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Show Sports B6 A Monday • March 30, 2008 uvu Thunder struck in season opener PARKER DONAT Sports wrtier March 30-3 The Utah Valley Thunder, Utah County's new indoor football team, began its inaugural season against the Wyoming Cavalry last week. The Thunder hung with the Cavalry nearly the whole game, but found down the stretch that in arena football, things can change in a matter of seconds. The Thunder surrendered their first home game to Wyoming 62-34. Local Timpview High School (2002) quarterback Michael Affleck completed 25-of-37 passes for 218 yards and three touchdowns, but it wasn't enough for Wyoming, who had a bad taste in their mouth after a loss in the Arena Bowl season. The Thunder led 13-8 at the end of the first quarter, but the lead would later deteriorate after three unanswered touchdowns in the second quarter by the Calvary. The Thunder trailed 30-13 at halftime. "I told them at halftime that it's an arena game and things can change like that," said Thunder coach- Chad DeGrenier. "We scored twice on the free plays and [the referees] called it dead. Then they get a goal-line stand, and that's unacceptable when you're on the inch line to not get a push. That's 14 points. Who knows what would have happened. Our inexperience showed tonight. We're going to be a better team, better prepared. I'm excited about what we did, but I'm disappointed with the let downs in the second and fourth quarters." The Cavalry's offense saw no signs of stopping as they scored on the beginning play of the second half, scoring a touchdown and a two- point conversion, making it 38-20 in favor of Wyoming. But just when the Thunder looked like they were through, they started playing defense and stopped Wyoming three times down the field in the second half. Duane Paul from Weber State gave the Thunder momentum with a sack and mterception off a tipped pass that would lead into two touchdowns. Ending the third, it was 38-34. However, in fourth quarter there was no Thunder. With 9:30 left in regulation, the Thunder were in scoring position, but were stuffed on the Wyoming one-yard line. This hindered UV's chance of scoring in the fourth. "That kind of took the wind out of our sails. That's no excuse, though, we should have been able to stop them in the next series and come back and score," Affleck said. "That's the difference in the arena game and the outdoor game. You can score really quick and things can shift real easily." Wyoming tacked 26 unanswered points on the board to end the Thunder's kick-off party. "We came out and played good, but penalties killed us," said defensive back Antar Brame. "I believe we had 15 of them for about 140 yards. First game, there are usually a lot of rookies on the team, but we came out and played good. So next, we will come back and get a win next week." It wasn't a completely disappointing loss, given that UV hung around most of the game with a team that almost won the Arena Championship. Also, more than 3,000 fans showed up, and anytime a football left the stands, fans were encouraged to keep it. Final Score Calvary 62 Thunder 34 Tuesday, Mar 31 Baseball at Utah Salt Lake City, Utah Softball vs. Utah State Orem, Utah 2:30 PM Softball vs. Utah State Orem, Utah 4:30 PM Friday, Apr 3 Baseball vs. Air Force Orem, Utah 4:00 PM Softball vs. Houston Baptist Orem, Utah 2:30 PM Track at BYU Cougar Invitational Provo, UT Dave Iba/UVU Review Utah Valley Thunder quarterback Mike Affleck drops back to throw a pass in the Thunder's season opening loss to Wyoming last Monday. Todd Fairbourne . . . Todd Fairbourne, who is in his 11th year as the head Softball coach at UVU, has brought success to the Wolverine's program. Before Utah Valley made the jump to Division I competition, Fairbourne helped guide UVU to the schools only national championship while competing in the junior college ranks. Since making the jump to Division I, Fairbourne has led the Wolverines to wins over BYU, Utah, Santa Clara, SUU, Harvard, Utah State, St. Mary's, San Diego and Northern Colorado. a> o' SUMMERWOOD Condominiums Orem's Premier Single Student Housing Just Across the Street from UVU! Sports editor 4 Private Bedrooms • 2 Full Baths Per Unit • Fitness Center & Sport Court • Free Cable • Internet Access • Great Social Environment • Washer & Dryer in EVERY Unit 720 South 1200 West Orem Call Now to Reserve Your Spot! (801) 644-2552 www.sumnnerwoodcondos.com f March The The humming of the Xerox machine in your office has a bit of a different tone to it in mid March. The anticipation around the buzzing machine increases as NCAA Tournament brackets arc spewed out of the printer and piled on top of each other like a newspaper fresh off the press. The brackets are then passed around the office to be filled out before being entered into the office pool. Anyone who works or goes to school knows the process and every year, after reviewing each team's RPI and listening to what the experts have to say on ESPN, our pens ink the teams that will be victorious and ultimately win us the jackpot. Unfortunately, at least in my experience, that jackpot usually goes to the person who chose the winners of each game based on which mascot sounds the meanest or which team adorns the prettiest color scheme. This season has been no different. In the two pools I'm in this season, the bright- est sports minds involved are at the mercy of those who flip a coin in order to decide the winner. In order to avoid the frustration of losing every season, might 1 offer some suggestions? Forget the big upset. I'd like to know how many people honestly picked George Mason to advance to the Final Four in 2006. While every couple of years Cinderella dons the glass slippers on during the tournament, it's safer to stick with teams from the power conferences. Which leads into my next suggestion: In a toss up. go with the team from the better conference. With the exception of a few minor upsets, the team from the better conference usually comes out on top. The Big East Conference sent five teams to the Sweet Sixteen while only two teams, Xavier and Gonzaga, survived the first weekend of madness from non-BCS conferences. While these pointers aren't guaranteed to send you home with the big prize, they should keep you in the running down to final weekend in March. Still, in a tournament as unpredictable as this, there are no guarantees for the teams involved or the millions who participate from their living rooms. |