Wild Ready for Season Opener in Lincoln
February 26, 2014 - Champions Professional Indoor Football League (CPIFL)
Wichita Wild News Release
WICHITA, Kan. - The Wichita Wild are set to open the 2014 season in Lincoln against the Haymakers on Friday, February 28th. Kick-off at the Pershing Center is scheduled for 7:00 pm (CST). Although the CPIFL completed its inaugural season in 2013, this will be the first ever meeting between the Wild and the Haymakers.
With the franchise's first season under their belt, the Lincoln Haymakers are back under new management and a partially new squad. One of the Haymakers' several new additions to the team this season is quarterback Barney O'Donnell who played in the IFL for the Wyoming Calvary last season, totaling 549 yards, 14 touchdowns and six interceptions over six games. The Haymakers ended their 2013 campaign with a 45-16 win over the Kansas Koyotes to close out a 4-8 season. Although Lincoln had a tough time finishing out games, the Haymakers averaged 32 points a game while holding their opponent to an average of 37 over the season. On the defensive side of the ball, the Haymakers ranked higher in scoring defense than their scoring offense and placed third in the league for red zone defense. Look for the Lincoln D to step up against the Wild's high-scoring offense, which averaged 51 points per game last season.
Fresh off a 47-34 championship win against the Salina Bombers, the Wild returns to the CPIFL for their second season with several veterans and a few new additions under the direction of new head coach, Paco Martinez. Finishing last season 12-2, the Wild look to improve on both ends of the ball, beginning with their first game against the Haymakers. Owning first place in the CPIFL for both scoring offense and defense averaging 51 and 27 points respectively, Wichita intends to hone in on their veteran's skills and assimilate new members of the team on style of play against Lincoln. Team captains QB Rocky Hinds, OL Brett Cavanah and RB Tywon Hubbard on offense and DL Matt Moss, DB Kendrick Harper and DB Chris Hemphill will all lead and contribute in a big way towards earning their first win of the season.
"We're going to have to be better than we've ever been to repeat as champions this year. Lincoln is going to be a new challenge for us since we didn't have a chance to play each other last season, but I can tell you that our guys are ready to step up," said Coach Martinez.
Player to Watch: Wild Quarterback Rocky Hinds
Establishing himself as both the center of the Wild offense and topping league statistics in several categories with his outstanding play in 2013, Rocky Hinds is back and more comfortable than ever with the Wild offense. Hinds' 2013 accomplishments include completing 183 of 296 pass attempts, scoring 49 passing touchdowns and 8 rushing touchdowns for 2117 total yards, earning him several awards including Championship Game MVP, CPIFL Offensive Player of the Week and an honorable mention as CPIFL MVP of the year. Watch for Hinds to be explosive in both his passing and rushing game and expect him to be a huge asset for the Wild again this season.
The Wild kick off their 2014 season when they travel to Lincoln Friday to play the Haymakers in the Pershing Center; kick-off set for 7:05 p.m. The game can be heard on 1410 AM KGSO or kgso.com in the Wichita area. Because of technical difficulties in Lincoln, the game will not be able to stream live on America One. Wichita will return home on March 22nd to host their home opener against the newest CPIFL franchise, the Dodge City Law at 7:05 p.m. for Wild Championship Celebration Night. Both season tickets and single game tickets are now on sale, starting at $50 and $8 respectively and can be purchased by visiting ticketmaster.com or calling 1.800.745.3000. For the latest news on the Wild, visit www.wichitawildfootball.com or follow the team on Facebook and Twitter (@wichita_wild).
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