Sirens dominate competition in early games By Joe Blenkle / Sacramento Sports News Editor SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Apr. 19, 2009) - Ordinarily you would associate April with the start of the professional baseball season. But for hundreds of women around the country, April is time for football, as the teams that make up the Independent Women's Football League (IWFL) begin play. Founded in 2000, the IWFL has just over 40 teams scattered across the country. The Sacramento Sirens are one of those teams and the hometown Sirens are off to an impressive start for the 2009 season. Sacramento opened its season on the road against the Modesto ManiaX on April 11, coming away with a 71-0 victory. In their first home contest for the 2009 season on April 18, the Sirens shut out the visiting California Quake by a score of 46-0. "I am proud of my teammates for adding another win to this season, said Christy Medinger, who plays defensive end for the Sirens and also doubles as their public relations manager. "We played well, though once we watch the game films we find ways to improve for the next game. I know all of them pushed through this heat to bring this victory to Sacramento." The unusually warm April evening didn't seem to hamper the Sirens, however, as Sacramento ran up a 20-0 halftime lead en route to the victory. The Sirens' first score came with 4:58 left in the opening quarter as Sacramento turned an interception into a quick touchdown. California had the ball on the Sirens 27, but a flag on the Quakes pushed the ball back to the 32. California quarterback Deb Küntz then made an errant toss that was picked off by Sacramento's Robyn Taylor and returned to California's 41-yard-line. Sirens running back Ashlee Sharp took the ball on the first play for a 10-yard gain, setting up a 31-yard touchdown by Jennie Quan to give Sacramento the lead. Rookie kicker Jennifer Bloom added the extra point to make it a 7-0 game.
Another California turnover only a few minutes later resulted in another Sacramento score as the Quake coughed up the ball on a 4th-and-8. The ball was fumbled as California tried to punt and Sacramento recovered on the Quake's nine-yard-line. A short gain by Amy Williams put the ball on the eight, and then Quan scored her second touchdown of the game as she ran in from the left side with 2:38 showing on the clock to give Sacramento a 13-0 lead. The point after attempt failed, however, as a high snap got away and forced Bloom to fall on the ball. Neither team did much with the ball until late in the second quarter when yet another California Quake turnover led to Sacramento's third scoring drive of the game. With the ball on their on 36, a Quake fumble was recovered by Sacramento's Tanya Grandison. After two failed attempts to advance the ball, Sacramento quarterback Amber Mitchell hit Sarah Trobee on a 34-yard pass play for a touchdown with 4:01 left in the half. Bloom added the extra point to give the Sirens a 20-0 lead. Sacramento continued right where they left off when the game resumed in the third quarter, scoring on its first possession as the Sirens covered 70-yards on a four-play drive that took only two minutes and 20 seconds. Starting from their own 30, Quan rumbled down the field on the first play for a 52-yard gain that put the Sirens on the Quake's 18-yard-line. Williams advanced to the 11 on the next play and then on a 3rd-and-3, Sharp took the ball in on the right side for a touchdown with 12:40 left in the third quarter. Bloom's PAT made it a 27-0 game. Another big play late in the quarter set up the Sirens next score as Sharp scored again, this time on a 64-yard run with 1:12 showing on the clock. The only bright spot for the Quake came on the point after attempt as the ball was partially blocked and fell short of the goal. Leading 33-0, the Sirens recorded their next touchdown with 4:56 left in the game, again relying on a big play for the score. Faced with a 4th-and-5, the Sirens chose not to punt and instead gave the ball to running back Noriko Kokura who took it 38-yards down the right side for the score to up Sacramento's lead to 39-0. Sacramento's final touchdown of the game came as a result of another Quake turnover. A fumble on California's first play was recovered by the Sirens' Lineni Noa, giving Sacramento the ball on the Quake's 38. After no gain on its first play of the series, Bloom carried the ball to the 18 for a gain of 20-yards. Kokura then advanced it to the two on a 16-yard scamper to set up her own two-yard plunge on the next play to give the Sirens a 45-0 lead with 2:37 left. Bloom's extra-point kick was partially blocked, but still had enough on it to barely clear the cross bars and give the Sirens their final 46-0 margin. After outscoring their opponents 117-0 in their first two games, Medinger said that the victories have been a total team effort. "Many of us play both sides now, so we are all getting more familiar with each other, our tendencies and how to work cohesively together no matter who is playing next to you. We depend on each other as a unit on the field and expect and believe in our coaches on the sideline to give us the tools we need to be successful on the gridiron. We have exceptional group of athletic women, both veterans and rookies." The Sirens have been in existence since 2001, with this being their ninth season of action. The team won the IWFL Championship in three consecutive years, 2003-05, and was the Pacific Northwest Conference Champion in 2007. Last year they had a bit of a down season, finishing with a 4-4 record and not qualifying for the post-season, but so far in 2009, it appears that the Sirens are back on track to head to the playoffs and hopefully the IWFL Championship Game which will be held in Austin, Texas on July 25. It's still early in the season, of course, but so far the Sirens don't show any signs that they will end up anywhere but on top. These women take their football seriously and it shows in their performance on the field. The Sirens play their home games at Natomas High School in Sacramento. Three regular-season home games are still on tap: May 2 vs. the Corvallis Pride; May 16 vs. the Seattle Majestics; and June 13 vs. the Los Angeles Amazons. Tickets are cheap (only $10 for adults and Seniors & Students $8) and parking is free. It's a great and fun way to spend an early summer night. Visit www.SacramentoSirens.com for complete information. Return to Features / Return to Main Page |
