Sporting their new duds, the Sussex County Punishers (formerly known as the Warhawks) of the Diamond Football League won their 2007 season-opener over the Prince George’s County Headhunters 20-12 on Feb. 18.
New Punishers quarterback Kurt Purnell made a good first impression. He tossed a pair touchdowns to wide receivers Kevin Belt and Torrez Spence, and punched in a two-point conversion on a bobbled snap — despite a Headhunters defense that truly lived up to their name.
They blitzed seven to eight defensive players every down and chose instead to play man-coverage on the outside receiver.
“Kurt’s the man,” Punisher’s offensive coordinator Butch Yocum said. “They sent seven or eight guys on every play, so we tried to hit quick passes all game. And on the touchdown passes, I told him to just step and throw. He put the ball on the dot.”
Purnell actually should have had four touchdown passes, but Spence and fellow wide receiver Josh Ward couldn’t come down with the ball.
The Headhunters scored twice through the air on blown coverages but were unable to do much else in the face of the Punishers’ defense.
And where the Headhunters’ defense failed in wreaking havoc, the Punishers succeeded.
They sacked the Headhunters’ quarterback five times, caused five fumbles, and recovered three. They also picked four interceptions, including two inside the Punishers’ 10-yard line, to snuff out scoring opportunities and a safety.
Player of the Game: defensive back Leroy Jenkins had an interception and “a lot of deflected passes,” according to Yocum.
Neither team ran the ball very well, which is why both teams relied so heavily on the passing game.
“They couldn’t run the ball on us but neither could we,” Yocum said. “But we’re almost there.”
In the meantime, the Punishers are confident that they can score from anywhere on the field — either through the air or special teams, thanks to the recent addition of new kicker George Mayer.
Mayer scored four points in the win over the Headhunter, making one of two field goals and an extra point. Mayer nailed a 32-yarder to give the Punishers a 10-0 first-quarter lead and nearly hit a 52-yarder to end the first half.
“It was definitely long enough,” Yocum said. “But it was wide right.”
Last season, the Warhawks lost three games because they couldn’t convert field goals.
“It feels good to be 1-0. And we’re ready for another game, but I guess we’ll have to be happy for at least one more week,” Yocum said, referring to their up-coming bye week. “We’ve been working hard since July and have 33 guys out of 40 at every practice.”
“Practice makes perfect,” he continued. “So we’ll keep practicing hard and our running game will come around.”
The Punishers are off in Week Two and will host the Baltimore County Bulls on March 3 at the Camden Little League Park in Kent County. Kickoff is at 1 p.m.
They were hoping to play at the Sussex County Boy’s and Girl’s Club in Seaford again this year. But an area soccer club already has an existing 15-year lease with the club for the field.
The drive to see the Punishers play each Sunday might’ve gotten a little longer. But it also might favor the Punishers.
The Warhawks went 3-0 over the Kent County Fire on that field over the past seven years. And after their Week One win, they’ve extended their win streak on the Camden field to 4-0.
The Bulls went 7-1 last year. Their only loss was to the league champion Fredrick County Outlaws.