By MIKE THOMPSON
Well, over this past weekend, the NIFL season finally came to a close with the NIFL All-Stars winning a well played game at the Ector County Coliseum in Odessa, Texas. Extra special for River City Rage fans is the fact that the All-Stars were coached by Rage Head Football Coach Mike Wyatt, who had help from Lubbock Head Coach Brian Blake and Jim Cooke of the Odessa Roughnecks. This was the first year an actual All-Star contest was played and Wyatt, who handled all the substatutions, organized the special teams and made the majority of the game decisions, says his overall game plan was fairly simple.
“I told the players before the game, it wasn’t my ego that needed to win this game, it was all about them and putting their own stamp of identity on each and every play. That’s why an All-Star game is played, to give the best players in the league a chance to show why they deserve the honor and showcase their talents. With only two chances to practice, I thought the quarterbacks picked up the system well and made the right calls and employed the right players in most situations. Apparently, it worked.”
With veteran quarterback Albert Higgs of the Everett Hawks in command, the NIFL All-Stars rallied from an 18 point halftime deficit to defeat the Odessa Roughnecks 49-44 in the 2005 Classic on Saturday night. Higgs passed for three second-half touchdowns, including a 22 yard strike to B.J. Charlton of the Billings Mavericks with just 1:25 left in the game. Noteworthy is the fact that the Odessa team finished 15-1 on the season, so defeating them, even with a band of top players from around the league, was no easy task.
“On defense, the league had pre-determined that only man to man coverage would be allowed,” said Wyatt by phone Tuesday afternoon, still in Texas on a well deserved mini-vacation, “that put a lot of pressure on the defensive backs who went one on one all night with Odessa’s receivers, any of whom could have been on the All-Star team. But the defense toughened up, especially in the second half when we forced a fumble to stop a drive, and made a goal-line stand on forth and goal at the one yard line. I was proud that my guy, Bruce Blue, was part of that defensive wall that made that stop and essentially, turned the game around for us.”
Blue, who according to Wyatt, “played his heart out,” was one of two River City Rage All-Stars who earned the trip to Odessa. Wide Receiver Scott Pingel was chosen, but due to coaching commitments at CBC High School, elected not to attend. But all in all, a great weekend for the contingent from the Atlantic East Division Champions, and a well deserved win for Coach Wyatt, who now has this victory to carry through the off-season.
One interesting side note to the weekend’s activities was the skills competition on Friday night. Players were given opportunity to showcase their individual skills in passing, receiving and rushing, along with competing with each other in an NFL outlined obstacle course.
An NFL-type combine workout was scheduled for Saturday morning, with scouts from the NFL, the Arena League and the Canadian Football League in attendance. The game was televised locally and was played before a sellout crowd. A great way to put an exclamation point on what proved to be an exciting, surprising, fun and successful 2005 NIFL season!
There’s never really an off-season in professional football, and in weeks to come we’ll examine some of the ways The Rage plans to stay in the public eye over the next 6 months. I would invite fans to check our website on a regular basis for the updated information and schedule of events that will make this an off season different from others in the past. Two things in particular come to mind. One is an opportunity for you as a Rage fan to express your opinion regarding the team’s overall performance both on and off the field. You’ll find that on the front page of our website at ragefootball.com.
Secondly, while our roster is comprised mostly of Division One players, if you are a football player in the area and would like to try out for the Rage, the tryout information is also available on the team website. The first scheduled open tryout is slated for October and a form can be filled out on-line and all the advantages of playing for the River City Rage are outlined as well.
Finally, from a personal standpoint, as Media Relations Director and the voice of the Rage on 1380 ESPN, this season has been an experience I’ll not soon forget. Beyond any doubt, the first of what I hope will be many seasons associated with the team, primarily because I’ve been fortunate to be part of one of the best organizations in the National Indoor Football League. The education will continue this fall and winter, much of which I plan to share with you, the Rage fan. Sure, like everyone else who loves football, I’ll root for the Rams and probably live and breathe every pass, fumble and touchdown this fall, but know for certain that Coach Wyatt, our owners Tye and Scott, Morris Groves our Ops Manager, our players, assistant coaches and myself are already preparing for bigger and better things in 2006. It’ll be great to keep you ‘in the loop’!!
