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messages+="Payback, Domination, Three-Peat
Payback, Domination, Three-Peat. As the Lakeshore Lynx looked toward their potential playoff opponents, this became their rallying cry and goal. The Lynx wanted to play teams that had beaten them, as well as teams that thought they could beat the Lynx. Mission accomplished. The Lynx overwhelmed the Premier, the number 1 seed by a score of 52 – 19. In accomplishing this feat the Lynx have now done the following:
1. Have now played in all four championship games.
2. Have three championships, and one second place finish.
3. Have established themselves as having the best offense and defense in the league (stats are for losers, its what you do in the playoffs that count).
4. Were able to avenge their only loss and tie by beating the Premier and Cowboys respectively.
It was apparent very early in this game what the outcome was going to be. The Premier came into the contest game, but out manned, and it was obvious late in the first quarter once Vaughn Golston intercepted an Andrew Dulaney pass and returned it for a TD making the score 32 – 0. The game started out with both teams punting on their first possessions. The Lynx, on their second possession drove down field and scored on a 10 yard TD pass from Kraig Ladd to Chris Messina. The two point conversion by Kevin Fontana made the score 8 – 0 and the rout was on. After the Lynx forced another punt, the Lynx scored what became the game changing play, a 54 yard Ladd strike to tight end Kevin Heerdegen. A two point conversion by Messina made it a 16 – 0 game and you could see the life of the Premier team drain out of them. The following Lynx possession came off of a Premier fumble recovered by Nick Nikolich. Dante Daniels then turned the Premier defense into a corkscrew with a dazzling multi-change of direction 12 yard TD run. The offensive line of Greg Dugan (consistent shotgun center snaps), Mike Sloan and Andy Jones protected Ladd all evening long, and provided Ladd all the time he needed to find open receivers. Running backs, Daniels, Corey Kelly, Kevin Reilly (18 yards, 1 TD) and Kevin Dickson found holes all evening. Dickson had a nice game with 31 rushing yards and his first score of the year, Daniels, capping off his 1000+ yard rushing season added 48 yards. Dan Patrick and Russ Hoke provided valuable backup minutes so that the starters could remain fresh all evening. Miguel Tanuz gives the Lynx the best pair of tight ends in the league.
The second half was more of the same as Kraig Ladd (169 yards passing, 3 TD’s) drove the Lynx to three more scores.
Defensively, the Lynx completely shut down the high powered Premier offense. The Premier gained a total of 96 yards in the first half. A 7 yard Premier score on the last play of the half prevented a shutout, but the defensive line of Chad Blomgren, Dan Nikolich and Sean Christian had the Premier QB running for his life all night long. Crushing hits by Nick Nikolich, Kevin Fontana, Shane Voigt, TJ Kulig, Chris Pelc, and Mike Kotz were occurring all evening. Ken Esler provided valuable minutes off the bench. Great secondary play by Albert Greene (1 interception for 20 yards and a 2 pt conversion), Jerome Crawford (interception return for 22 yards) and Golston (1 interception for 50 yard TD) shut down the quick Premier receivers all evening. Two meaningless scores late in the game just padded some offensive stats for the Premier, but by that time the Lynx were already giving Coach Bob Post the traditional Gatorade shower. Although not present at the game, due to work and school commitments we can’t forget to mention the contributions of quarterback Joe Harrington who led us to some big wins during the season. Zach Criswell, kicker extraordinaire, was automatic all season long on TD conversions, and Joey Brutzkus played a big role on both sides of the ball.
A special thanks to our board of directors for keeping the Lynx strong. Mike Sloan, Mike Johnson and of course Bob Post deserve a lot of credit for all their hard work and coordination. We also want to compliment the teams of the GFL. Every game was tough, clean competition. Teams that are improving the level of play in this league will continue to make this an even stronger program. Congratulations to all of those that made the playoffs.
So here we are at the end of another successful season. Many of the teams in the GFL that were tracking the Lynx’ early season struggles, probably sensed weakness in the Lynx and saw an opportunity to take advantage of those weaknesses. Much of this can be explained away to not practicing very often (maybe 6 or 7 practices all year) and personnel turnover. Like any good team however, this group of players is football savvy, has players that have played both high school and college level against tough competition and learns adjustments very quickly while the game is being played. It is getting tougher and tougher each year for the Lynx, but the mark of a great team is its ability to adapt and learn. The Lynx have the coaching and the player skills to be able to do this. It is only going to get tougher next season and teams will be gunning for us once again.
Teams that think they will be able climb over us next year need to be aware of a couple things: one, every player is committed to returning next year, and two, we already have commitments from half a dozen new players for next year’s team. Players that will fit into our style of team ball and play at a very high level. This is what it takes to play for the Lynx, so if you are looking to make it to the top next year, we will be waiting for your challenge. Its what this team thrives on.
The huddle cheer for the Lynx this year has been, ‘1-2-3 DOMINATE’. We have succeeded in doing just that. We took on the number six, two and one seed this year in the playoffs and did just that. Our cry next year? ‘1-2-3-4 Dominate’. League Commissioners were overheard yelling to Sloan and Johnson, \"Doesn\'t this get old\" as Johnson and Sloan were hoisting the 3rd Championship trophy over their heads. Both, simultaneously yelled back \"Hell NO\". We await the challenge. For now? Its just congratulations to the Lynx organization. You deserve this three-peat.
";
messages+="Back to Familiar Territory
The Lake Shore Lynx will be in familiar territory next week by returning to the GFL Championship for the 4th year in a row. The Lynx took out their semi-final foe, the Lake County Cowboys by a resounding 46 - 27 thrashing.
Three plays in the game defined the dominance by the Lynx. The first play, a 70 yard TD hook up between Kraig Ladd and Chris Messina, where Messina played volleyball until he could corral the ball 20 yards downfield before romping in with the Lynx second score of the game. The second play came at the end of the first half when Ladd connected with tight end Kevin Heerdegen for a 55 yard reception that brought the ball down to the one yard line where Ladd snuck in for the score on the last play of the half to put the Lynx up by two touchdowns. The third play occurred on the first play of the second half, Cowboys ball. The Cowboys threw a completed pass over the middle. Shane Voigt got there at the same time as the ball, and cut the receiver in half. The ball popped right into the hands of DB Albert \'A.G\' Greene who returned the fumble 17 yards setting up Dante Daniels for a 37 yard TD run.
Once again the offense was electric scoring on all but two possessions in the game. Ladd threw for 245 yards, and three TD\'s. Dante Daniels scored three times and Heerdegen had 120 receivng yards. Messina had two grabs for two TD\'s and 85 yards. The offensive line played steady all game against a very formidable Cowboy defensive line. Right now, the offensive line play has been as good as it ever has been, giving up only one sack in the last four games, protecting Ladd and opening up big holes for the running backs.
Defensively, the Lynx defense clamped down after the first Cowboys offensive series. Besides Voigt\'s big hit to start the second half, Nick Nikolich also recovered a fumble to stymie a Cowboy drive that ended in Lynx territiory. As always the big defensive line played well. As Dan Nikolich said, \" This was the toughest offensive line we have faced all year.\" Having said that the line and linebackers Chad Blomgren and Nick Nikolich forced the Cowboy\'s QB out of the pocket all evening. Defensive backs, Greene, Voigt, Jerome Crawford and Vaughn Golston forced a ton of incompletions at big times in the game.
So here we are once again. Championship game against the Premier. It probably was meant to be that way. Teammates from last year will now be facing off against each other for the GFL trophy. The Lynx will be out to avenge a one point loss that occurred in their first game of the year. One more game to make it three championships in three years. Early in the year teams were counting us out when we started out with a loss and a tie. Is anyone counting the Lynx out now? One more week and we will have all the questions answered.
";
messages+="Lights Out On Nighthawks Season
Lesson learned the hard way for the Janesville Nighthawks. It probably isn\'t a good idea to trash talk your opponent prior to the playoffs. The Lake Shore Lynx put on a clinic and totally dismantled the Nighthawks by a score of 62-16. This game was over early with the Lynx offense scoring on every possession and the defense totally shutting down the Nighthawks by forcing 5 turnovers and allowing only 38 offensive plays for the visitors. If trash talking was meant to intimidate a team that has only lost 2 games in three years, the plan didn\'t work.
Offensively, Kraig Ladd, Miguel Tanuz, Corey Kelly, Kevin Reilly and Chris Messina along with the offensive line stood out. Ladd was personally responsible for 44 points produced by throwing for four scores and running in for two more scores. His total of 228 passing yards and 21 more rushing highlighted an offensive barrage. Throw in Corey Kelly\'s one hundred yards rushing and Kevin Reilly\'s ability to keep drives alive with 54 yards and five first downs, meant that the Lynx were going to dominate time of possession, as they did. Add in 176 yards receiving and three TD receptions for Chris Messina who toyed with Nighthawk defensive backs all evening, and Miguel Tanuz\'s first two TD receptions of the year, and you have a blowout result. The offensive line protected well all evening. Great center play by Greg Dugan and Dan Nikolich along with stellar blocking by Mike Sloan (who also pulled a refrigerator Perry and scored on a 2 yard roll into the endzone), Andy Jones and Dan Patrick and you have a line that had stellar games.
Defensively the results were just as good. Pressure was applied to Nighthawk quarterbacks all night by Sean Christian, Chad Blomgren and Dan Nikolich. Kevin Fontana and Nick Nikolich were all over the field laying crushing hits on running backs and receivers. The defensive backs led by Albert Greene, Jerome Crawford, Vaughn Golston and Shane Voigt created turnover after turnover all evening. Shane Voigt started things off on the Nighthawks\' second possession by picking off a pass and returning it for 37 yards and a TD. Nick Nikolich and Jerome Crawford also had interceptions, while Greene and Golston were bumping receivers and breaking up passes all night. Add two fumble recoveries into the mix by Nick Nikolich and T.J Kulig and it\'s easy to see why this game was one sided.
Right now the Lynx are playing there best ball of the year. In the last two games they have scored on 15 out of their last 16 possessions and have scored 104 points. Defensively, the opponents\' running game has been shut down all year and the pass rush is helping defensive backs break up passes on a consistent basis. Next week we have our next playoff game against perennial power, the Lake County Cowboys. In the earlier meeting this year, the game ended in an 18 - 18 tie. There will be no ties in the next game. The Lynx are finally playing Lynx football for the first time this year. We hope to have two more great games in order to achieve our annual goal. Are we up to the task? Friday will be the day we get our next challenge that will help to answer that question.
";
messages+="Lynx Close Out Nighthawks
It took most of the Lynx players about 2 plus hours to get to Janesville, and then had no warm up time, but the Lynx took care of their playoff tune-up game by throttling the Janesville Nighthawks by a score of 42 - 20.
Offensively, the Lynx continue to gear up the offense by scoring 42 points again for the second game in a row, a good sign for the upcoming playoffs. The offense took control by scoring 21 points in each half, including all six conversions by the always reliable Zach Criswell, who went 6 for 6. The first half scoring started by a 21 yard TD reception by Chris Messina. The Nighthawks did come back with a 75 scamper by the Nighthawk QB after 3 swarming Lynx defensemen failed to corral him hin the backfield. Constant pressure by Lynx\' defensemen Chad Blomgren, Dan Nikolich and Sean Christian created numerous problems for the Nighthawk offensive line. In the first 5 defensive plays alone, Sean Christian had 3 sacks for negative 18 yards. The pressure continued for the rest of the game, as the Lynx defense held the Nighthawks to 36 offensive plays, clearly the lowest total of plays against the Lynx defense all year. As the Lynx defense was tuning things up with huge hits by Shane Voigt, Jerome Crawford, Vaughn Golston and Albert Greene, the defensive line, with linebackers Kevin Fontana, Nik Nikolich, Chris Pelc pressured the Nighthawks all night long.
Offensively, the Lynx are really starting to click on all cylinders. Coach Bob Post, for the second game in a row, did a great job of mixing up the offensive play callling, keeping opponent\'s defenses guessing. The offense scored on virtually every possession but one. After the Nighthawks scored the a TD to make it a 7 - 6 Lynx lead, Kevin Heerdegen made a great over the shoulder catch for 44 yards to make it a 14 - 6 game, and it was basically over after that point. Corey Kelly, with his second good game in a row, had his best game of the year, with 77 yards rushing and a 1 yard TD run. Dante Daniels had two scores and 110 yards rushing pushing him over 1000 yards for the year, and Chris Messina finished the Lynx scoring off with a 28 yard TD catch. Two late Nighthawk TD\'s in the game made the final score 42 - 20.
It is now playoff time, and based on seeding it will be a rematch against the Nighthawks in the first round. We are now on a mission to win the GFL championship for the 3rd year in a row. We are on a very confident roll. Nothing short of winning this again will be a disappointment. Teams that faced us earlier in the year will see a dramatically different Lynx team. Are we ready to step up to the challenge? Is the rest of the league ready to challenge us? The time is now. GFL playoff teams...be very afraid. The Lynx are coming
";
messages+="Lynx Rolling
Who would have thought that the pre-game coin toss would make the difference in the LakeShore Lynx\' 35-28 win over the South Milwaukee Rage? The Rage won the coin toss, and for some inexplicable reason, chose to defend, giving the Lynx the opportunity to start both halves of the game on offense. The extra possession turned out to be the difference in a seven point game as the Lynx scored on both possessions.
The Lynx offense led on this evening by stellar play by Joe Harrington and great game planning by Coach Bob Post, had their best game of the year. In fact the Lynx offense was only stopped all night by... the Lynx offense. In the nine possessions by the Lynx, they methodically marched down the field for five scores. Two others were stymied by Lynx turnovers, another series ended on a blown 4th and one inch play (although a horrible spot by the referee on the prior play actually prevented the drive from continuing), and finally a TD by Miguel Tanez called back for a penalty.
As with most offenses that the Lynx go against, the Rage were playing up to seven men in the box most of the night. To counter this, the playbook was opened up with misdirection, reverses, and excellent play action calls sent in by Coach Post. Joe Harrington executed with precision by throwing accurate passes to receivers all evening. His final throwing stats showed 170 yards and going six for seven in passing attempts. Every throw was right on the receivers numbers including one bomb thrown 40 yards in the air which resulted in a perfect strike to Chris Messina for a 64 yard TD score. On the series prior to that, a perfectly executed reverse allowed Messina to score on a 29 yard run for score. Sandwiched between those two scores was a Dante Daniels five yard scamper (19 carries, 146 yards, 2 TD\'s).
Towards the end of the first half, the Lynx were in cruise control with a 21 - 0 lead. However two plays made the game close right before half. A long pass by Rage QB Mike Bernal set the Rage up when the Lynx defense blew coverage on the play. Shortly after the Rage made it a 21 - 7 game. In the ensuing Lynx drive, with less than three minutes to play in the half, the Lynx went for the quick score but ended up throwing an interception which led to a last minute half time score making it a tight 21 - 14 game.
With halftime over and the Rage looking to keep the momentum, they came out with their offense in the second half thinking they had the ball. Not realizing that they chose to defend on the opening game coin toss, they argued briefly but to no avail. The Lynx had already confirmed prior to halftime that they indeed had the second half choice and took the ball. That possession resulted in a 70 yard drive culminating with an eleven yard TD run by Daniels.
The Rage offense did make second half adjustments, and made a conscious effort to put the ball in the hands of their QB. Rolling out of the pocket for most of the half, gave him the choice of finding receivers, tucking the ball in and running, and doing whatever was necessary to avoid the pressure that the Lynx\' defensive line was putting on the Rage offense in the first half. Probably the biggest play of the game occurred mid-way through the second half when a Rage receiver was just about to cross the goal line for a score when Shane Voigt laid a great hit and forced a fumble inside the one yard line. Albert Greene picked up the fumble and ran the ball out to the 26 yard line to set up the Lynx offense once again. The Lynx final score of the game was a result of great play action by Harrington which resulted in Kevin Heerdegen being wide open for the 36 yard catch and TD run.
Defensively, the Rage caused the Lynx to chase the Rage QB all second half. The Lynx secondary was key to keeping the Rage in check. Although the Rage did put 28 points on the board, the defense made the stops when they needed them and as a result walked off the field with the seven point victory. Voigt,Vaughn Golston, Jerome Crawford, and Albert Greene were chasing down Rage receivers most of the night and forced enough incompletions to help keep the lead for the Lynx. For once however, the Lynx offense picked up the defense.
One more game until the playoffs, and the Lynx are rounding into form. Confidence is back at a high level, and a deep run into the playoffs is expected. With the offense rounding into form and with everyone now back on defense we can, and should be a force to reckon with over the next few weeks. The Lynx have been playing under the radar for most of the season, but now is the time to step it up. We have one more game in Janesville, and we can get as high as a two seed depending on how other games play out. Let\'s take the momentum that we have into the Janesville game, and make the push for three in a row.
";
messages+="Lynx Defense Keeps Cougars In Check
If the game was against the Kenosha Cougars, one can automatically assume the Lynx would be in for a low scoring game. True to form, the Lynx won a defensive battle from the Cougars once again, this time by the score of 9 - 0. The Lynx defense was the story of the game holding Kenosha to a total of 140 yards. In addition to solid defense the Lynx picked off five Cougar passes. Unfortunately the offense was not able to convert on the turnovers except for a 30 yard field goal by Zack Criswell. It is puzzling as to why the Lynx offense goes dormant against the Cougars but good backside pursuit and overall defensive speed, plus letting the Cougars pack the box with 6- 7 defenders for most of the game are a large part of the reason.
The Lynx scored on their first possession on a 20 yard Dante Daniels run, making the score 6 - 0. After that, although the Lynx ran 60 plays to the Cougars 38, there would be no more offense in the game for the Lynx. The Lynx were able to move the ball for 300 yards total offense but was not able to solve the Cougar defense once inside the 20. It therefore became imperative for the defense to control the game.
Control the game they did. The Cougars rarely were able to get past the fifty yard line due to interceptions by Nick Nikolich, Joey Brutzkus, and Shane Voigt. Jerome Crawford, coming back from injury came up big with two interceptions early in the game to stall Cougar drives. In addition, the defense had strong games from Chad Blomgren, Kevin Fontana, Sean Christian, T.J. Kulig and Nick Nikolich. On the offensive side of the ball, the line was rotating players in and out due to injuries and missing players, but Greg Dugan and Dan Nikolich had strong games as well.
This was an important win for the Lynx for seeding purposes and due to the fact that the team will be on the road the rest of the season. Things are beginning to round into form at the right time of year. Work is needed on the offensive side to diversify the offense some more, but defensively things are coming to- gether nicely. Time to start focusing on the playoffs. Our regular season record may not be on par with past seasons, but is there anyone counting us out at this point? It\'s up to us to make sure that doesn\'t happen.
";
messages+="Lynx Put It Together
The Lynx defense did not have a lot of defensive stats this week. That might sound like bad news but in reality it was very good news. The defense didn\'t have to do much because for the first time this year the Lynx offense broke out and had a dominating game, beating the Desperados 46 - 12.
As the game got started, it didn\'t appear as if things would go the offense\'s way as an early interception set the Desperados up with great field position. A big defensive stand inside the Lynx 10 yard line however, set the tone for the rest of the game. The offense got the ball back and drove down the field quickly with Dante Daniels ripping off large chunks of yardage to set up a Joe Harrington to Kevin Heerdegen 28 yard TD catch to get the Lynx on the board. Although the defense gave up a tieing Desperado 37 yard TD reception, it was all Lynx after that.
The defense forced the Desperados to throw many incompletions due to great pressure by the Nikolich brothers (Dan and Nik), Sean Christian, and Chad Blomgren. The stats won\'t show a lot of tackles for this group, but the heavy pressure created a number of hurries and runs out of the pocket by the Desperado QB forcing a great number of incomplete passes. This constant pressure created many opportunities for the Lynx offense and they took advantage by going back to the running game and mixing in just the right amount of passing to keep the Desperados off balance. By half time the score was 26 - 6 as a result of a defensive forced fumble and resultant TD by Nik Nikolich, a one yard run by Harrington and a 70 yard bomb to Chris Messina.
The second half saw more of the same. Three more Lynx scores sandwiched by one Desperado score, and the game was over. A huge second half performance by Daniels generated 2 of those scores via runs of 40 and 71 yards (213 in total) and another score by Messina on a 12 yard reception gave the Lynx all they needed to wrap up the victory. In addition, Corey Kelly had a big game spelling Daniels throughout, and came up with 85 huge rushing yards and two first downs to help keep the ball away from the Desperados.
This game provided some encouraging signs for the Lynx as the season progresses. For the first time all year, both sides played solid team ball. Solid play selection, good execution, and a focused attention on finishing off plays, give the Lynx many things to continue to build on as the season begins to wind down to the playoffs. Next weekend is crucial to how the Lynx may end up in seeding this season. Two games in three days will be a huge test for the team. If we can get the same consistent play this coming weekend, the Lynx could set themselves up for a long playoff run. We will know how things are looking for the Lynx next Sunday evening. All in all a solid game, giving the Lynx a big boost in confidence which is coming at just the right time. Let\'s keep it going this week.
";
messages+="Tie=Loss, In Lynx Minds
It\'s hard to determine what to write about a game that was absolutely one of worst games the Lynx have played in over 3 years. Undisciplined, dumb penalties, poor execution and selfish play come to mind...but there is more to it than that. One could use the reason that there has been a fairly large turnover of people, but the new players brought in have all the skill in the world. Talent isn\'t the issue. It could be that it will take more time for personalities and talent to mesh together. It could be overconfidence or contentment having won championships the last two years. Whatever it is, things better change soon.
The Lynx played a desultory game on Friday night. A game that started out as a blow out in the making didn\'t turn out that way, even though it should have. The Lynx ended up with a \'kissing your sister\' tie game game called due to darkness with the final score of 18 - 18 against the Lake County Cowboys. It ended up more like making out with your sister.
The game started with a strong start offensively and defensively with the Lynx taking a quick 12 - 0 lead. The first series of the game was a very efficient 3 play 70 yard TD drive all through the air, culminating in a Shane Voigt 28 yard TD catch. The defense led by strong defensive line play all night, got the ball right back for the Lynx on Nick Nikolich\'s interception of a Cowboy pass. The offense converted the pick on a 3 yard pass to Chris Messina making it a 12 - 0.
From that point on, the Lynx decided to mail in the rest of the game. Once again, one penalty erased another TD, and a fumble inside the Cowboy 3 yard line took another sure touchdown off the board. What should have been a 24 - 0 halftime lead turned into a 12 - 6 halftime Lynx lead. A gimme Cowboy touchdown on the last play of the first half prevented the Lynx from going into the half with a shutout. Instead of knocking a pass down in the endzone the Lynx secondary went for the pick and ended up grabbing air instead.
Then the Lynx really started playing poorly. A very lackluster second half offense gave the ball back to the Cowboys on way too many occasions. Lack of possessions prevented the offense from doing much more in the half other than one more Harrington (24 attempts, 199 yards) to Messina 13 yard TD catch.
At this point, the defense needed to stop the Cowboys one more time, however the secondary gave up way too much space for Cowboy receivers, which gave them the opportunity to tie the game up. The Lynx had one more chance to score and gain some amount of respectibility back, but confusion in the huddle, some poor play selection and darkness prevented the Lynx from even being able to score from the Cowboy 2 yard line. Bottomline, we didn\'t even deserve a tie against a very beatable team.
At the end of the day, there were very few highlights to take from the game. The defensive line was the team\'s strength in the game. The Cowboy running game was shutdown. Chad Blomgren had a strong game, as did Dan Nikolich and Sean Christian. The offensive line also was strong with Greg Dugan, Andy Jones and Mike Sloan providing the offense with plenty of opportunities to score. Beyond these high points, the rest was pretty ugly.
After the game, Mike Sloan made an \'impassioned\' plea for the team to start playing like the team that this group of players should be. There is plenty of talent and skill. A rededication to execution, fundamentals (which are sorely lacking right now), and a desire to win are needed. Maybe a game like this is necessary to shake the team back to reality. If it doesn\'t happen soon, the team that has been the standard bearer for excellent play in the GFL, won\'t be recognizable. Let\'s see what happens next Friday
";
messages+="Lynx Take Care of Business
The second game of the season for the Lynx was a tale of two halves. In the first half the good Lynx showed up, and in the second half the not so good Lynx appeared.
The game started with the Lynx defense putting up some impressive numbers. In the Phoenix\' first four drives of the game, the Lynx played hard core \"D\" holding the Phoenix to a net yardage gain of two yards and one first down. Only on the last play of the first half were the Phoenix able to dent the scoreboard due to an outstanding catch by a Phoenix receiver. Prior to that, constant pressure by Sean Christian, Dan Nikolich, and Chad Blomgren disrupted the Phoenix running and passing game. T.J Kulig had a strong game defensively, as did Nick Nikolich, and between them they recorded 18 tackles. The Lynx defense created fiver turnovers on the game( four interceptions) including two picks by Mike Gainey and a game ending 95 yard interception return by Chris Messina. Liberal substituting in the second half did not result in any letdown in the defense and all in all, an overall good effort albeit somewhat of a lackluster 2nd half.
Offensively, the Lynx started strong. The Lynx have transitioned from a dominant running team to more of a balanced attack, and this game was used to sharpen up the passing attack. This resulted in the Lynx scoring on five drives, all through the air. Joe Harrington (145 passing,18 rushing) had his strongest game yet, mixing up both short and deep routes that led to two TD catches by Chris Messina (7 and 27 yd TD\'s), Kevin Heerdegen (23 and 11 yd TD\'s) and Dante Daniels with a 31 yard catch and scamper into the end zone. The ground game was efficient with multiple running backs having nice games including Corey Kelly, Kevin Dickson, and Dante Daniels.
The second half was a much different story as the offense seemly shut down, and with the game in hand, the offense bogged down, running a very vanilla second half offense.
Penalties once again were an issue for the team and this is an issue that needs to be corrected quickly or it will become a large issue. Once again 80 yards worth of penalties were called, not good. The good news is that the Lynx defense was hitting everything that moved, and a number of hard hits on the opponent softened them up by game\'s end.
Next Friday brings an old foe to the Brainard Center. The Lake County Cowboys will be next week\'s opponent. It is always a hard fought competitive game when these two teams meet. It is also an important game for the Lynx since another loss would put the Lynx two games back of first place, something that must be avoided. Its another indication of the competitive balance that the league is developing. We will see if the Lynx can continue to improve by coming out with a strong game next week.
";
messages+="Heartbreaking First Loss
The 2010 Lakeshore Lynx season has opened up and if the first game is any indication, it will be an interesting year for the Lynx. Showing some definite rust, the Lynx dropped a 15 - 14 game on the last play of the game, as the second Premier field goal attempt in the last nine seconds hit the left upright, but still found a way to fall over the crossbar. It was the Premier\'s second win of the young season. As it was the Lynx\' opener, there is some good and bad that can be taken from the game.
First the good:
There are a number of new faces on the Lynx this year, mainly defensively and all look very promising. Two players specifically looked very good. Nick Nikolich impressed many as he was able to run sideline to sideline and garner 12 tackles and four assists. Given we played probably one of the better teams in the league, the team will be looking to Nick to be a leader as the season moves forward. Dave Romito also was very active defensively with 8 tackles, three knockdowns and one fumble recovery. Then there were the veterans, Dan Nikolich, Chad Blomgren and Sean Christian who had steady games and put plenty of pressure on Premier quarterback Andrew Dulaney.
Offensively, it was a mix of old and new. Dante Daniels was able to run at will and gained 153 yards on the ground. Kevin Heerdegen opened the Lynx scoring with an 18 yard pass, a nice grab at the ankles. Chris Messina, a new wideout shows great promise and hands, as he scampered for 55 yards on a TD catch and run. The offensive line looked good but could also use some additional depth. Joe Harrington had a good command of the offense and had over 100 yards in passing.
The bad:
Not having enough preseason practices was evident. There was a great deal of rust, the defense, going up against live contact for really the first time all year, was not in sync as the Premier ran and passed for around 300 yards of total offense. Penalties once again hurt the Lynx especially late in the game, and the passing game still needs work. Surprisingly the Lynx did not turn the ball over, so there are good indications that all the game problems can be worked out.
The Premier showed good quickness and scrambling ability, and that is something that will require defensive adjustments the next time we play them.
Given that it was the first game, the Lynx still were in a position to win the game. The Premier are a solid team that appears playoff bound. It was a good measuring stick for the Lynx as they progress through the season. What is needed going forward is a more focused approach to practice, mixing up the offense and having everyone get used to the new mix of players on the team.
An opening game loss is not something that the Lynx are used to, but if lessons are learned, we will still be where we want to be at the end of the season. Congratulations to the Premier on the great start to their inaugural season, and their big win.
";
messages+="2010 Schedule Released-Updated
2010 Lynx schedule (Field locations TBD)
5-14 No Game
5-21 Fox Valley Premier @ Lake Shore Lynx 07:00 PM
5-28 No Games (Make up Weekend)
6-04 Lake Shore Lynx @ Wilmot Phoenix 07:00 PM
6-11 Lake County Cowboys @ Lake Shore Lynx 07:00 PM
6-18 Lake Shore Lynx @ Racine Heat 07:00 PM
6-25 Lake Shore Lynx @ Racine Gladiators 07:00 PM
7-02 Milwaukee Gators
7-09 Milwaukee Warriors @ Lake Shore Lynx 7:00 PM
7-16 Kenosha Cougars @ Lake Shore Lynx 7:00 PM
7-23 Lake Shore Lynx @ Janesville Nighthawks 7:00 PM
7-30 Lake Shore Lynx @ South Milwaukee Rage 7:00 PM
8-06 First Round Playoffs
8-13 Second Round Playoffs
8-20 Championship Game
New league website will have all official league scores and schedule at www.gflmw.com
";
messages+="2010 Lynx Board
The Lake Shore Lynx have appointed their new board for the upcoming 2010 season and they are as follows:
Mike Sloan, President: Mike has been a Lynx since the inception, and will make a great President and oversee all daily operations of the Lynx.
Chad Blomgren, Vice President & Treasuer: Chad will move over from his sales duties and handle treasurer, and VP of Operations role.
Keith Heerdegen, Secretary: Keith will continue his duties of attending league meetings, take notes for the board, and any other duties assigned by the board as well.
Kevin Dickson, Director: Kevin\'s primary responsibilities will be equipment and uniforms management and oversight with other added responsibilities.
Kevin Heerdegen, Director: Kevin\'s role will be defined as time goes on, but he will have additional responsibility to help the board as well.
Chris Pelc, Director of Sales and Marketing: Chris\' main role will be to promote the Lynx within the Lake County area, and garner more sponsors for the Lynx.
Sean Christian, Director of Recruiting: Sean will take over responsibilities in continuously growing the pipeline of talent that the Lynx will need year in and year out.
Congratulations to all the new Lynx Board members and good luck in 2010!
";
messages+="Back to Back Champs...
It has a nice ring to it: Two-time GFL Champions! The LakeShore Lynx completed the goals that they had set for themselves in the pre-season. Win their division, get to the championship game, and take home the trophy. A mix of old veterans and new blood all added to the success of the season, a season in which the league is catching up to the Lynx, which made for a number of hard-fought, challenging games.
The Lynx outlasted the Lake County Cowboys by a score of 35 – 20, in a game that was a see-saw affair in the 1st half, followed by a Lynx defense in the 2nd half that finally established itself to put the finishing touches on a well played game by both teams.
The game had an explosive start when on the 3rd play of the game, Keith Heerdegen took a pitch, stopped and threw a halfback option pass to Shane Voigt that resulted in a 54 yard scoring play, giving the Lynx a quick 6-0 lead. On the following Lynx possession, the Lynx struck again with Adam Miller connecting with Kevin Heerdegen for a 35 yard TD strike that made the score 13-0 and it appeared as if a blowout might be in the works.
The Cowboys, being the good team that they are, did not let the early scores bother them. The Cowboys came back quickly with two TD’s sandwiched by a Craig Kastning 45 yd interception. The Cowboys scored on a 1 yard run and a 40 yard passing play to take a 14-13 lead shortly before half. The Lynx to their credit were able to bounce back before halftime to take a 19-14 lead thanks to a Keith Heerdegen 6 yard run.
The 2nd half turned on a decision by Coach Bob Post to go to more of an option oriented offense with Andrew Dulaney at QB. His quickness at the position made it very difficult for the Cowboy defense to stop the Lynx on a consistent basis. Dulaney made an immediate impact by driving the Lynx down the field for a 1 yd TD run, making it a 27-14 game. The drive was highlighted by mixing in a play action pass that went for 37 yards to Kevin Heerdegen, keeping the drive alive on 3rd down. The game went back and forth on defense for most of the half with outstanding defensive play by the Lynx. Once again Chad Blomgren, Dan Nikolich, Sean Christian and Kevin Fontana were defensive stalwarts, creating a number of quarterback hurries and forced throws, disrupting the Cowboy offense. Craig Kastning had a second interception, and snuffed out a last gasp Cowboy drive by recovering a fumble on their last possession. Dave Maggio, Jerome Crawford, Cleo Delk, Chris Pelc, and James McGee all played some of their best ball of the season. The Cowboys did score a late 7 yard TD bringing them within one score, but once again, Andrew Dulaney kept drives alive with a number of big 3rd down conversions, which ate up huge amounts of clock. The long drive resulted in a 6 yard TD pass to Kevin Heerdegen putting the game away for the Lynx, 35-20.
A great season culminated in a championship performance. The offensive line rotation of Greg Dugan, Mike Sloan, Josh Haraf, and Andy Jones played strong all year. Joe Harrington in his 1st year won big games playing in place of injured starter Adam Miller early in the season. Consistent offensive play by Bryan McDermott, Jack Matthews, and our fullbacks Kevin Dickson and Corey Kelly opened up huge holes all year and gained critical first downs all season. Dante Daniels joined the team during the second game of the season and made a huge impact in the Lynx’ ability to run the ball.
Defensively, Shane Voigt, Jason Detweiler, Vaughn Golston, T.J. Kulig, Mike Johnson, and Russ Hoke played big on the defensive side of the ball. Everyone made a contribution to the second Lynx championship.
Finally, thanks to Mike Johnson and Bryan McDermott for doing a lot of the heavy lifting and organizing a team that could be this good. Mike will be retiring after this season and our thanks go out to him and Bryan for all their work. As a result, we will need to get contributions from others if we want a chance to go after another championship next year. To our coaches Bob Post and Frank Bojniewicz, thanks for all the work and dedication and helping the team get to where they are today.
Next season will bring more challenges and a better, and even more competitive league. We can enjoy our efforts for a short time but the work will begin in earnest later this year. Hopefully we will have most of the team returning, but there will be holes to fill, and other teams will really be coming after us. Are we ready for the challenge? If we want to be in the same position next year, we all know the answer to that question. Meantime…congratulations to the 2009 GFL Champions, the LakeShore Lynx!
";
messages+="Lynx End Cougars Season With A Shutout
If defense wins championships then the LakeShore Lynx will be going to next week\'s GFL championship game in fine shape, riding a two game shutout streak. In a dominating defensive performance, the Lynx shutdown the Kenosha Cougars offense to win their semi-final playoff game by a score of 14 - 0.
The Lynx defensive line, specifically Dan Nikolich, Sean Christian and Chad Blomgren created confusion and havoc all day. Constantly in the Cougars backfield, the Cougars offense could never get untracked. With a total of 20 tackles among them and a number of hurries, sacks and plays for minus yardage, the Cougars ended the first half with negative total yards. Two stupid Lynx penalties extended drives for the Cougars in the first half but even with that, it was a truly great performance by the Lynx \'d\'. Add to the fact that defensive backs Shane Voigt, Craig Kastning and Andrew Dulaney also had multiple tackles along with the occasional blitz packages thrown in, and it added up to a significant win for the Lynx.
Offensively the Lynx moved the ball well in the first half but breakdowns in execution and a tough Cougar defense resulted in a low scoring half. Highlighted by a 44 yard run by Keith Heerdegen and the resulting 4 yard TD run on 4th down, the Lynx had a 6 - 0 first half lead.
The second half was more of the same. Tough defense by both teams and an inability for either offense to do much scoring. The Lynx scored on their first possession of the 2nd half when QB Adam Miller, on 4th down at mid-field, ran for a 51 yard TD score. Kevin Fontana\'s extra point was good to make the score 14 - 0.
From there the Lynx defense took over again and shut down the Cougars. Although the Cougars mixed things up a little more in the 2nd half, the Lynx\' Andrew Dulaney was able to get a big interception to end one Cougar drive, and towards the end of the game when the Cougars got inside the Lynx 10 yard line, David Maggio came up huge with a TD saving tackle that for all intents and purposes ended the game. Maggio\'s solid tackling as well as the whole defense\'s efforts left no doubt that the Lynx would prevail. This was a great game that many fans said was one of the hardest hitting, defensive games of the year. Both teams played with class and clean play; the Cougars showed why they were one of the top teams in the GFL.
The Lynx will now go into the championship game to play the Lake County Cowboys, in a rematch of a tough early season matchup. The Lynx players know that to become repeat champions, it will take an all out effort from them to defeat a very formidable team. Here\'s to a well played, clean and tough GFL Championship game next Friday at Ameche Field.
";
messages+="The Rivalry, The Rematch...Renewed
The Lake Shore Lynx played their inaugural scrimmage game with the Kenosha Cougars in the spring of 2007, and absolutely dominated them from start to finish in that match-up forcing the Cougars to look at how their team was built and make some changes. During the 2007 regular season the Cougars showed the changes that they made were enough to beat the Lynx in their first regular season matchup. The Lynx and Cougars both however ended up in the GFL\'s first championship game, and it was a very physical game, after both teams playing 2 days prior due to a league scheduling problem. Both teams fought hard, but the Cougars prevailed in an 18-0 showing.
2008 promised to be a different year for the Lynx, as they revamped and reloaded their entire roster. Bringing back key members of their 2007 runner-up team, they added needed youth at every position across the board. The Lynx ironically would face the defending champions in game 1 of the new season, and would beat them on their field 21-0. The Lynx would go on to beat the Cougars in the final regular season game as well, which was a high scoring affair, and also beat them one week later in the first round of the playoffs, knocking them off their throne, in which they defended well for a year. The Lynx would end up beating the Racine Heat for their first championship, and the leagues first undefeated season in history.
The 2009 season started out well for the Lynx, continuing where they left off, dominating teams with their ground game, and their hard hitting defense. The Lynx went 8-0, before meeting the then desperate Cougars and lost 15-14 in what was by far the Lynx worst offensive output since the 2007 Championship game. The Lynx put their 20 game winning steak on the line, and failed to live up to their past 20 games. The Lynx are ready for this upcoming matchup, and are ready to prove that one game, does not make a season! The Lynx are looking to finish strong!
This matchup has become the #1 rivalry in the GFL, and it now comes down to who wants it more. To get a view of this matchup up close and personal, come on out to Butler Lake Park, Saturday August 29th @ 3:00PM. This game will prove who\'s who, and will also provide for some hard hitting football!!
";
messages+="Lynx Prevail Over Gladiators
The Lynx defense got some of their starters back, and the offense did just enough to help guarantee the No. 1 seed headed into the playoffs and a first round bye. A 27 - 0 win by the Lynx helped to re-establish some continuity in what has been a very erratic stretch of play. After having a number of defensive starters out the week before, the return of three of those starters set the pace for what proved to be a hard fought victory that really wasn\'t in much doubt after the first half. Once again however, spotty offense and another 80 yards of penalties helped disrupt the rhythm and make this game interesting.
Defensively, Chad Blomgren, Chris Pelc, and the return of Dan Nikolich and Josh Haraf helped the defense shake off some of the rust left from the prior week. Constant pressure on the Gladiators QB created a number of sacks and hurries that prevented the Gladiators from getting into any kind of a set offense. James McGee also came on strong with 5 tackles and 2 sacks contributing to the shutout effort. TJ Kulig, getting a lot of playing time, also added 4 tackles and a sack.
Offensively, the Lynx played a very uninspired brand of football doing what it had to do to keep the Gladiators at bay. Running touchdowns of 8 and 6 yards respectively, by Adam Miller and Keith Heerdegen gave the Lynx a 14 - 0 halftime lead. The passing game did just enough to mix things up with Andrew Dulaney and Kevin Heerdegen catching balls in just enough situations to keep the Gladiator defense honest.
The second half saw two more touchdowns and these were a little more explosive as the Lynx had scores of 39 yards by Keith Heerdegen and 68 yards on a fabulous option run by Andrew Dulaney. Three botched snaps on extra points prevented Zach Criswell from making his kicks and as a result, a final score of 27 - 0.
With the bye week the Lynx will look forward to getting everyone back practicing and playing. A total of over 11 starters have missed the last two games creating problems for the Lynx on both sides of the ball. It will be imperative for everyone to re-dedicate themselves over the next three weeks if the Lynx expect to reclaim the championship trophy. No one is planning on handing the Lynx anything. If we don\'t come into practice and the games with a focus on what needs to be done it will be an early exit. Will the Lynx continue to play so-so football or will this team get back to playing Lynx football? Time will soon tell.
Finally, good luck to all those teams that have made the playoffs. Here is to good games, sportsmanship and no injuries as we come to the end of the season.
";
messages+="Dismal Showing = First Loss In 20 Games
In one of the most dismal showings in the last two years, the Lynx winning streak was stopped with a 15 – 14 loss to the Kenosha Cougars. A game that started out with bad defense, ended with an even worse offensive performance. Having clinched a high seed for the playoffs, the Lynx walked out on the field and assumed the Cougars would just roll over and die. Unfortunately no one told the Cougars that. As a result, the Cougars took the field and scored touchdowns on their first two possessions to take a 12 – 0 lead. This was the score at halftime as the Lynx offense ran a very vanilla scheme with the thought that running at the Cougars would result in easy scores. Easy scores would not come.
The second half at least demonstrated that the defense could make the necessary adjustments, as the Cougars were held to a field goal that, unfortunately would be the difference in the final score. Great plays and two big 4th down stops gave the Lynx plenty of opportunities on offense to make a difference, but lackadaisical blocking and running killed many opportunities. Difference makers in the second half were all on the defensive side of the ball as Chad Blomgren was in on a number of solo tackles, and Craig Kastning made a huge interception and ran the ball back for a 35 yard TD to actually give the Lynx an undeserved second half lead. Dave Maggio also made a big difference in the second half as he was able to force a number of hurries on the Cougar QB. A Cougars field goal occurred subsequent to the pick, and gave the lead back to the Cougars with about 15 minutes in the game. Even through all of this, the Lynx offense had the chance to put the game away at the end, but penalties and a FG goal attempt that hit the upright prevented the Lynx from pulling out a game that quite frankly, they didn’t deserve to win in any case.
The Lynx have a chance to clinch the No. 1 seed with a win next game. Their final regular season game will be against the Gladiators, a team that has won their last four games and has put themselves in a position to make the playoffs. They will have an excellent chance to achieve that goal if the Lynx come out and play a similar game as last Friday. Hopefully the Lynx have received a wake up call and will re-dedicate themselves to playing the kind of football that they are capable of playing.
";
messages+="Rage Battltle, Lynx Prevail
Don\'t let the final score of this game fool anyone. Although the Lynx won their 6th game in a row by a score of 54 -12, this was a hard fought, close game until the last 25 minutes. Although the Rage are not that big in size, they are very big in heart, tenacity and skill. Their offense is very good with a set of outstanding receivers and a very good quarterback that presented a big challenge to the Lynx defense.
A 1st half that was close and defensive minded was still made up of big plays. The Lynx offense struggled early until Keith Heerdegen took a pitch right and sprinted to the corner of the endzone for a 3 yard TD run. After a couple of change of possessions the Lynx were able to dent the scoreboard again on a Dante Daniels 59 yard run highlighted by a crushing straight arm to a Rage defender, making the score 16 - 0. The Rage however, with some nifty passing by their QB Mike Bernal came right back and drove the Rage to a score on a 20 yd TD pass to make the score 16 - 6, Lynx. Maybe the play of the half occurred late when a Lynx option pass was picked off. Kevin Heerdegen, with a great second effort was able to prevent what would have been a Rage defensive score. Heerdegen after missing the tackle on the interception got back up, followed the play and made the tackle. A score would have brought the Rage within a TD and would have given them big momentum into the second half.
At half both the offense and defense made some adjustments that told the story of the game. In fact, by game\'s end the defense stole the show. The offense however, made the 1st statement of the half. With the Rage defense packing 6 men in the box, as most teams do against the Lynx, Joe Harrington made a great play action fake that allowed Kevin Heerdegen to break wide open up the middle. The play resulted in a 35 yard TD pass play to make the score 24 - 6.
At this point Kevin Fontana and the defense began to dominate. Fontana who was in on 11 tackles, helped inspire the defense to make big play after big play. Along with Mike Johnson who had at least two crushing hits on big plays, the defense began to wear down the Rage passing attack.
After one last Rage drive that resulted in an 8 yd TD pass, the Lynx offense decided enough was enough. On maybe their best drive of the year, Coach Bob Post went with the option offense. In a seven play drive, running backs ripped off gains of 30, 10, 17, 11, 14 and finally a 6 yard TD run by QB Adam Miller. It appeared to take a lot of the steam out of the Rage.
The defense proceeded to create four turnovers in the next five Rage possessions. It started with a 20 yd TD fumble return by Kevin Fontana. Next Vaughn Golston picked off a pass and returned it for 12 yards. This was followed by a Shane Voigt interception that was returned for 15 yards. The turnover fest was complete when Jason Detweiler picked off the Rage and returned it for 23 yards. The offense was able to convert 2 of the 3 INT\'s into easy scores by Corey Kelly and Keith Heerdegen who each had 6 yard TD runs.
Besides great secondary play, strong performances by Chad Blomgren, Dan Nikolich, James McGee, Josh Haraf and Russ Hoke wore down the Rage offense. Sean Christian and Chris Pelc were disrupting plays all night. Defensively, the Rage were held to less than 300 yards of total offense. The Lynx fans saw Greg Dugan, Mike Sloan, Andy Jones and Josh Haraf clear the way for the running backs. Adam Miller and Andrew Dulaney were very effective running the option. As usual, Zach Criswell was almost automatic by going 6 for 7 in extra point attempts.
The late Lynx scores disguises the fact that this was only a 24 - 12 game late into the contest. The Rage are one of the elite teams in the GFL and their offense is very dangerous. On the defensive side of the ball they are very fast with great weakside pursuit. This is a team that no one will want to play in the playoffs. A clean game with no trash talking and a lot of hard hiting made for a tense and very entertaining football game.
The next Lynx game will be on Sunday August 2nd against the Oak Creek Renegades at 1pm, @ Ameche Field. The Lynx need to come prepared to avoid a letdown after their big win.
";
messages+="Lynx Quiet Storm
The LakeShore Lynx are beginning to dial up their offense.Coming into their Friday night showdown with the Kenosha Storm, the Lynx were looking to play error-free football. In the 1st half they came close. Even though they were missing one of their offensive stars, for the game, the Lynx showed their quick strike ability by scoring early and often against the Storm.
The first half charge was ignited by Joe Harrington, who on the first play of the game hit Keith Heerdegen in stride with a 40 yd laser, on the numbers. The throw and catch resulted in a 70 yard TD play. Although the Lynx didn\'t have to throw often, Harrington\'s passes were thrown on the numbers with passes to Bryan McDermott for a 45 yard TD, and a 40 yard hook up to tight end Kevin Heerdegen. The ground game as usual was methodical in it ability to chew up large chunk of yardage (311 yds rushing) and score quickly. Two more TD runs by Keith Heerdegen (16 and 27 yards), a Corey Kelly 9 yard jaunt, and a Joe Harrington 6 yd bootleg gave the Lynx a huge lead. Factor in a great interception and score by Jerome Crawford (40 yds, TD) and the halftime score was 56 - 3.
Coach Bob Post called off the dogs in the second half by substituting liberally and running two additional offensive sets that he wanted the team to work on. Running both a jet and option the Lynx kept the ball on the ground except for two pass plays the rest of the half. One of those passes resulted in a Harrington to McDermott 1 yard score. The Lynx scoring was closed out by Andrew Dulaney who exploded down the Storm sideline for a 53 yard TD run. Zach Criswell continued his amazing night by kicking his 9th extra point (30 for 33 on the year), and the Lynx ended up on the winning side of a 72 - 15 score.
Defensively, the Lynx controlled the Storm the whole game. Outside of a long completion on their first drive, the half belonged to Kevin Fontana, Shane Voigt, James McGee and Dan Nikolich. All four were involved on numerous tackles and big hits. In the second half, liberal substitutions were made, however Chad Blomgren and Mike Johnson kept things anchored. Jason Detweiler also left his mark on the field by making some big hits as well.
To their credit the Storm played hard throughout the game and battled for two late scores. It was a clean game with a lot of hard hits by both teams. Next week brings another tough opponent as the Lynx travel to play the 4 - 1 South Milwaukee Rage. It also promises to be close, hard fought game.
";
messages+="Gators Toothless In Loss To Lynx
The story of the Lynx/Gators game on Friday night was the Lynx\' offensive and defensive lines. The ability to control the Gators on both sides of the ball provided for a lopsided 79 - 6 Lynx win. Offensively the Lynx size, power and speed dominated a very spirited Gators defense. Mike Sloan, Greg Dugan, Andy Jones and Kevin Heerdegen (1 catch, 9 yards) provided plenty of blocks that enabled the Lynx to rush for over 450 yards. Leading the way in the first half was Joe Harrington (1 yard td run, 78 yard pass to Shane Voigt), Keith Heerdegen (2 Td\'s, 153 yards rushing) and Dante Daniels (3 Td\'s, 126 yards rushing) who with the offensive line, broke out to a 33 - 0 halftime lead.
Defensively, in the first half, the Lynx led by Dan Nikolich (safety, 2 tackles), Kevin Fontana (2 knockdowns, 3 tackles) and James McGee (5 tackles, 2 sacks) held the Gators offense to minus total yards and no first downs.
After wearing down the Gators in the first half, the Lynx used their running game the rest of the way. Corey Kelly pounded through the interior of the Gators defensive line and ended up with 2 scores, 102 yards and 9 first downs. Kevin Dickson, Bryan McDermott, and Andrew Dulaney also took turns gaining significant yardage in the game.
Defensively, the second half was not much different from the first although the Gators did score on a nifty 58 yard reverse that fooled the Lynx. That was all the scoring for the Gators as Jason Detweiler (7 tackles, 1 knockdown) Mike Johnson (4 tackles) had their best games. Wrapping up the game was left to Shane Voigt and Vaughn Golston who each had an interception (Shane - 95 yards, TD and Vaughn Golston 13 yard return). Sean Christian (3 tackles, 1 sack), Chad Blomgren (5 tackles, 1 knockdown), Jerome Crawford (1 tackle) and Mike Sloan (2 tackles) had strong games as well. The Gators to their credit played hard and to the whistle on every play. It was a very clean, no trash talk game. As this is the Gators first season, the Lynx team stated after the game, that this will be a team to watch out for in seasons to come. They will be a team that will improve.
All in all, except for seven more penalties called against the Lynx, this was a good game for many Lynx players. This game will help the Lynx as they prepare for their game next week against the Storm. The Storm had better come prepared, as this is a rivalry game and many Lynx players have had this game circled on their calendars.
";
messages+="Lynx Give Back!
The Lynx participated in Libertyville Days 2009 Parade in showing support to their future home field, the Brainerd Community Center.
";
messages+="Lynx Battle Tough Cowboys Team
One of these days the LakeShore Lynx are going to play a complete game. As has happened in the prior two games, once again, there were Lynx breakdowns during the game. In Week 1 the offense did not have it\'s act together. In Week 2 injuries and some mistakes and execution issues prevented the Lynx from playing at the level they can play. This week defense and a strong effort by the Lake County Cowboys made for a game that was close until the last 10 minutes of the game.
The Cowboys came out firing the ball after a couple failed efforts at running the ball against the Lynx. On a third down and long, the Cowboys executed a great screen that netted 57 yards that took the ball down to the Lynx 12 yard line. The Cowboys after 4 downs had a measurement at the two. The chains were brought out and the first down was made by one chain link. From that point, the Cowboys punched it in from the 2 yard line and took a 6 point lead early in the game. On the next possession the Lynx demonstrated why they have the best ground game in the league. A continuous running attack pressed the Cowboys, and a 70 yard drive culminated in a 21 yard TD run by Craig Kastning. The extra point gave the Lynx an 8 - 6 lead. The Cowboys continued their passing ways, but on their next possession the Lynx forced the Cowboys to turn the ball over on downs. The Lynx again used their ground gain to score on a 1 yd plunge by Dante Daniels for a 16 - 6 lead.
It appeared as if the Lynx might have begun to figure out the Cowboy offense, but due to some extremely loose coverage in the Lynx secondary, the Cowboys were able to chew up large chunks of real estate through the air. The Cowboys burned the Lynx secondary for a 54 yard TD pass to close the gap to 16 - 13. As the half was winding down, the Lynx were able to get their passing game going with a 42 yard catch and run by Craig Kastning to make the score 24 - 13. The Cowboys, once again threw over the top against the Lynx secondary and just ran out of time inside the 10 yard line before the first half came to a close.
The second half was a see-saw affair early with neither team able to score. Midway through the second half, the Cowboys once again got their aerial attack going and scored on a 45 yard bomb, closing the Lynx margin down to 24 - 19. The clock was down to around 12 minutes to go, and the Cowboys defense which was beginning to put 6 men in the box to shut down the Lynx ground game was having it\'s way. After a Cowboy change of possession, the Lynx took over at their own 28 yard line and decided to play smash mouth football. Instead of running away from the interior pressure of the Cowboys the Lynx decided to run right at it. The Lynx offensive line began to dominate at the line of scrimmage and as a result, Keith Heerdegen was able to get a seal block at the line of scrimmage, shake off a tackler and take off for a 55 yard TD run making the score 30 - 19, with less than seven minutes to play. The Cowboys however, would not quit. Once again, due to some Lynx poor secondary play, the Cowboys passed their way down the field and had first and goal inside of the Lynx 10 yard line. At this point the Lynx defense stepped up. A hurry, a sack, and Cowboy penalty cost the Cowboys a chance to score and put more pressure on the Lynx. With the change of possession at the Lynx 9 yard line, the Lynx once again chose to run right at the strength of the Cowboy defensive line. On first down, Dante Daniels with great blocks from the right side of the offensive line, broke one for 91 yards and the clinching touchdown. The Cowboys had one more possession and continued to pass the ball downfield but time ran out for a final score of 38 - 19.
Defense and penalties were the downfall of the Lynx this week. Although the Cowboys were held to negative yards rushing, the pass coverage resulted in the Cowboys netting over 300 yards in the air. Penalties gave the Cowboys an additional 65 yards of field position. A lot of the defense\'s problems were due to a very well prepared Cowboys team. They executed well especially on offense, and they are easily a championship caliber team.
The Lynx will be making adjustments in their defensive schemes prior to the next game and a focus on fundamentals needs to become a priority as it is apparent that, on both sides of the ball, improvements are needed. It\'s hopeful that the the bye week will give the team a chance to work out their issues. If they want to get back to the championship game, improvements will be necessary.
Stat Leaders:
Offense:
Craig Kastning...2 TD\'s, 42 yard pass reception
Dante Daniels... 2 TD\'s, 91 yard run, 110 yards rushing
Keith Heerdegen... 1 TD, 158 yards rushing, 7 1st downs
Offensive Line
Defense:
Kevin Fontana... 1 solo tackle, 5 assists, 1 knockdown
Jerome Crawford... 2 Interceptions
Dan Nikolich... 2 solo tackles, 1 assist, 1 sack
Special Teams:
Zach Criswell 4/5 PAT\'s, 13/15 on season
";
messages+="Lynx Sloppy, Still Dominate
Another sloppy game for the Lynx although this time it was on the defensive side of the ball. Poor tackling hurt the Lynx early with key starters out of the lineup on both sides of the ball.
The Lynx consistently were getting a good rush on the Heat quarterback all night but in the first half gave up too many yards on a lack of backside support and poor tackling. This prevented the Lynx offense from getting on the field to do much early damage.
An injury suffered the week before against the Gladiators prevented the starting backfield from getting untracked. Picking up the slack at running back, were key contributions by Andrew Dulaney, Craig Kastning, Adam Miller, and newcomer Dante Daniels who got things going late in the 1st half and continued things in the 2nd half.
The Lynx scored first on a nice hook up between QB Adam Miller and tight end Kevin Heerdegen for a 30 yard scoring pass to get the Lynx on the board. Following that the Lynx got a key interception by Shane Voigt at the opponents’ 1 yard line but a subsequent fumble gave the Heat two points on the safety. The Heat controlled the Lynx defense for most of the first half but late in the half a key hit by Safety Shane Voigt caused the Heat running back to cough up the ball right in to the hands of Linebacker Chris Pelc. He took off for a 35 yard fumble return for the TD. Zach Criswell kicked his second of six extra point kicks for the night to make the score 16 – 2.
The Lynx defense finally started to get its act together and began to shut down the Heat offense. Adam Miller made the score 24 – 2 at half with a nice 9 yard run for the Lynx third score of the game.
After starting out on defense for the second half, the Lynx’s halftime adjustments by defensive coordinator, Frank Bojnowicz, started having an impact. Craig Kastning scored on a 3 yd run after a long drive, Russ Hoke recovered a Heat fumble to set up a score on a reverse by Shane Voigt for 39 yards, and the Lynx wrapped up their scoring on a 5 yard run by Andrew Dulaney. The Heat, to their credit, played hard the whole game and scored in the final minutes of the game.
Key contributions: Shane Voigt – defensively
Chad Blomgren – 4 solo tackles
Andrew Dulaney – 4 solo tackles and 2 knock downs
Offensively – Adam Miller 2 TD’s one running and 1 passing
Dante Daniels – 57 yards rushing
Kevin Heerdegen – 1 TD, 59 yards receiving
The Lynx have been frustrated to some extent their first two games due to poor execution on both sides of the ball as well as injuries and key personnel that have been missing. It’s early in the season and it is expected that these minor setbacks can be resolved. We expect everyone to come out with a sense of purpose to begin playing a mistake free game in the next game and continue to improve throughout the rest of the season.
Stats are updated on the Roster page.
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messages+="Lynx Win!
It was a perfect night for a football game on June 5th 2009. The crowd was packed into Libertyville\'s Brainerd Stadium. The Lynx opened the season against a determined Racine Gladiator squad.
The Lynx opened the game on offense and proved that the Gladiators would be no match for the 2008 champions with a 61 yard scoring run from Keith Heerdegen. Zach Criswell kicked for the two point conversion (8-0)
The Defense set the tone from the start of the game punishing and pushing their offense back for a quick three and out series. Defensive standouts were Kevin Fontana, Chad Blomgren, Jerome Crawford and Sean Christian.
The offense took control of the ball again and went to the air with a 22 yard scoring strike from Joe Harrington to Kevin Heerdegen. Kevin showed his catching and juggling prowess by tipping the ball to himself twice them snuggling the ball into his belly like a new born for the score. Zach Criswell kicked for the two point conversion (16-0).
The offense Scored Two more times on a scoring strike to Shane Voigt from Adam Miller of 43 yards. It was a perfectly executed play were Adam hit Shane in stride and Zach Criswell had the two point conversion blocked. (22-0). Zach Criswell later added a 35 yard field goal making it 25-0. Adam Miller scored the last touchdown of the game on a scamper off the right side of 30 yards, running around, through and then by would be tacklers on his way to getting paid. Lynx 33 Gladiators 0.
Other offensive standouts were Craig (happy feet) Kastning rushing, Kevin Dickson leading the way blocking as well as Corey Kelly and Kevin Fontana adding solid rushing efforts. The offensive line lead by Mike Sloan graded out an A Plus of the game film. Greg Dugan, Josh Haraf, Russ Hoke and Kevin Heerdegen opened holes and protected the QB all day allowing the Lynx to move the ball at will.
The Defense at times played a bend but don’t break style but always made the big play when it needed to. Kevin Fontana led the defense and defensive backs Steve Poyser, Mike Johnson, Andrew Dulaney and Jerome Crawford shut down their passing game. Jerome Crawford had a key interception returning it 35 yards and shut down a possible offensive threat. Mike and Steve made some huge impact tackles and at key times and Andrew defended the pass extraordinarily well.
The defensive line made a huge impact led by Sean Christian, Russ Hoke, Chris Pelc, Josh Haraf, Dan Nikolich and Greg Dugan. The rotation stymied the offensive line and trapped the running backs on the field allowing the line backers Chad Blomgren and Kevin Fontana to roam sideline to sideline untouched making crushing tackles.
When the Lynx rotated their defensive personnel it was transparent. Dan Zurawski, Vaughn Golston and Jason Detweiler made key defensive plays when rotating in as defensive backs.
The only threat on the gladiators presented was late in the game as they drove down inside the 15 yard line. At that time the defense tightened with key defensive plays made by Greg Dugan with a sack and, Jason Detweiler with a pass deflection. Mike Johnson, Dan Nikolich also helped with key stops to allow the Gladiators a chance at a 35 yard field goal. The field goal just made it through the uprights after Kevin Fontana somehow managed to miss blocking the field goal. The Gladiators cheered and the game was over.
Final Score Lynx 33- Gladiators 3
The Lynx ran for 219 total yards and threw for 82.
The Lynx did not help their cause with 12 penalties for over 120 yards.
For complete stats check the roster page, Stats sheet.
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