Wild Dominate Defenders in CPIFL Debut
Published on March 10, 2013 under Champions Professional Indoor Football League (CPIFL)
Wichita Wild News Release
WICHITA, Kan. - In the CPIFL's inaugural debut, the Wichita Wild (1-0) and Oklahoma Defenders (0-1) battled Saturday night in Tulsa for the first win of the season, resulting in a 70-26 victory for the Wild. Wichita played a near flawless game, committing only one penalty while intercepting one pass and forcing and recovering three fumbles. The Defenders struggled for most of the game against the Wild's speed and strength, led by quarterback Rocky Hinds' six passing touchdowns, running back Tywon Hubbard's three rushing touchdowns, and a disruptive defensive line. Wide receiver Joe Kassanavoid provided Hinds with a deep threat as he towered over the defensive backs of Oklahoma, wreaking havoc on deep routes all night while catching four passes for 124 yards and three touchdowns.
Wichita took an early 6-0 lead courtesy of a five yard touchdown run by Tywon Hubbard, but missed extra point attempt by kicker Alex Fambrough. The fine defensive performance for the Wild started on the Defenders' first drive of the game with Matt Moss shredding the Oklahoma offensive line to record his first sack of the game. After a completion, the Wild defensive line once again disrupted the Oklahoma backfield to force a three and out. On their second possession of the game, key runs by Hubbard got the Wild deep in Defenders territory with Hinds finishing off the drive by avoiding the Oklahoma pass rush on third down to find wide receiver Chris Hemphill with a fade pass to the back left corner of the end zone, pushing the score to 13-0 with 3:23 left in the first quarter. Oklahoma quarterback Rico Watkins would respond by finding Juan Redmon open in the back of the end zone, cutting Wichita's lead to 13-7 right before time expired in the first quarter.
The Wild would then roll off three unanswered touchdowns to take control of the game, starting with Hinds finding Kassanavoid for a 40 yard touchdown pass, pulling ahead 20-7 with 13:34 left in the second quarter. A couple possessions later, Kendrick Harper intercepted a Watkins pass and returned it 19 yards to the Oklahoma one yard line. Hinds cashed in on the interception, finding Hemphill once again with a fade pass to the left corner of the end zone. Fambrough would have his extra point blocked, leaving the Wild with a 26-7 lead with 4:48 left in the second quarter. Three minutes later, the Wild continued to fly high as Hinds connected with receiver Brian Murph for a nine yard touchdown pass to extend Wichita's advantage. Watkins would close out the scoring in the second quarter for the Defenders by tossing a deep touchdown pass to wide receiver Patrick Jones. With Wichita blocking the extra point, Oklahoma would only manage six points on the drive to trim the Wild lead to 33-13 with a little over a minute left in the second quarter. As the quarter was coming to a close, Hinds again found Kassanavoid deep for a 32 yard touchdown, allowing the Wild a 40-13 lead going into the half.
The Wild continued the momentum in the third quarter with Moss recovering a fumble, which set up Hubbard to punch in a two yard touchdown run, making the score 47-13. After Watkins threw his third touchdown of the game to cut down the Wild lead 47-20, Hubbard answered back with a 24 yard touchdown run, pushing the Wild lead to 53-20 by the end of the third quarter.
Wichita would continue their passing game in the fourth quarter with Hinds finding Kassanavoid for his third touchdown on the night with a 31 yard touchdown pass, to push the Wild advantage 60-20. With a bleak outlook for the Defenders, James Blevins secured a one handed touchdown pass from Watkins late in the quarter, but would not be able to convert on the extra point to finish the drive. Wichita would finish the game with the only field goal of the night and a Nick Hardesty touchdown pass to Jarell Kelley, locking in a 70-26 win over the Defenders.
The Wild continue on the road next week on Saturday, March 16th, to take on the Salina Bombers at 7:05 p.m. in the Bicentennial Center. The game can be heard on 1410 AM KGSO in the Wichita area or can be streamed live on kgso.com. The Wild will host their first home game of the season on March 23rd against the Kansas Koyotes at 7:05 p.m. in Hartman Arena. Both season tickets and single game tickets are on sale, starting at $24 and $5 respectively and can be purchased by calling (316) 927-3999. For more Wild news and information visit www.wichitawildfootball.com and follow the team on Facebook and Twitter (@wichita_wild).
Champions Professional Indoor Football League Stories from March 10, 2013
- Wild Dominate Defenders in CPIFL Debut - Wichita Wild
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