Sports

Snowed under

• The Green Bay Blizzard are overwhelmed by a Wildcats defense that allows just 10 points in the second half to compete a 55-48, comeback win.

Paul Dehner Jr.

ALBANY - Surrounded by chaos he created in the the Green Bay Blizzard backfield, South Georgia lineman Joe Woolridge embraced the moment his Wildcats hungered for and gyrated in a blissfully out-of-control celebration.

Time slipped off the clock after his third sack of the game left Blizzard players scrambling without timeouts. They wouldn't run another play amidst a Wildcats celebration that culminated with the final horn.

The impressive debut of new quarterback Andrico Hines allowed South Georgia to pull out of a significant early hole and Woolridge gladly stomped his signature on a 55-48 victory.

"That's how I like to end the game, on the last play," said Woolridge, who added an interception, forced fumble and 5.5 tackles to his trio of sacks.

"This game right here really set a tone for what we can do for the rest of the year."

Woolridge's words were echoed across the Wildcats (3-1). It felt like a breakthrough win against a respected team that advanced to the Arena Cup two years ago and conference finals last year.

And for a Wildcats team whose effort and heart was questioned a week following a sluggish Monday night performance at Daytona Beach, it answered with authority in overcoming a 31-13 deficit.

In a blue-collar win, a defense anchored in the trenches by Woolridge, Courtney Young, Ray Gant and Nathan Finlay held Green Bay (2-2) to just 10 points in the second half.

"I can't say enough about those guys," coach Derek Stingley said of his aforementioned lineman. "My team showed a lot of character by staying in and fighting to the end."

It also showed flashes of offensive brilliance behind Hines. Signed just four days ago, Hines blended smoothly into the Wildcats offense after a sluggish start, going 21-of-33 for 220 yards, five touchdowns and one interception.

He delivered the consistent, mistake-free football his resume suggested and also kept plays alive withstanding an aggressive Blizzard storm that produced five punishing sacks.

Though he attempted to develop chemistry with his new receivers, it was an old friend he fell back on in the game's defining moments.

Three times he connected for touchdowns with Antwone Savage, his teammate last season with the Spokane Shock. Hines threw 62 touchdowns last year, 40 of them to Savage.

"Me and Antwone have great chemistry and it showed (Saturday night)," said Hines, holding the same calm, collected tone he illustrated in the pocket. "He bailed me out a couple of times."

The first came on a fourth-and-goal play as time expired in the first half.

Hines couldn't find a receiver, but fired a bullet to a streaking Savage, who snatched the ball away through a defenders arms.

The catch pulled the Wildcats to 38-37 heading into the locker room with confidence. It was hard to believe after two special-teams miscues and a blown coverage put the Wildcats behind, 31-13, after the first quarter.

At that point, Woolridge and the defense set the tone with a goal-line stand on the first possession of the second half. That was followed with a missed field goal and Woolridge forced a fumble eventually recovered by Courtney Young.

"We really figured them out," said middle safety Roland Cola, who had an interception to add to his 6.5 tackles. "Everything they were running, the defensive coverages were matching up, we just had to make the plays."

When they did, the offense followed suit.

Trailing, 47-45, with 1:06 left, not shockingly, Hines turned to his old buddy Savage to save the day.

Hines lofted a deep pass to the corner of the end zone and Savage leapt near the wall, grabbing it away from the defender for what would prove to be the game-winning touchdown.

Savage rose and kept the theme of a feisty af2 contest littered with fights and late hits by talking trash in the face of Blizzard defensive back Nate Green.

"I told him he was sorry," Savage said. "He was talking noise all game. I told him he can't stop me, he hasn't stopped me all game. He'd better hope they stop throwing the ball to me."

They never did and Savage finished with seven catches for 75 yards.

P.J. Berry followed the score with a change of direction run on the two-point conversion where he turned a designed receiver pass into a wild exclamation point on the win. Berry added to his league-leading total with six catches for 64 yards and a touchdown. He also returned a kickoff for a score.

With a seven-point lead in tow, the defense inscribed its final touch as Cory Bailey broke up two touchdown pass attempts on the last drive and then Woolridge broke through with the sack with seven seconds left. Without any timeouts, time ran out on the Blizzard.

"That is what you get when you work hard," Woolridge said. "I got everything to come my way, they are supposed to come your way when you work hard."

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