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Wolverines Fight Back to End Season on a High |
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Sunday, 25 November 2007 16:58 |
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 The Lancashire Wolverines American Football Club completed their first season back in the British American Football League (BAFL) on Sunday with a gutsy comeback win against Scottish opponents Edinburgh Wolves.
Trailing 7-28 at half-time, the Blackburn-based side fought back with 26 unanswered points to win 33-28; a comeback that is being hailed as one of the best in the Club's 17 year history and the largest comeback of the BAFL 2007 season.
Head Coach, Paul Horsburgh said after the game: "That was an emotional rollercoaster of a game. A first half to forget and a second to go down in team history. We really pulled together today and played for each other. Only great things can come in the future"
Defensive Co-ordinator Darren Carr added: "We put ourselves in a hole in the first half but with a few minor adjustments and a lot of heart we pulled off the best comeback I can remember in my 14 years in British football. The offence were unstoppable in the second half, and deserve all the praise they get, but I was even more impressed with the defence, who all stepped up to put the offence in the position to win the game. It was fitting for me that the game was sealed by the interception by Lex Dunn. It would be difficult to pick out any one player, as it was a true team performance that I was proud to be a part of. This game shows how far we have come and proves to all those that doubted the Wolverines, that we are back and will be serious contenders next season."
Steve Norris, the Club's chairman ("Mr Wolverine" as he is affectionately known), concluded: "This 1st season back in the BAFL was always going to be tough. We have had some big wins but we have also had some tough losses. In the second half today we played true Wolverine Football and I could not be prouder of the TEAM! We now have an amazing platform to build on for next season."
The Wolverines Senior Team would like to take this opportunity to thank their Game Ball sponsor, Perfect 10s (www.perfect10s.co.uk) for their support throughout the 2007 season.
InAction.jpg "Defense in Action") Preparation for the 2008 season is already under way off the field to ensure the Wolverines are competing for the BAFL 2 Trophy at next year's Brit Bowl. If you want to join the Wolverines 2008 campaign as a player, coach, volunteer, referee or even just as a fan, please contact Head Coach, Paul Horsburgh at
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. The Wolverines are always keen to hear from any potential sponsors and discuss the unique exposure they are able to offer!
The Wolverines' End of Season Presentation will take place at Blackburn RUFC on Friday 30th November, starting at 7:00 pm. There will be a buffet, disco, raffle and competitions. Tickets are priced at £15 for adults and £10 for under 16's.
For more information on American Football in Lancashire and how to get involved please visit www.wolverineden.com. The Lancashire Wolverines are 1 of 8 teams in the Lancashire Academy of American Football, which is able to offer the sport to boys and girls from the age of 7 upwards |
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Last Updated on Thursday, 06 December 2007 20:39 |
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2007 End of Season Presentation Evening |
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The Lancashire Academy of American Football is pleased to announce that this years End of Season Presentation will take place at Blackburn RUFC on Friday 30th November, starting at 7pm. All members of the academy are welcome to attend. There will be a buffet, disco, raffle and competitions. Tickets are priced at £15 for adults and £10 for under 16's. Please check www.wolverineden.com regularly for updates. |
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Last Updated on Saturday, 15 December 2007 20:31 |
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Wolverines Spirit Dampened by Hurricane |
 The Wolverines travelled to Dundee last weekend determined to perform well in what they knew would be their sternest test of the 2007 BAFL season so far.
The first quarter started with defences dominating the game. The Wolverines were first to break the deadlock when Sam Fogg broke through from fifty-five yards out for a touchdown. Jonathan Peachey slotted over the extra point to give the Wolverines a 7-0 lead.
Dundee responded positively with strong running from Mahamadou Niakate, who brought the Hurricanes back into contention with a twenty-two yard touchdown run. Dundee failed to convert but had narrowed the score line to 6-7 at the end of the first quarter.
The second quarter was again a defensive match-up until late in the session when Niakate again broke through the Wolverines defence, this time forcing himself into the end zone from 2 yards. Niakate added the two-point conversion to give Dundee 14-7 lead at half time.
The third quarter again showed these teams evenly matched with defences shutting each other out.
The fourth quarter started with the game finely in the balance at 14-7 to Dundee. With Lancashire pinning Dundee back in their own end zone, and looking to even up the scores the Hurricanes got a big break when Darren Henderson intercepted a Wolverines pass to run out sixty eight yards and give the ball back to the home team in great field position. Hurricane quarterback Bruce Thomson wasnt going to let this opportunity slip and found wide receiver Fraser Thompson in the end zone to give Dundee a 20-7 lead.
 There was still enough time on the clock for the Wolverines to stage a comeback but after turning over the ball, Dundee quarterback Thomson again threw an inch-perfect pass to receiver Darren Henderson, to extend their lead 26-7. The Wolverines werent about to lie down and quickly hit back when quarterback Adam Purcell found Greg Adam in the end zone for the rookie receivers second touchdown of the season. The 2-point conversion was successful to leave the score 26-15 to Dundee.
An attempted on-side kick gave the ball back to Dundee who took a knee to see out the game and end the Wolverines 3-game winning streak. The Wolverines are now 3-3 with four games remaining and know that they must perform well in all four to have any chance of playoff football.
The Wolverines next action is on Sunday 24th June, when they return to Blackburn RUFC for the visit of the Glasgow Tigers. Kick-off is 2.30pm and entrance is free. For more information see WWW.WolverineDen.com or email
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Last Updated on Saturday, 15 December 2007 20:42 |
An early start for the Lancashire Wolverines didn't affect their performance as they travelled to Boston and ran out resounding winners, 60-6, over the Lincolnshire Bombers.
Sam Fogg returned the opening kick-off 81 yards to open the Wolverines account. Not to be outdone, Drew Bowness temporarily evened the scores with his own 75 yard kick return on the ensuing kick-off, to make the score 6-6.
That was the closest the Bombers would get as Lancashire proceeded to rack up a further 33 first half points.
Iain Pearson caught 16 and 31 yard touchdown passes from quarterback Jonathon Peachey, while Fogg added to his season tally with two receiving touchdowns; a 64 yard pass and run from Peachey and a 7 yard reception from quarterback Wayne Glover.
At the end of the half the Wolverines had stamped their authority on the game and led 39-6.
The Bombers were determined to make a game of it though and came out in high spirits for the second half. A gritted effort from the Bombers defence held the Wolverines scoreless throughout the third quarter, but they were unable to add to their score offensively.
The fourth quarter, however, saw the Wolverines continue to impose their dominance. The quarter started with Peachey's 4th touchdown pass of the day when he found Geoff Leigh in the end zone. Running back, Chris Littler, added two rushing touchdowns on 47 and 17 yard runs to complete the rout. On the day Littler gained 199 yards on the ground off 10 attempts and received the offensive MVP award from both the Bombers and the Wolverines.
Final score: Lincolnshire Bombers 6-60 Lancashire Wolverines.
Other notable performances included Jonathon Peachey, who completed 5 of 8 passes for 4 touchdowns and 149 yards. Peachey also recorded 2 receptions for 47 yards.
Sam Fogg put in another performance worthy of a BAFL Player of the Week nomination. He gained 2 touchdowns and 112 yards off 5 receptions, rushed for 45 yards off 2 attempts and along with his 81-yard kick return, had 4 punt returns for 75 yards, to take his overall yardage for the day to over 300 yards! Defensively, Fogg also recorded 3 tackles and 2 assists.
After the game head coach, Paul Horsburgh said: "Today was a good overall performance. There is still room for improvement but I am happy with today's result"
Offensive co-ordinator, Paul Day added: "We were solid today on offence, with a number of excellent individual performances, particularly Chris Littler who was outstanding"
At the half-way stage of the regular season the Wolverines have recovered from two early defeats to stand at 3-2. Chairman, Steve Norris is delighted with the turnaround and said: "This was a much improved performance on the road and shows how far we have come since those early losses. However, the team is still to face it's toughest challenges, particularly our next game away at Dundee, and we mustn't become complacent"
The next test for the Lancashire Wolverines American Football Club comes next week, when their youth side, the Wolverines Colts, travel to Clyde Valley in their opening game of the BYAFA 2007 season. The next action for the senior team is a tough road game against the highly-rated Dundee Hurricanes.
American Football returns to Blackburn RUFC on the 24th June with the visit of the Glasgow Tigers. For information on any of the American Football teams in Lancashire, please visit www.wolverineden.com. |
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Last Updated on Sunday, 06 January 2008 12:22 |
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