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09/28/2005: "Thunderbirds vs Warriors: Preview"

Thunderbirds vs Warriors: Preview
Division Title on the Line
2005-08-25
Heather Douglas
The 6-0 Central Minnesota Thunderbirds will look to continue the winning streak when they host the Minnesota Valley Warriors on Sunday afternoon.
The Warriors started the season with five straight victories, but have lost two of the last three games - both to Mid-America Football League opponents - to fall to 6-2 overall.
With only two games to go in the regular season, a Thunderbird victory would ensure the team at least a share of the Mid-America Football League regular season title. (The Twin Cities Titans have just one loss this season and will face the Thunderbirds in the final week of the regular season.)
Not only does the game have importance in the league standings, but also in the division standings. The winner of Sunday's contest will claim the North Division Championship, as both teams are 2-0 in games against one of the four teams in the North.
Although the game is an important one, Thunderbird Jeremy Gothman said he's looking at it like he would any other.
"Every game's important," he said. "You just play the best you can and hope everyone works together. The outcome is the bonus."
Coach Chad Baldwin said that if his team plays to its potential, the Thunderbirds should come out on top.
"I think they have the potential to make a good game out of it," he said of the Warriors. "If we do what we always have done with our execution, I think the game will be a little more than they can handle."
But that doesn't mean Central Minnesota is taking the Warriors lightly.
"They definitely will come in with the idea that they can surprise us," Baldwin said. "We're defiantly not overlooking them at all. We consider them a definite threat. It's a great opportunity for them to knock us off."
The Thunderbirds are ranked No. 8 in the North American Football League POWER RANKINGS and are No. 5 in the overall NATIONAL TOP 25 POLL.
"It's not very easy to crack into that top 25," Baldwin said. "We're in good company.
But Baldwin knows that staying on top will only happen if the Thunderbirds keep winning.
"At any point, if we lose a game, we're gonna struggle for home-field advantage for the national playoffs," Baldwin said, adding that having the home field is critical because it means local referees would officiate the games and the team would save a lot of travel expenses.
Gothman, a defensive lineman, is in his fifth season with the Thunderbirds. He picked up a fumble and returned it for a touchdown in the team's last contest on Aug. 14. He said this year's team is one to remember.
"The team that we have this year is one of the best team's I've ever been on," he said. "The type of people we have is more on a personal level. I play for the guys."
Linebacker Mike Illies agreed.
"All the guys are getting along," he said. "We're all gelling really well. We just execute the plays and play our game. Whatever happens, happens."
Gothman said that in addition to having highly-skilled players, the key to success this season is the team's strong chemistry on and off the field.
"We mesh it together and we have twice the talent," he said.
Gothman credited the team's newest addition - defensive lineman Leif Murphy - for helping raise the bar in his own game.
"He's showed me a lot," Gothman said. "It's a whole new level now."
The game, which will kickoff at 3 p.m. Sunday at St. John's University, holds importance in the division and in the league. But for the Thunderbirds, it's its just another step in the ladder to national success.
"I think it should be a pretty good game," Illies said. "If we play our game the way we're capable of playing, we should be unstoppable."