The Sussex County Punishers of the Diamond Football League became the Central Division Champions of the Mid-Atlantic region and secured a home playoff game after beating the Calvert County Cobras 27-6 in their regular-season finale on April 21.
The Punishers (6-2, 64 points against) held off the Baltimore County Bulls (5-2, 124 PA) and the Prince George’s County Headhunters (5-3, 102 PA) for the central division title, though all three teams made the playoffs.
Five of the eight slots are now secured, heading into the makeup weekend, with the Punishers holding the highest seed — third — since they won the division. The Gloucester County Generals (8-0, 39 PA) and Virginia Pirates (7-0, 36 PA) have secured their respective divisions but are battling for the first and second seeds. The Pirates, though, appear to hold the edge at the moment.
The standings, and ultimately the playoff standings, are determined first by head-to-head match-ups and next by points allowed. And since the Pirates and Generals did not play each other, the determining factor is points allowed.
The Pirates have allowed 36 points this season, compared to the Generals’ 39. So, if the Pirates allow less than 3 in upcoming play, they’ll secure the first seed. But if the Pirates give up six points or more than the Generals, conversely, the Generals will own the top spot in this year’s playoffs.
The New Castle Saints (6-2, 48 PA) hold the fourth seed, the Wicomico Stallions (6-2, 77 PA) are the fifth seed. The Bulls could snare the sixth seed with a win over the Cobras Saturday; the Headhunters are the seventh seed; and the Wilmington Raiders round it out at the eighth seed.
And, if the Bulls defeat the Cobras and gain the sixth seed, they would then travel to Dover High School on May 6 to play the Punishers in their first-ever home playoff game.
The achievement marks the third time since the league formed eight years ago that the Punishers (formerly known as the Warhawks) have made the DFL playoffs, though they’ve never won beyond the regular season. The Warhawks last made the DFL playoffs in 2002 with a 7-1 record but lost their opening-round game to the eventual league champion Hampton Road Bulldogs, 31-13.
But this year, the Punishers are reinvigorated. They’ve shed the fat and now enlist only the hungry and battle-hardened. Now the once-sparsely-attended off-season conditioning and mini-camp sessions brim with players eager for the upcoming season. And it’s all because players and coaches were tired of losing.
“(Making the playoffs) means everything to the players,” longtime player and coach Butch Yocum said. “You could feel it in the air and see it in their faces.
“They’ve put in the work and now they’re ready for whoever we play,” Yocum continued.
The Warhawks toiled in mediocrity for four years, which prompted team owner Tina Dennis to change the team’s name to the Punishers and their coaching staff to recruit legitimate talent to augment a core of veterans.
Hampton University product Kurt Purnell brought his playmaking ability to the quarterback position; running back Kendall Harmon tallied five touchdown runs and amassed half of the Punishers’ 1,042 rushing yards this season; and linebacker Jermeal Joyner mopped up behind their stalwart defensive line for a team-high 41 tackles.
Wide receivers Torrez Spence (who earned team Rookie of the Year Award last year) and Josh Ward joined the team last year, and have become an integral part of the Punishers four-wide-receiver sets. They’ve combined for receptions of eight of Purnell’s 11 touchdown passes this season.
Punishers head coach John Boyer noted that his team is so talented and disciplined that, at this point, he “can just let them go.”
And if the Punishers are fortunate enough to win their first-round playoff game, they may get a chance to play the Mid-Atlantic Championship game on their home field — where they are 4-0 this season. But that will only happen if they can beat the winner of their second-round match up.
“That’s always a good thing,” Yocum said of the chance to play on the Punishers’ home field in Dover. “We’re so fast on Dover’s sprint turf.”.