20120702: The Show must go on
It was a slightly apprehensive AFC Show team that made it's way to Kristiansand, looking back at a week of low practice attendance as the young club surely has something to learn with regards to stepping up and preparing well for big occasions. For the players who understood this, this game was to prove that even though the core of players with the right mindset is relatively small, it is still great enough to compete against the top programs in the country.
The game started with both teams testing different strategies. Show did not move the ball at first, while Kristiansand was slightly more successful in that department. Ultimately the AFC Show defense was proving their worth during this game, and shut down any serious threats before they could enter too deep into AFC territory.
In the late 1st quarter/early 2nd quarter AFC Show created an excellent opportunity to score, as a good drive took the offense down to a couple of yards away from paydirt as QB Pål Dannevig found RB Simon Olsen who leaped over a defender. Poor blocking on the perimeter did however mean that Olsen was coralled 2-3 yards from the goalline, and that is also where the drive stopped as Show couldn't score when the 4th down attempt shortly after was stopped short by the Gladiators defense.
The task of stopping QB DeShawn Wilkins, RB Cody Smith and WR Damian Scott was handled superbly by the Show defense, with sacks and tackles for loss produced by players such as Bjørn Erik Poppe Thorsen, Joel Galmor and Darryl Kennon who terrorized the Gladiators line. Import OL Alex Durazo saw his first action since the preseason for Kristiansand, and made life easier for Wilkins, who still had to scramble around. Fortunately for Kristiansand, that is one of Wilkins' strengths, as he proved on several occasions.
Other defenders also had good games for the Show, and Inge Bodsberg's interception return gave the Show offense a good chance at scoring. Unfortunately it was another missed opportunity for the Show offense.
The 2nd half was more of the same. The AFC Show gameplan for the day dictated much of what went on, as Show managed to run the clock and thus keep the game close. The gameplan was to keep spending as much time as possible before making an aggressive attempt to score late in the game. That was exactly what happened, and in the mid-4th quarter AFC Show started moving the ball through a mix of runs and passes. However, the quality of the Kristiansand defense presented itself, and the drive was cut short as it was well on it's way to the redzone. Through intercepting a Dannevig pass, the home team gained the ball back.
Another period of back-and-forth drives took place, before Kristiansand's QB Wilkins found Scott streaking down the sideline all alone after beating the coverage. 40 yards later, the TD was a fact. The PAT was good, and Kristiansand Gladiators had a 7-0 lead with very little time left on the clock. AFC Show decided to copy their last drive from the game against Bergen Storm earlier in the season, going five wide and passing the ball. However, no completions materialized, and when the 4th down attempt was intercepted, Kristiansand could take a knee and run out the clock.
Despite the bitterness of losing such an evenly played game and being a few points away from the championship game, AFC Show recognizes the great effort of both clubs making the transition from the 2nd Division to the 1st Division into solid contenders for the Norwegian championship title. Although the score indicates it was a close loss for AFC Show, the reality is that we are several steps away from where we should aim to be. The practice attendance during the week leading up to the semi-final shows in all clarity that recruiting must be a priority in the upcoming offseason.
AFC Show now starts evaluating the 2012 season, before the preparations for 2013 start in August.
You can check out AFC Show highlights from the game in the video below the text in this article.
The game started with both teams testing different strategies. Show did not move the ball at first, while Kristiansand was slightly more successful in that department. Ultimately the AFC Show defense was proving their worth during this game, and shut down any serious threats before they could enter too deep into AFC territory.
In the late 1st quarter/early 2nd quarter AFC Show created an excellent opportunity to score, as a good drive took the offense down to a couple of yards away from paydirt as QB Pål Dannevig found RB Simon Olsen who leaped over a defender. Poor blocking on the perimeter did however mean that Olsen was coralled 2-3 yards from the goalline, and that is also where the drive stopped as Show couldn't score when the 4th down attempt shortly after was stopped short by the Gladiators defense.
The task of stopping QB DeShawn Wilkins, RB Cody Smith and WR Damian Scott was handled superbly by the Show defense, with sacks and tackles for loss produced by players such as Bjørn Erik Poppe Thorsen, Joel Galmor and Darryl Kennon who terrorized the Gladiators line. Import OL Alex Durazo saw his first action since the preseason for Kristiansand, and made life easier for Wilkins, who still had to scramble around. Fortunately for Kristiansand, that is one of Wilkins' strengths, as he proved on several occasions.
Other defenders also had good games for the Show, and Inge Bodsberg's interception return gave the Show offense a good chance at scoring. Unfortunately it was another missed opportunity for the Show offense.
The 2nd half was more of the same. The AFC Show gameplan for the day dictated much of what went on, as Show managed to run the clock and thus keep the game close. The gameplan was to keep spending as much time as possible before making an aggressive attempt to score late in the game. That was exactly what happened, and in the mid-4th quarter AFC Show started moving the ball through a mix of runs and passes. However, the quality of the Kristiansand defense presented itself, and the drive was cut short as it was well on it's way to the redzone. Through intercepting a Dannevig pass, the home team gained the ball back.
Another period of back-and-forth drives took place, before Kristiansand's QB Wilkins found Scott streaking down the sideline all alone after beating the coverage. 40 yards later, the TD was a fact. The PAT was good, and Kristiansand Gladiators had a 7-0 lead with very little time left on the clock. AFC Show decided to copy their last drive from the game against Bergen Storm earlier in the season, going five wide and passing the ball. However, no completions materialized, and when the 4th down attempt was intercepted, Kristiansand could take a knee and run out the clock.
Despite the bitterness of losing such an evenly played game and being a few points away from the championship game, AFC Show recognizes the great effort of both clubs making the transition from the 2nd Division to the 1st Division into solid contenders for the Norwegian championship title. Although the score indicates it was a close loss for AFC Show, the reality is that we are several steps away from where we should aim to be. The practice attendance during the week leading up to the semi-final shows in all clarity that recruiting must be a priority in the upcoming offseason.
AFC Show now starts evaluating the 2012 season, before the preparations for 2013 start in August.
You can check out AFC Show highlights from the game in the video below the text in this article.
All good things must come to an end, and that was the case with the AFC Show senior team season 2012 on July 1st. The first year 1st Division team ended 3rd in the regular season standings, making the Norwegian Championship semi-final.
The opponent in the semi-final was well-known rival Kristiansand Gladiators, enjoying home field advantage in front of hundreds of fans.
In what proved to be extremely evenly matched teams, the only score of the day came with 52 seconds left when Gladiators' QB DeShawn Wilkins found WR Damian Scott on a fade pattern that took him into the endzone. Show did not manage to answer, and the Gladiators advanced to the Norwegian Championship game while AFC Show gets a head start on preparations for 2013.
The opponent in the semi-final was well-known rival Kristiansand Gladiators, enjoying home field advantage in front of hundreds of fans.
In what proved to be extremely evenly matched teams, the only score of the day came with 52 seconds left when Gladiators' QB DeShawn Wilkins found WR Damian Scott on a fade pattern that took him into the endzone. Show did not manage to answer, and the Gladiators advanced to the Norwegian Championship game while AFC Show gets a head start on preparations for 2013.
Photo by Uknown.
