There hasn’t been much celebration for Sussex County’s semi-pro Diamond Football League football team over the last seven years. They’ve made the playoffs only twice and had yet to win a post-season game as the Warhawks.
Punishers defensive back Andre Cannon comes up fast and hard for the sure tackle, to ensure a minimal gain by a Bulls ballcarrier.But this year, they dropped their former name in favor of The Punishers and were finally able to get the monkey off their back for their first playoff win, following a 21-0 first-round shutout of Central Division rival the Baltimore Bulls on May 6.
And, though the accomplishment warrants some praise and celebration, the Punishers aren’t satisfied with merely winning one game. They’re hungry for more and won’t be satisfied unless they win the East Coast championship.
“For a couple of guys on the team, it’s been a long time coming,” six-year Warhawks veteran offensive lineman Alex Haynes said. “But, collectively, as a group, we have a long way to go still. We’ve been out on the field since July, while other teams were still recruiting or doing whatever. And while it’s been long overdue and it is a good feeling (to win a playoff game), mentally and physically, we’re not done yet.
“Our ultimate goal is still to play the Florida Champs (Broward County Bears),” Haynes added.
Long-time player and coach Butch Yocum addressed his players in a team huddle following the game in which his offense scored 21 unanswered first-half points and the defense pitched their third shutout of the season, causing utter havoc for the Bulls.
They caused one three-and-out possession, three turnovers and fours sacks, and forced the Bulls to turn the ball over on downs five times. So, Yocum encouraged them to give themselves a round of applause – but he also expressed a desire that they not get complacent.
“Winning a playoff game doesn’t mean much – especially when we have goals set. But I told them after the game to give themselves a big clap and that this would be the last time we congratulated ourselves about it. Now it’s time for us to move on. We still have two games left,” Yocum said.
The Punishers (6-2) face the No.1 seed the Gloucester County Generals (8-0) on May 12 and then would play the winner of the game between the 6-2 New Castle County Saints and 8-0 Virginia Pirates, for the regional championship on their home field at Dover High School before entertaining thoughts of winning the East Coast championship.
The Generals are led by a prolific offense that scored a league-high 305 points and are coupled with a stout defense, which tied the Pirates for a league-low 39 points scored. The Punishers ranked second in points scored (216) and fourth in points allowed (64), behind the Saints (48). And the comparable numbers and team composition, combined with extensive scouting of the Generals by the Punishers’ coaching staff, has led them to believe that it should be a tight game.
The Generals and Punishers both have mobile quarterbacks with big offensive lines and skilled offensive players.
Punishers quarterback Kurt Purnell, who is listed at 6 feet, 5 inches tall, threw three first-half touchdowns to three different receivers (Josh Ward, Torrez Spence and Eduardo Rivera) on 10-15 passing, for 150 yards, before being replaced in the third quarter for precautionary reasons by backup Tony Eskridge.
Both teams’ defensive front seven are comparable in size and ability, though it appears that the Punishers have a deeper, more complete secondary than the Generals, according to head coach John Boyer.
“They have a big defensive line and very good linebackers, which is similar to our team. But I think we can do something with their secondary,” Boyer said.
“The Generals have one of the best quarterbacks in the league when he gets out of the pocket, but he’s also their safety and their best defensive back. So their weakness is our strength,” Yocum said, noting that the Generals quarterback comes in at only 5 feet, 7 inches tall, necessitating mobility to get him out of the pocket.
“We have four or five good wide receivers, and there aren’t too many teams in the league that can match up with us – especially when you recognize the fact that we have an excellent running back (Kendall Harmon) too.”
Yocum mentioned that his offense would have scored more points but were careful not to tip their hand too much with members of the Generals team and coaching staff watching intently in the stands.
“We’re picked to lose by 21 points, but the people who make those picks don’t know anything,” Yocum said. “The Generals haven’t seen anybody like us. They’d beat the Saints – but we’d beat the Saints [butts].
“I wanted to score more points,” he said. “But with the Generals in the stands, I didn’t want to show them too much. I’m not sure if they have any game film on us, but we have three game films on them. So, for their sake, they better fix their mistakes by Saturday or we’re going to expose them.”
The Punishers’ game plan is to keep the Generals’ quarterback inside the pocket and force him to throw over top of a towering interior offensive and defensive line, and to continue to run their pass-first spread offense behind Purnell’s strong arm.
“We’ve got a good game plan in place, and now all there is to do is go out and execute like coach wants us to,” said long-time Warhawks and Punishers defensive end Albert Haynes.
The Punishers will play the Generals in New Jersey at 2 p.m. on May 12. And for those who’d like to head up and support their team, they can follow the team bus, which will depart from the Food Lion in Bridgeville at 10 a.m. that morning.