LIONS ARE STILL THE APEX PREDATORS
Although the conditions were not perfect for football, the Lions still came to play and handled the Predators 26-6. There were plenty of good plays made on both sides of the ball, and plenty of personnel rotation, which ensured that there were always fresh legs on the field, despite the 35 degree heat.
The first quarter belonged to the Lions. The Lions kicked off, with excellent downfield coverage, forcing the Predators to march the long field. Which they couldn’t. With a typically stingy defensive effort, the ball was given back to the offence after Grenville Newbond broke up a fourth down pass attempt. The Lions got things moving with a 42 yard Chris Snagg run all the way down to the Predator's 1 yard line, where the drive was capped with a TD plunge by Matt “Low Daddy” Croasdaile. The PAT was perfectly executed by Liam Erby, and the Lions were leading 7-0
The remainder of the first quarter elapsed without a score by either team. The Lions defence provided consistent pressure from the front four, keeping the linebackers free to make tackles. Chady Aoun was particularly active, engaging fullbacks with reckless abandon, as was linebacker Kurt Ostlund, who harried the ball carrier all evening. Robert Severne spent much of his time in the Predator’s backfield, providing constant pressure.
The second quarter was characterised by the themes of the evening: high wind forcing the game to the ground, and the Lions' defence preventing the Predators from establishing the run. When the Predators did attempt to pass their attempts came to no avail, with Piotr Milewski (2 sacks for the evening) and Max Vloeberghs providing the pressure, and the secondary breaking up any passes that floated into the air. A highlight of the game was Chris Michaelideas making a diving attempt at the ball, showing his athleticism with a pass break-up. With time running down in the half, the Lions staged a drive from their own 20 yard line. Inside the last two minutes, Matt “Freemoney” Freeman made a drive-saving 25 yard reception to the Predator's 3 yard line, Freeman displaying both athleticisms and concentration in dragging the toes to stay inbounds. From there, Chris Snagg rushed the ball into the endzone and with Erby's successful PAT, the half-time score was 14-0.
After rousing halftime speeches made by both coaches and team veterans, the Lions came out firing into the third quarter. Although many substitutions were made on both sides of the ball, the offence didn’t skip a beat, and the defence continued to provide the stout run defence and tenacious pass breakups. The ground game for the offence continued to flourish, with OG Jason Swenson playing in his first ever game, yet played with intensity, and routinely blew his man off the line of scrimmage. He was flanked by savvy veterans Tim “T-Rock” Snape and Lauri “Finnish Him” Hypponen.
Both teams scored in the third quarter (obviously the adjustments of former coaches of the year on both sidelines helped) The Lions scored first on a 12 yard jaunt by Matt Croasdaile, with the PAT uncharacteristically missed by Liam “Fully Automatic” Erby. The Lions were now up 20-0. After an exchange of possessions, the Predators scored their only points of the evening with some trickery - a halfback pass was caught in the gusting winds. However the Lions managed to salvage some pride from the situation by forcing the PAT wide through excellent pressure.
The Lions received the kick deep in their territory and proceeded to return it to the Predator’s 15 yard line. Anthony “Animal” Sinton proved not only to be elusive, but in possession of great vision, reading the blocks that were provided to carry the ball 49 yards to the Predator's 11 yard line. The corridor was set up perfectly, defenders were manhandled, and the great return was made. Not only was the offence positioned perfectly for the score, but any budding hopes inside the Predators were dashed.
To finish off the third quarter, the offence, with great field position punched the ball in. Chris Snagg was credited with the 7 yard run, pounding the ball in behind the devastating blocking of Cameron “Twinky” Lawrence and David “Big Load” Thode. A two point conversion was attempted; however, the ball was tipped on a pass intended for Mac “Juggernaut” Shine, falling just out of reach of the sure-handed receiver.
The fourth quarter was a scoreless affair, however provided some fantastic defensive plays. Highlights include a pass broken up in the hands of a receiver by Chris Taylor, and a fantastic hustle play by Matt “Teenwolf” Leeds in which he hustled after the quarterback, and almost made a sack on his knees, despite being blocked, then cut, then tripping over. It was high motor plays such as these which are exactly what Lion’s football is all about: giving everything you have, on every play. Defence didn’t let the Predators into the game at any stage, constantly being more physical, and displaying superior technique.
By the time the lights were switched off, Sydney University had 259 yards rushing (including 174 from Chris Snagg on 23 carries), and the defence had left the Predators with little for the highlight tape. Savvy veteran Ryan Wonser controlled the middle of the line of scrimmage, providing his expertise for the younger linemen around him, and Anthony “Animal” Sinton proved to not only be a special teams maestro, but helped in run support with four tackles.
Despite the terrible conditions for football, the Lions came away with the win. Next week they travel to beautiful Berkeley, where they face the Mustangs at home.
Lions 26 def. Predators 6
14 October 2006
St George Hockey Centre, Kyeemagh
1Q SU: Croasdaile 1 yd TD run. Erby PAT. 7:0
2Q SU: Snagg 1 yd TD run. Erby PAT 14:0
3Q SU: Croasdaile 12 yd TD run. PAT missed 20:0
3Q NWP: Quigley 5 yd TD run. PAT missed 20:6
3Q SU: Snagg 7 yd TD run. Erby PAT 26:6