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02/14/2005: "T-Birds Crush Pioneers 60-0"

MFL Playoffs Round 1, Pioneers: Recap
T-Birds Crush Pioneers 60-0
2005-09-19
 The Central Minnesota Thunderbirds had no trouble getting by the Midwest Pioneers in the opening round of the Mid-America Football League playoffs on Sunday. The Thunderbirds scored early and they scored often en route to a 60-0 shutout victory.
 The Pioneers went 0-8 in the regular season and were up against the 8-0 T-Birds. Due to the foreseen mismatch, the Pioneers had a team of less than 30 members with many players playing both offense and defense.
 Coach Chad Baldwin said he tried to keep his team focused by working on the game plan and preparing for the bigger opponents to come.
 "It's not a very fun game to coach because you spend a lot of time trying to motivate," he said.
 Baldwin said that all the Thunderbirds players got into the action on Sunday, and those who were injured were given time off to heal.
 "Our second string played a solid game," Baldwin said. "That was probably the most important thing. I think we learned a lot today."
 Eric Tarasewicz started the scoring with a 10-yard touchdown run in the first quarter. Mike Jacobs made the extra point and the T-Birds led 7-0.
 Only a few minutes later, the Thunderbirds put six more points on the board when quarterback Chris Esterley found James Singer for a 24-yard touchdown pass.
 The Esterley/Singer combination was golden later in the first quarter when the two combined for a 37-yard touchdown pass. The two-point conversion attempt failed, but the T-Birds were ahead 19-0 when the first quarter came to an end.
 Tarasewicz found open field in the second quarter and ran 40 yards into the end zone. A conversion pass from Esterley to David Knutson was right on, and the T-Birds went ahead 27-0.
 The Esterley/Knutson connection proved to work again and again as Knutson caught two touchdown passes (of five and 16 yards) before halftime to put the T-Birds up 40-0 at the break.
 Knutson said that because the game was such a blowout, it was difficult to get excited.
 "It was hard for us to get our stuff going," he said, adding that the team lacked aggression early in the game.
 In the MFL, once a team gets ahead by 35 points or more, the clock begins to run. This made for a quick second half, but didn't stop the T-Birds from adding points to the board.
 In the third quarter, Esterley found Singer for a 16-yard touchdown pass. Jacobs was good with the extra point and Central Minnesota's lead stretched to 47-0.
 Lance Nelson replaced Esterley in the quarterback role and completed a 44-yard pass to Knutson, giving the receiver his third touchdown of the game. With the extra point from Jacobs, the T-Birds went up 54-0.
 In the fourth quarter, Nelson scored on a quarterback keeper from 2-yards out, which gave the T-Birds a 60-0 lead they held until time expired.
 Singer, who went with an afro hairstyle for the playoffs, said he was happy with his three-touchdown performance. Even with the new look, he said it was hard for the team to remain upbeat in a game that was so lopsided.
 "We knew we were going to win," Singer said, adding that the team used the game to work on its plays and prepare for the games ahead. "We just didn't play with very much emotion."
 Baldwin credited the play of the Pioneers, who gave it their all regardless of the situation.
 "They had guys who were going both ways and they didn't get chippy," he said. "Hats off to them, they did a great job."
 Esterley completed 11 of 17 passes for 166 yards and five touchdowns. Nelson was 2-for-2 passing for 55 yards and one touchdown. Tarasewicz had 16 carries for 157 yards, which put him above the 1,000-yard rushing mark this season.
 Jeremiah Duvall and Damion Patterson had interceptions in the game. Mike Illies added a sack.
 With the win, the Thunderbirds (9-0) advance to the semifinals of the MFL playoffs. Central Minnesota will host the Duluth-Superior Shoremen at 3 p.m. Sunday at St. John's University. The Shoremen defeated the Minnesota Valley Warriors 35-13 in the opening round.