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09/24/2005: "TBirds vs Lumberjacks: Recap: Perfect record remains intact"

TBirds vs Lumberjacks: Recap
Perfect record remains intact
2005-08-15
The Central Minnesota Thunderbirds had a perfect record to hold onto when  Sunday's home game against the Minneapolis Lumberjacks began. But they weren't the only ones.
Both teams were undefeated at 5-0 on the season, but only one  would walk off the field with a perfect record intact when the game ended.
Jeremy Gothman started off the scoring for the Thunderbirds when he  recovered a Lumberjack fumble and returned it three yards for a touchdown in the first quarter. Mike Jacobs' extra point attempt was good for a 7-0 T-Birds lead.
In the second quarter, the Lumberjacks tied the score with a touchdown  of their own.
Assistant Coach Rob Neumann said some adjustments were made in  the second quarter that aided the Thunderbirds, and they fired back just before halftime when quarterback Chris Esterley completed a 4-yard touchdown pass to Tim Larmouth. Jacobs' kick was good and the T-Birds led 14-7 at the break.
"We had a little bit of a slow start," Neumann said. "But I'm  absolutely happy with how it ended up."
The Thunderbirds scored 14 points in  the third quarter and added six more in the fourth for a 34-7 victory.
Esterley started the third quarter with an 8-yard pass to Sam  Cruver, but the kick failed and Central Minnesota led 20-7.
The passing game  continued to work later in the quarter, when Esterley completed a 2-yard shot to Lance Nelson. Nelson then ran in for the 2-point conversion to make it a 28-7 ballgame.
Central Minnesota's final points of the game came from the defense  when Ramon Burroughs brought in an interception and returned it 27 yards for a touchdown. The kick failed, but the Thunderbirds were victorious and remain unbeaten at 6-0 this season.
Even with the win, Neumann said there is still  work to be done.
"There's always things we can work on," he said. "We need  to keep Chris Esterley on his feet. He got knocked around a bit."
Even with  the bumping, Esterley completed 18 of 29 pass attempts for 189 yards and three touchdowns. He did not throw an interception in the game.
While the passing  game was dominant, Eric Tarasewicz led the running game with 17 carries for 132 yards.
The Thunderbirds defense provided plenty of highlights throughout the  game.
Including his fourth-quarter pick for a touchdown, Burroughs finished  the night with three interceptions. Teammate Randy Lee added a fourth interception, Rob Baumgarn recovered a fumble and Leif Murphy had three sacks and forced a fumble.
Murphy was playing in his second game with the  Thunderbirds and said he is just starting to get used to the defensive scheme. With three sacks in Sunday's victory, it appears he is a quick study.
Murphy  said he is happy to be playing on such a high-caliber team and compared the Thunderbird players to some of the ones he has played with in other leagues.
"As far as talent-wise, we match up just as well as players in the  past leagues I've played in," he said, adding that those players were paid to play the game.
While the Lumberjacks put up a good fight in the first  quarter, Murphy said it came down to heart.
"I feel they're a good team, but  we just have a better team," he said. "We have people who just like to play football more. This is one of the closest teams I've been a part of."
Central Minnesota will take a weekend off from competition, but will be  back home on Aug. 28 for a 3 p.m. game with the Minnesota Valley Warriors.
"It's nice to get the weekend off, but you want to play every week  to keep your rhythm,
Neumann said. 
To keep things rolling, the team will  practice during the bye weekend.
"This weekend, we're going to work on  things we need to do for ourselves," Neumann said. "We'll work on the game plan next week."
With a perfect 6-0 record and the lead in the Mid-American  Football League, it appears the Thunderbirds are well on their way to reaching their goals of a national championship.
"Honestly, I think we're a team that  could do a lot of damage at the national level," Neumann said.
 Noteworthy: Thunderbirds kicker Mike Jacobs tried out for the Kansas City Chiefs on Saturday. He expects to hear from team officials later this week.