[MIJB#19]

Merchantmen Start 2008 By Beating Gothenburg
The defense of the European crown has started and the first punch has been given. The Maassluis Merchantmen beat the Gothenburg Giants to start the 2008 season with victory. Louie Flannery looked good as always and guided the team to four scoring drives. The defense struggled a bit, but made key plays to keep the Giants from scoring on several occasions. The bad news was an injury to right tackle Cornelius Rice and likely season end.

The Merchantmen looked good at home and started the game in style. While the defense stopped the Giants on their first possession for a classic tree-and-out, the Merchantmen responded with a great drive. Runs from Randy Harris, Jamel Rosenberry and Joseph Schoen (twice!) set all up to get into scoring position. Louie Flannery found fullback Rosenberry in the endzone and the 7-0 lead was there. The rest of the first quarter neither side managed to get into scoring position.

In the second quarter the Merchantmen started the field position game. The Giants were pushed back slowly, while Maassluis moved up slowly. As time ran out, the Merchantmen saw Randy Harris burst out for 9 and 7-yard runs to set the team up for a field goal. After using the last time out, Cary Coles aimed and scored the 52-yarder to give the orange-white-and-blue a 10-0 lead.

After sloppy start in the second half, the Gothenburg Giants offense got their engine running. Anchored by a 24-yard run from Nicholas Dutra and Duane Davis spreading the ball around, the Giants got into scoring position. A holding penalty pushed them out of the red zone, but Damien Deming turned up as a reliable kicker and converted a 45-yard field goal. Gothenburg was back in the game and hoping to get the ball back quickly to tie the score.

But the Merchantmen offense decided not to. Louie Flannery connected with five different players to move upfield. The Merchantmen settled for a 19-yard field goal, but the game looked secured. The Giants then wasted their chances on an unsportsman conduct penalty and Maassluis had the ball back. A lethal pass interference penalty at the Gothenburg 15-yard line put Maassluis in scoring position. Louie Flannery found Joseph Schoen in the endzone and a 20-3 lead was there with 14 minutes to go.

Duane Davis decided the game wasn't over and had one of his usual impulses. With 18 and 35-yard passes to xxx Nemeth and xxx Walker, the Giants got back moved forward. Damien Deming scored a 31-yard field goal and after the defense stopped the Merchantmen, the Giants were back in the game. Davis connected on 36 and 22-yard passes with Walker, eventually followed with a 1-yard pass to xxx Watkins for the touchdown. But as Damien Deming missed the extra point, the Giants were still trailing by eight.

With five minutes left, the Merchantmen tried to waste the time, but failed and the Giants got the ball back with just over two minutes left. Duane Davis immediately connected on a 30-yard pass with xxx Nemeth and the Merchantmen defense looked really to give up another touchdown. Except for Middle linebacker Cody Cluff. Davis threw deep and Cluff intercepted the ball midway the Merchantmen territory.

With an eight-point lead, Louie Flannery decided to give the fans a fun last two minutes. With a 32-yard pass to Gregory Monti and a 19-yard Devin Henson, the Merchantmen marched up. On third and seven at the Gothenburg 9-yard line, Flannery found Bryce Ewald in the end zone. An illegal use of the hands penalty nulliefied the score, but with the 26-yard field goal from Cary Coles, the lead was extended to 11 points. The Giants tried to move forward, but with eight seconds left the game was over. Maassluis 23, Gothenburg 12.

Louie Flannery got the people cheering in the stands and received the Player of the Game honors. Completing 24 of 37 passes for 266 yards and 2 touchdowns, Flannery was once again the big man of the offense. Flannery said: "A good game, the Giants were strong, but we showed we can beat good teams. I hope people will see we're for real now. How many more games do we need to win to be taken serious?"

Cody Cluff was regarded as the hero on defense, but Cluff denied that his interception was the crucial play. Cluff: "I read the play and saw it coming. The important thing is we won. Everybody works hard and we'll try to keep the opponents from scoring. The pass rush did their job, the secondary made plays and the linebackers supported on both ends. I think we're in for another cool season."

Unlucky player of the game was offensive tackle Cornelius Rice. In his second season withthe Merchantmen, Rice is regared as the starting right tackle. Rice is an important player to protect te pass and support the running game. Half way through the first quarter, Rice got hurt and was carried off the field. Early diagnosis is a high ankle sprain and being fully recovered as early as the AOC conference championship game. Taking his place is Harold Hurtado, providing the team is unable to find a replacement player outside of their own team.