Austin Wranglers fans, you can let out a big sigh of relief because your team is playoff bound!
It’s only the second time in team history, but they didn’t do it the easy way. Two weeks ago, the Wranglers were 8-6, and had a clear view of first place. After playing their worst game of the season, losing to the Rio Grande Valley Dorados, Austin needed the win this weekend against the Bossier-Shreveport Battle Wings to be sure of a playoff birth.
So what happened? Well, they fell flat on their face in the first half and found themselves down by three touchdowns in the second quarter. After such a miraculous turnaround this season, it was disappointing to see players dropping passes and missing tackles, reverting back to their sloppy early season form. Coach Ben Bennett knows things need to be turned around and quickly. After talking with him a month ago, and seeing that “proud papa” look on his face when his team finally had a record over .500, he has to be feeling disappointed in the lackluster finish.
To the Wranglers credit, after being down by almost 30 points in the second half, they fought back brilliantly and almost pulled out the win, getting as close as 5 points. Problem now is they have to go face the best team in the league and it’s an away game. The Spokane Shock only lost one game this year, with an overall record of 15-1. That one loss was by a grand total of 2 points. In addition, these two teams met earlier this year in Spokane, with the Shock easily cruising past Austin to a 62-42 win.
So, what does that mean for the Wranglers? With the way they are playing near the end of the season, next weekend’s game could be over before it really gets started if the Wranglers don’t show up ready to play. On the other hand, having faced an opponent before has its advantages. Both teams are familiar with each other now and can settle into an offensive rhythm quicker.
Will Spokane be overconfident and allow Austin to jump on them early? Or will the Wranglers be warming up the buses at halftime? It’s anybodys guess, but at least the Wranglers have this chance.
It’s now up to them to seize it.
This article appears in July 25 • 2008.