superhornet
Active member
The Sacramento Sirens concluded their season with a 20-19 home loss to the undefeated LA Amazons. LA has had the Pacific Southwest Division title sewn up for quite some time, and brought their LA attitude with them.
The game was moved at the last minute due to Friday night's commencement ceremonies at Natomas High School. Inderkum High took up the slack, at the cost of no PA and a nonfunctioning scoreboard, which badly affected the entire game. The umpire kept time on the field, so that nobody knew how much time was left at any given point.
Early on, it looked to be an LA rout, as they shed first blood early in the first quarter. They also broke loose on TWO huge TD runs in the first half. However, after that, the Sirens defense showed up, paving the way for an incredible comeback that ultimately fell just a little bit short.
In the first quarter, the Sirens discovered a weapon they seem to have avoided for their entire 10-year existence: the field goal. A short chip shot cut LA's lead to 7-3, though one of the aforementioned breakthroughs extended that lead to 14-3. A Siren's touchdown made it 14-10 as the Sacramento running game began to take control. A late Amazon 60-some-odd yard run pushed the LA score to 20. (Following the first SHORT PAT I've ever seen!) The last play of the half saw Sirens kicker Jennifer Bloom nail a 40-yarder against the wind to cut the lead to 20-13. (Travelinman will vouch for that. Thanks for coming, dude!) A third quarter Jennie Ann Quan run made it 20-19, when the coaching staff made the ill-fated decision to go for two. A run wide left was stuffed, and that sealed the LA win, though the Sirens defense stepped up huge to shut down LA's vaunted offensive attack. The Sirens had one last shot at a game-winning FG with less than a minute left, but the snap was high, and holder Chantelle Powers was smothered. Three quick knees, and LA escaped.
One bad coaching decision, a leaky line, and an inexperienced crowd cost Sac this game. (They were screaming during that last FG and likely caused the high snap. That's happend to Sac State before, too.) However, things look good for the future. Decent play at the quarterback position with Powers and an experienced backup in Amber Mitchell, a great Perry-esque fullback in Quan, and a great outside running attack with wingbacks Ashlee Sharp, Amy Williams, and Bloom look to do wonders next year, particularly when supplemented by a returning Noriko Kokura. Bloom has a solid lock on both phases of the kicking game. The secondary is doing a fine job patrolling the passing lanes, and the DL and LBers are pretty solid once they get warmed up. The key will be to find some good offensive linemen. Add that, and a return to the IWFL title seems likely for the Sirens.
The game was moved at the last minute due to Friday night's commencement ceremonies at Natomas High School. Inderkum High took up the slack, at the cost of no PA and a nonfunctioning scoreboard, which badly affected the entire game. The umpire kept time on the field, so that nobody knew how much time was left at any given point.
Early on, it looked to be an LA rout, as they shed first blood early in the first quarter. They also broke loose on TWO huge TD runs in the first half. However, after that, the Sirens defense showed up, paving the way for an incredible comeback that ultimately fell just a little bit short.
In the first quarter, the Sirens discovered a weapon they seem to have avoided for their entire 10-year existence: the field goal. A short chip shot cut LA's lead to 7-3, though one of the aforementioned breakthroughs extended that lead to 14-3. A Siren's touchdown made it 14-10 as the Sacramento running game began to take control. A late Amazon 60-some-odd yard run pushed the LA score to 20. (Following the first SHORT PAT I've ever seen!) The last play of the half saw Sirens kicker Jennifer Bloom nail a 40-yarder against the wind to cut the lead to 20-13. (Travelinman will vouch for that. Thanks for coming, dude!) A third quarter Jennie Ann Quan run made it 20-19, when the coaching staff made the ill-fated decision to go for two. A run wide left was stuffed, and that sealed the LA win, though the Sirens defense stepped up huge to shut down LA's vaunted offensive attack. The Sirens had one last shot at a game-winning FG with less than a minute left, but the snap was high, and holder Chantelle Powers was smothered. Three quick knees, and LA escaped.
One bad coaching decision, a leaky line, and an inexperienced crowd cost Sac this game. (They were screaming during that last FG and likely caused the high snap. That's happend to Sac State before, too.) However, things look good for the future. Decent play at the quarterback position with Powers and an experienced backup in Amber Mitchell, a great Perry-esque fullback in Quan, and a great outside running attack with wingbacks Ashlee Sharp, Amy Williams, and Bloom look to do wonders next year, particularly when supplemented by a returning Noriko Kokura. Bloom has a solid lock on both phases of the kicking game. The secondary is doing a fine job patrolling the passing lanes, and the DL and LBers are pretty solid once they get warmed up. The key will be to find some good offensive linemen. Add that, and a return to the IWFL title seems likely for the Sirens.
