Sports

Weathering the storm
Part I

• The South Georgia Wildcats face the year’s toughest test tonight against the Green Bay Blizzard and hope to finally give Albany fans a look at the team’s true potential.

Paul Dehner Jr.

ALBANY — There’s little folks around the South Georgia Wildcats know about Green Bay. They know it’s the home of the Packers. They know it’s disturbingly cold. Before this week, there was little they even knew about tonight’s opponent, the Green Bay Blizzard.

But they know they are good.

“No disrespect to anybody we’ve already played,” Wildcats receiver Buchie Ibeh began, “but this will be our toughest test.”

And for a Wildcats team wielding more gloom than gloat of a 2-1 record that feels more like 0-3, the Blizzard’s reputation presents an opportunity.

Tonight’s 7:30 p.m. contest is a chance for Wildcats coaches — fresh off a facelift of the team’s most high-profile position and still seeking a game where the squad’s ink and paper potential come alive — to flash its first consistent effort to home fans.

“When I see us, I think of me having to gameplan against my team,” coach Derek Stingley said. “If I saw my team on film, I’d say they are OK. I understand what they have on paper, but they are not doing anything that I should be really, really worried about.”

A win tonight would go a long way to striking fear into the film for future foes.

Most interested parties will focus their eyes on the performance of new starting quarterback Andrico Hines, and rightfully so.

He appears to be the latest answer to the sticking point in the potentially dominating South Georgia offensive engine.

There will be no easing into the job.

Green Bay (2-1) boasts one of the best defenses in the af2 with the credibility to back it up. The Blizzard have been to the af2 mountaintop, playing in the ArenaCup two years ago and advancing to the conference championship game last season.

This season, Green Bay ranks third in total defense, allowing just 184 yards a game. It dismantled the Manchester Wolves last game, 72-31.

Putting together a complete game, and more importantly, garnering a victory, could be what the Wildcats need to springboard its season into the atmosphere of realized potential.

Though Stingley won’t look that far ahead.

“Unfortunately, we got to go one game at a time,” he said. “Just like I want to put one complete game together so does Green Bay. They understand the types of players we have and we understand the types of players they have, we will see who makes mistakes first. They are one of those mistake free teams that waits for you to make a mistake.”

Another key for South Georgia will be capitalizing on those mistakes.

Last week at Daytona Beach, the Wildcats had 10 pass breakups and one interception.

That made for an unsatisfactory number of balls the defensive backs got their hands on but still couldn’t corral for interceptions.

If Green Bay QB Shane Adler presents an opportunity for a pick this week, the Wildcats are determined to reel it in.

“That can be frustrating when they come easy like that and it is right there in your face,” said middle safety Roland Cola, who broke up two passes last week and currently is third in af2 in tackles. “We need to be making more plays, getting more turnovers and be prepared to get a win at home. You got to hold down the home.”

More opportunities for turnovers will come if the South Georgia defensive line can put pressure on the quarterback. But this could be the most difficult team to do so against this year.

Green Bay coach Bob Landsee, a former offensive line coach for the Philadelphia Eagles, believes all three of his starting lineman will be playing in the AFL next season.

When Adler drops back his primary target will be Steve Burnoski. He’s averaging 106 yards a game as has already hauled in seven touchdowns. Also, Steve Gonzalez, who was recently on the Philadelphia Soul roster, will be a primary target for Adler.

The game will not be just about Hines, the defensive back or quarterback pressure, for Stingley it will be all about his entire team playing together for four quarters.

But even he knows, even that is not assured to be enough.

“If we put it together, then great, that is what we are looking for,” he said. “It may come down to who has the ball last; I hope we have an opportunity.”

Part II>>
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