The Sussex County Punishers of the Diamond Football League continued roll this weekl, winning their third game in a row with a 34-6 win over the Queen Anne County Thunder on March 10.
Coastal Point • FILE PHOTO:
Punishers running back Kendall Harmon and his fellow ball-carriers picked up the slack against the Queen Anne County Tunder without dynamic quarterback Kurt Purnell. Together they racked up 188 rushing yards and one touchdown in a 34-6 win.
The win marked the second week in a row that the Punishers have scored at least 30 points (33 and 34) while only allowing one touchdown in each game.
Their 33-7 win over the Baltimore Bulls last week was only the Bulls’ eighth loss in the last five years. And what made Punishers’ win over the Thunder so much more impressive is that they did without star quarterback Kurt Purnell.
Purnell has thrown five touchdown passes in three games with no interceptions and can also make plays with his feet if protection breaks down. But Purnell didn’t play against the Thunder, and still the team thrived. He was excused from the game for personal reasons, which made way for running back/back-up quarterback Jermael Joyner.
Joyner isn’t a natural quarterback, but against the Thunder he wouldn’t have to do much. He completed only three of 10 passes for a mere 23 yards, including touchdown passes to wide receivers Josh Ward and newly acquired Dedrick Jones. Joyner also threw two interceptions in the first half, but the Punishers overcame the turnovers by relying heavily on the running game — especially in the second half. Joyner threw only two passes in the second half.
As a team, the Punisher racked up 188 rushing yards. Running back Kendall Harmon scored the Punishers’ only rushing touchdown of the game on a 48-yard touchdown run.
“Kendall’s really coming along,” Punishers assistant coach and offensive coordinator Butch Yocum said.
The Punishers’ defense gave Joyner enough of an edge early in the game by scoring two defensive touchdowns in addition to their three offensive touchdowns.
Defensive lineman Troy Haynes returned an interception 45-yards on the second play of the game for the Punishers’ first touchdown. Linebacker Jonathan Meiklejohn returned a forced fumble by fellow backer Albert Haynes 37 yards for the Punishers’ second defensive touchdown of the game. Meiklejohn added three quarterback sacks and was named the player of the game.
Former Warhawk captain Tremond Conway played his first game in the last two years last Sunday. Usually fans would see him roaming sideline to sideline or shooting gaps from his middle linebacker position, but the coaching staff decided to reward the players that have sacrificed and worked hard since July and will work Conway in at another position.
“We’re going with the guys that have been here since day one,” said Yocum.
“We’ve had a good rotation with the guys we have so right now we’re going to work Tremond in at defensive end,” Yocum said.
Coastal Point • FILE PHOTO:
The defense of the Sussex County Punishers of the Diamond Football League has truely lived up to their name as of late. Their offense has amassed 67 points while the defense allowed only 13 points as they cruised to 3-0 and first place in the Central Divi
Of the 39 players on the Punishers roster, Yocum claims that all of them could start. They all play a critical role on the team, but what sets them apart from teams in the past is the sense that they’re accomplishing something as a team and will do whatever is best for the team.
Yocum stated that he wanted to insert long-time Warhawks quarterback Tony Eskridge in at the helm in the second half but didn’t at the suggestion of Eskridge.
“Tony made the suggestion to just go double-tight (end) and run the ball, and we ran the ball right down their throat,” Yocum said.
The Punishers were so effective offensively that they didn’t attempt to kick any field goals in the game, despite being well within range for kicker George Mayer.
“We went for it on 4th-and-15 from the 22 because we didn’t want to run the score up, Yocum admitted.
“Running the score doesn’t prove anything. We’ve been on the other side of that with the Saints running the score up on us last year (63-0),” Yocum said.
The Punishers will play their first game of the season against the Calvert County (Md.) Cobras at Solomon’s Firehouse on March 17. Following the Cobras game, the Punishers will play the second half of their schedule, which includes the second games against the Headhunters, Bulls, Thunder and Cobras..