Fri, Nov 17 – The Pigskin Hooligans entered the first round of the playoffs on Friday afternoon, facing off against the #3 Wamp Rats in a rematch of the team’s season opener. The Hooligans were looking to pull off an upset and advance to the second round on Sunday afternoon. Once again a massive deficit in players plagued the team – despite a huge roster size, only four original team members were available to play. The Hooligans showed heart and determination, keeping the game close, but the team was eliminated from the playoffs as the Wamp Rats advanced with a 22-14 victory. The Hooligans made a late signing, adding Conner Forbes to the team, and he joined co-captain Danielle Thompson, Darius Wilson, Ken Simon and co-captain Mike Russell starting on the field. The Hooligans won the coin toss and elected to play defense first. Danielle Thompson contributed many key flag grabs throughout the day, but the Wamp Rats moved the ball steadily down the field with a 7-on-5 advantage. However Conner Forbes would come up with an interception in the endzone and return it all the way for a “pick 6”, giving the Hooligans their first lead of the season. The Wamp Rats responded on their next drive as captain Andrew Ripke hooked up with Tyler Tweedale for a touchdown, tying the game 6-6. On the Hooligans’ next possession Darius Wilson showed off his speed, gashing the defense for big gains. The Wamp Rats eventually managed to force a turnover on downs, taking over just past midfield. But the Hooligans’ defense came up huge again – Conner Forbes came up with his second “pick 6” of the game. Forbes would then toss a 2-pt conversion pass to Ken Simon to give the Hooligans a 14-6 lead. The Wamp Rats converted on their next drive to even the score again. Joel Werner took the reins of the quarterback position and tossed a pass to Micah Penhallegon with Taylor Kahlstorf hauling in the game-tying 2-pt conversion. The Hooligans moved down the field again as co-captain Mike Russell took a swing pass for a long gain and Ken Simon hauled in a first-down reception. The offense would make it just outside the goal line, but the Wamp Rats would come up with a goal line stand to force a turnover on downs. Darius Wilson paced the Hooligans’ defense with clutch flag grabs, but despite facing a long field the Wamp Rats converted - Joel Werner connected with Daniel Jacob with Tyler Tweedale adding a 2-pt conversion to take a 22-14 lead. The Hooligans made one last drive before halftime but a deep pass to the endzone would be broken up by Micah Penhallegon. At halftime, the Hooligans had several players who had to leave which brought the team down to 3 total players. All captains agreed that the most fair decision was to declare the first half the end of the game, giving the Wamp Rats a 22-14 win. Hooligans co-captain Mike Russell and Wamp Rats captain Andrew Ripke drafted teams of 5 for a pickup game “just for fun”. Russell’s team would win 37-36, paced by the standout play of first overall draft pick Danielle Thompson. Grace Stadler cheered on the Hooligans from a distance while at CUAA women’s soccer practice. The Hooligans conclude their 2017 season with an 0-3 record. The Wamp Rats improve to 2-1, claiming their first playoff win in franchise history. They had this to say on the historic playoff victory: “Soli Deo Gloria! #trusttheprocess”, while also adding: “Dilly-dilly!”. The Wamp Rats will now advance to face the #2 seed, the Green Hornets, this Sunday afternoon. Be sure to check back in the next several weeks for a season overview and other coverage. The upper management of the Pigskin Hooligans firmly believes that the organization has many talented young players that played this year and the future is bright. If additional team members can be secured for next year so that a full roster can be fielded in games, more championships could be just around the corner. ROLL HOOLIGANS! Note: All interceptions listed are on defense.
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Written by Mike Russell
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May 2021
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