The Sussex County Punishers’ one-touchdown, shutout loss to the Calvert County (Md.) Cobras on St. Patty’s Day was not just their first loss of the 2007 Diamond Football League season. It also allowed the Prince George’s County (Md.) Headhunters to cozy themselves up alongside the Punishers in the standings at 3-1, following their 14-0 win over the Queen Anne County (Md.) Thunder.
It also gave the Headhunters a fighting chance to unseat the Punishers from the team’s season-long first-place standing with their second division game, on March 25.
The Punishers beat the Headhunters heads-up (no pun intended), 20-12, in the regular season opener. And since the standings are determined by head-to-head match-ups first and by points allowed second, the Punishers were still technically first.
This second of two regular-season games marked a challenge for the Punishers and an opportunity for the Headhunters.
Sole possession of first place in the Central Division became attainable. And the Punishers made sure they took care of business on the field, to ensure that their reign over the division endured.
The Headhunters heaped out plenty of trash-talk in pre-game warm-ups, but it was the Punishers who proved they were truly the team to beat.
The Punishers lopped the Headhunters’ hopes, usurping them in the standings in a 26-0 win that was pretty much dominated from the outset.
Quarterback Kurt Purnell scrambled his way 73-yards for the Punishers’ first score on the second offensive play of the opening drive of the game. He later connected with wide receiver Torrez Spence, who made a beautiful one-handed 20-yard touchdown catch in the first quarter and added a 15-yard rushing touchdown in the third quarter.
Running back Kendall Harmon punched in a red-zone scoring opportunity with a 5-yard touchdown scamper of his own in the second quarter.
“We demoralized them, Punisher’s offensive coordinator Butch Yocum said.
“They (the Headhunters) came out talking a whole bunch of (trash) while we’re doing our exercises, saying that they’re going to knock the emblems off our helmets and that we’re a bunch of pretty boys. But I told the guys to keep their words to themselves, and to go out and play their game.
“Our defense played so well that we were calling out their plays before they even ran them,” he added. “And it got to the point where they weren’t even playing to win the game. They started hitting us late after the play and taking cheap shots.”
“I can’t say enough about the character and the poise they showed out there,” Punishers Head Coach John Boyer said. “They knew what they had to do to win this game and they came out did it professionally.”
“And to tell you the truth, I don’t see them letting up. … As long as we go out and do our jobs, there isn’t a team out there that can beat us,” Boyer asserted.
The Punishers (4-1) have their second and final bye on March 31 before playing their remaining three regular-season games. The Punishers return to action on the road against the Baltimore Bulls on April 7 and then host the Thunder and Cobras at Dover High School the following two weeks to round out the regular season.
The Punishers have out-scored the Bulls and Thunder 67-13 in two previous wins already this season.
And as for competing in the playoffs come late April, the Punishers have statistically shown that they can produce with the other division leaders.
They’re ranked third in points scored (113) and points allowed (33) and are currently fourth in the Mid-Atlantic Division.
And after losing to the New Castle Saints 61-0 last season, Boyer believes that his team is ready to make the jump and play up a level against the elite teams in the league.
“After last season, Butch and I got together and decided to go out and recruit some of these players coming home from school,” Boyer said. “Some came, some didn’t. And even though we’re a small group (33 players), the guys out there are the guys we want out there.
“When they’re out there, they know their job. And if they don’t, they know that there’s someone behind [them] that does,” he concluded.