5 yards rushing. Robinson again showed why Head Coach Marquette Smith brought him in from Evansville of United Indoor Football. The 6-2, 225-pound offensive machine threw touchdown passes to all three starting receivers -- Ty Law, James Panui and Gerald Clark in addition to the quarterback sneak QB. Coach Smith's other offensive weapon, running back Odest Shannon scored on a 3-yard touchdown run in the second quarter and gained 60 yards on 18 carries.
Kicker Jeff Bacigalupi came back from an injury last week to score points in the form of three extra-points and a 19-yard field goal. And the defense added two points after forcing a second-quarter fumble that went into the end zone. The Frenzy fell on the ball but the Osceola defense made the tackle in the end zone for the two points to help the home team take a 27-7 lead into halftime. Coach Smith was again thrilled with his defense. "I'm very happy with our defensive line, it could be the best in the league at this rate. Those guys just keep the pressure on. Everybody on the defense, the linemen, Damien, Connie Brown, everybody stepped up." But Coach Smith expressed some concern in an offense that has yet to score 50 points in either of its games. "We're still a little sloppy there.
We're still trying to find our timing and we're an offense that's based on timing between the quarterback and the line and the receivers," he said. "I want to get back to scoring in the 50s and 60s like we should be. The defense has been so good that it hasn't been an issue, but we're just stopping ourselves. Ty Law played his first week for us.
It'll help once we can practice inside the Arena." Osceola Football gets a week off before hitting the Silver Spurs Arena field again on April 1 against the Fayetteville Guard.
Speaking of the field, Smith reported no problems about the field surface itself. The Florida Seals hockey team played a game 24 hours prior and their ice surface is below a layer of homosote flooring, which the football carpet sits on top of. Around the league: Osceola's 14 points surrendered isn't even the low mark in the NIFL. The Rapid City (S.D.) Aces pitched a 61-0 shutout last week, then were even more impressive this week in a 102-6 -- you read that right, a hundred and two points -- win over the Lincoln Capitols. And Lincoln's points came on a kickoff return, meaning the Aces defensive unit has yet to surrender a point.
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National Indoor Football League Stories from March 22, 2006
- Lady Phantoms to Hold Second Audition - Palm Beach Phantoms
- Osceola Secures Victory Number Two - Osceola Ghostriders
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- Eight Games On Tap For Week Three - NIFL
- Weather forces relocation of Aces game - Rapid City Flying Aces
- Rage face unknown quantity in home opener - RiverCity Rage
- The Big Sky Thunder Makes Big Changes - Big Sky Thunder
- Copperheads turn focus to the Gators - Texas Copperheads
- Fever open season Friday - Tri-Cities Fever
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