LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Following his Peoria Pirates 54-40 loss to South Georgia at Carver Arena last week, Pirates head coach Bruce Cowdrey had an explanation, in part, for the outcome of his team’s gameplay against the Wildcats.
“You gotta understand (that) we played guys who have been here for three days (and played them) against one of the best teams in the league,” the veteran coach said after the loss.
One of those newcomers was receiver Reggie Gray who led the Pirates receiving corps with 13 catches for 115 yards and two touchdowns. Gray also fielded 8 kick returns for 134 yards, the longest of which was 29 yards.
By the time Cowdrey’s 4-11 Pirates get to Freedom Hall here for Saturday’s second game of the season with the Louisville Fire, Cowdrey, understandably, would probably like the latest batch of players to look like veterans for what will be the Pirates’ 2008 season finale.
Before his team left the locker room after the South Georgia loss, Cowdrey stressed for all his players to “come in for treatment” for their wounds this week.
“We’re going to be trying to get a team healthy,” Cowdrey said.
Louisville is one of the four teams Peoria has wins against this season. Beating the Fire in Kentucky would give the Pirates their only season sweep on a fellow Midwest Division opponent.
The other wins this season were at Lexington to open the season April 5, against Tri-Cities Fever in Peoria April 19, against Iowa in Peoria May 24, and against the Fire in Peoria June 7.
A win over Louisville would close out the Pirates’ season at 5-11, matching the team’s final record in 2003, under Cowdrey.
Louisville Blues: Since beating in-state rival Lexington, 54-50 on June 23, Louisville (7-8, 5-5 Midwest Division) has lost three straight, including a 41-35 loss at home at Freedom Hall two weeks ago.
On the road against the Green Bay Blizzard last week, the Fire found themselves on the wrong end of a 33-20 final score, but the final score is not the only set of numbers that might startle fans. Blizzard defenders held Louisville to just 55 yards in the first half, and racked up five sacks and forced three fumbles.
Home Attendance Tops 25,000: When 3,037 fans showed up for Peoria’s last home game Saturday, they helped the Pirates top the 25,000 mark in fans attending games in their first season back at Carver Arena.
For the eight games played, 25,324 people watched, cheered, and renewed acquaintances with fellow Pirates fans. That helped bring the season per game average attendance to 3,165 – a figure in the neighborhood of between 3,000 and 4,000 fans Pirates Assistant General Manager Julie Snell reported the team expected prior to the home season beginning.
Opposing Coach Saw “Tough Team”: South Georgia Wildcats head coach Derek Stingley said he was aware Cowdrey’s season has been a frustrating one, having to rotate as many players through Peoria that he has in 2008.
But Stingley said that, after looking at Pirates game film in preparation for the Wildcats’ matchup with the Pirates, he wound up telling himself, “(Peoria) is a tough team.”
“When I started studying film, I kept saying to myself, ‘this is a tough team’ (and) a tough team can go either way.”
Squib Kicks: When Milwaukee returns to 50-yard ball in af2 in 2009, the horse logo, synonymous with the city’s former AFL team, the Milwaukee Mustangs, will be back, but with a new team nickname: The Milwaukee Iron.