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10/07/2005: "Still Perfect... T-Birds vs Warriors: Recap"

T-Birds vs Warriors: Recap
Still Perfect...
2005-08-28
 The Central Minnesota Thunderbirds kept their perfect record intact Sunday afternoon, as they rolled to a 42-0 victory over the Minnesota Valley Warriors.
 But even with the shutout victory, the coaching staff was not pleased.
 "We didn't play a very good football game," Coach Chad Baldwin said.
 Baldwin explained that his team played down to the level of its opponent - particularly in the first half.
 "I thought we had grown out of that, but today all we had was struggles mentally," he said. "We just had stupid mistakes and that's what really frustrated me a lot."
 The Thunderbirds had opportunities to score early on, but dropped passes and poor coverage kept the game scoreless until late in the first quarter.
 Quarterback Chris Esterley took matters into his own hands and put the Thunderbirds on the board with a 1-yard touchdown run. Mike Jacobs was good for the point after and Central Minnesota led 7-0 after the first quarter of play.
 Esterley completed a 3-yard touchdown pass to Sam Cruver on the first play of the second quarter, but the kick failed and the Thunderbirds led 13-0.
 Mental lapses continued to plague the team in the second quarter, and the Thunderbirds were unable to score for the remainder of the half.
 "I don't think it's been as bad this year," Baldwin said, "Maybe it's because I expected more."
 After a long talk at halftime, the Thunderbirds came out with newfound focus and scored on the opening play.
 The Warriors attempted to catch the Thunderbirds off guard and went with an on-side kick to start the third quarter.
 Unfortunately, their attempt at a surprise backfired when Thunderbird Tim Larmouth made the grab and ran the ball 40 yards for a touchdown. The kick was good for a 20-0 lead.
 "I was surprised that they kicked it to me," Larmouth said, adding that he was wide open after the catch. "I wish I would have had more receptions, but overall I was happy with the win."
 The Thunderbird defense held the Warriors nearly motionless throughout the game and never let the opponent across mid-field.
 "The guys did a good job of controlling the game and controlling the score," Baldwin said.
 Later in the third quarter, Eric Tarasewicz scored on a 5-yard run. Esterley then completed the two-point conversion with a pass to David Knutson. The Thunderbirds lead stretched to 28-0.
 Early in the fourth quarter, Central Minnesota added seven more to the scoreboard when Esterley completed his second touchdown pass of the game. This time, he went to Andy Bogenholm for a 3-yard score. Jacobs was good for the extra point.
 After taking the 35-0 lead, the game clock continued to run.
 Will Kladek ran 9-yards into the end zone with five minutes to play. Jacobs put the extra point straight through the uprights for a 42-0 lead that the Thunderbirds held until time ran out.
 Tarasewicz led the running game with 18 carries for 162 yards. He also caught a pass for 44 yards. Esterley completed 10-of-18 pass attempts for 122 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.
 On defense, Damion Patterson had three tackles and an interception. Rob Baumgarn recovered a fumble and Jeremy Gothman forced a fumble. Three Thunderbird players had sacks in the game - Baumgarn, Chris Camacho and James Bruns. Jeremiah Duvall blocked a punt.
 The Thunderbird defense dominated throughout the game and kept its opponent scoreless for the second time this season.
 Leif Murphy had four tackles before pulling his hamstring in the 1st quarter. Mike Illies added four assists.
 Offensive lineman Nick Ruud was named the player of the week for his solid play throughout the game.
 "It feels great to come in and play with these guys," said Ruud, who was playing just his second game with the team and had ridden a Greyhound bus 10 hours from Omaha to get to here.
 Rudd agreed with the coaches and admitted that Sunday's game was not one of the Thunderbirds' best, despite the score.
 "We played all right, but I think as a team we understand that we can play a lot better," he said. "We're a better team and we played down to their level."
 Baldwin said that the team had taken it easy during practice on Saturday, but added that it won't happen again.
 "Every time we give them a little bit, they take a mile and it's killing us," Baldwin said of his players. "We've got the Titans next and we can't play like this. Hopefully we can learn something from this."
 Central Minnesota is now 7-0 overall and 6-0 in the Mid-America Football League. The Thunderbirds will play the Twin Cities Titans in the final regular season game on Sept. 10. The Titans are 6-1 in league play and will be looking to knock off the undefeated Thunderbirds with the league title on the line.
 A victory will be crucial for the Thunderbirds if they want to remain near the top of the national rankings. Prior to Sunday's victory, Central Minnesota was eighth in the North American Football League rankings and fifth in national polls.