Week 8 Results

After taking 3 of the first 4 games of the season, and with Team 1 Defensive Captain Josh Neace added to the list of players gone from the opposition, Team 2 had to be confident coming in, despite the return of arguably the most athletically dominant player in HSFL history, Matt Lams. Team 2 Co-Captain Mike Arana took the attitude that Lams would not be as effective against the run as Neace, and his team would have to do their best to shut down Lams a few times in order to pick up a win. Knowing that Team 2 would focus on Lams, Team 1 Co-Captain Bob Glover decided to shake up his team a little further. Following his worst performance since moving to quarterback half way through 2000, the defending HSFL MVP, and once the most dominant receiver in the game decided a position switch was in order. Team 2 got their game plan going early on, scoring the first possession of the game, and stopping Team 1 on their first possession. After recovering an onside kick, Team 2 scored again and took an early 2-0 lead. Berlin got Team 1's offense on track, and after a few interceptions and a fumble by Team 2, Team 1 regained the lead at 6-5 going into half time.

The second half was just like the first, Team 2 pounding the ball down the field with their interesting new misdirection philosophy, and Team 1 airing the ball out like the Team 1 of old. A key interception by Glover late in the game put Team 1 in a position to take the neccessary 2 touchdown lead, and Team 1 took the opportunity to take a 12-10 win and cut Team 2's season lead to 3-2.

The returning superstar Matt Lams was every bit as good as advertised for Team 1 in Week 8. Lams scored 6 touchdowns, had an interception, and helped to fill the void left by the loss of the Neace brothers for Team 1. Once the best receiver in the game, Glover proved that he might still be the best by scoring 4 touchdowns, while catching several key passes for yardage. He also added a touchdown pass and an interception. Once dubbed the HSFL Quarterback of the future, John Berlin's career under center was left for dead after last season. Glover's vision of the most dominant receiving duo ever to play in the HSFL required Berlin to step it up and use his strong arm to lead Team 1. Berlin did just that, throwing for 11 touchdown passes in the Team 1 victory. Chris Hott made his return after a game off, and got more involved in the Team 1 attack, scoring a touchdown while playing his usual solid defense and tacking on another interception to his season total. Suffering from a leg injury, Kenny Williams saw his offensive role decrease, but he scored a touchdown, and continued his good defensive play for Team 1.

Team 2 continued its dominating run attack in Week 8, with Jeff Renn carrying the load as usual. Renn scored 4 touchdowns and threw for two more as he continued to be the driving force behind the Team 2 offensive attack. Splitting time with Renn at quarterback was Mike Arana. Arana looked good managing the game for Team 2 and despite his below average arm, threw for 3 touchdowns and scored 2 more. Rookie star Justin Sawicki continued his great season, scoring 4 touchdowns, but his production and defensive effectiveness was cut down a little by the presence of Lams. With the lack of depth on the Team 2 roster for Week 8, Ryan Geib saw his most action this season. He was used primarily as a blocker and pass rusher for Team 2, but he did have an interception in the loss.