EVERETT – Hey baby, now that really is perfect football.
The bad feelings between Everett and the hard-luck Billings Mavericks led to a hotly-contested fray Friday night at the Everett Events Center. When the last mouth had been smashed, Everett’s 34-25 victory ensured the Hawks would take their place in the National Indoor Football League record book as just the second team to complete the regular season unbeaten.
After exchanging a post-victory celebratory hug with team owner Sam Adams, Everett coach Dan Maciejczak reflected on both the hard-fought 14th consecutive victory and the upcoming playoffs.
“If you’re blazing down the trail and you find a basket of money … of course you’re gonna pick up the basket and keep on blazing down the trail,” Maciejczak said.
Roughly translated, he meant the Hawks have little time to bask in the glory of going unbeaten. Not with a home playoff game looming – possibly against this same leather-tough Billings team – July 8.
How good is Billings? Good enough to have hung right with the high-powered Hawks until Joel Robnett’s interception with 3:15 to play resulted in an Everett possession. The Hawks’ Jason Quinn snared a 12-yard touchdown pass from Albert Higgs (17-for-23, 4 TD’s) with just over a minute remaining to provide 4,670 stoked up fans a chance to catch their collective breath.
“I just looked to find the wide open spot in the zone,” Quinn said. “Albert found it too and hit me.”
Maciejczak took note of the vocal ninth man.
“The fans are just as important as the players,” Maciejczak said. “The players feed off of the noise.”
With Everett leading 28-18 and Billings (4-9) threatening to score, a melee broke out with 5:22 remaining. Officials broke up the scrum, which resulted in Everett’s Jaquwan Brackenridge being ejected along with three Billings players.
What the heck, even Billings coach Joe Curtiss was suspended just prior to the game by the NIFL for apparently failing to provide game film to Everett by the required deadline.
“There’s a lot of bad blood between these teams,” Maciejczak understated. “Everybody’s trying to make a point.”
That is understandable as a dozen Everett players on the Everett roster played for Billings last season with Maciejczak as the coach. Conversely, several former Hawks, including receivers Chris Stallworth and Anthony Chandler now dot the Billings roster.
After the player ejections, Billings quarterback Bob Bees (14-for-31, 2 TD’s) fired a 4-yard touchdown pass to quarterback-turned-receiver Chris Dixson (6-for-15, 72 yards passing and 4 receptions for 32 yards) to get Billings within 28-25 with 4:45 remaining to play.
Everett – and Billings – each made stellar defensive stands throughout the course of the contest.
The Hawks were led by defensive back Jamley Austin’s six tackles and multiple broken up passes. Milton Myers added five tackles and a key interception in the waning seconds, which set off a wild celebration among the Hawks faithful. Linebacker Travis Salter came up huge with 4.5 tackles and a tackle for a loss.
Billings was led defensively by run-stuffing linebacker Luke Twibell who had nine tackles, including three for a loss, and forced a fumble.
“Luke Twibell is a heck of a linebacker,” Higgs said. “He’s a run-stopper. You’ve got to make him play the pass.”
Billings struck first, using three Bees pass completions to key a 7-play, 41-yard scoring drive capped by Shermin Jones’ 4-yard TD run with the game a shade over four minutes old.
Higgs quickly drove Everett into scoring position inside the Mavericks 10. On third down he showed some fancy footwork on a mad scramble back to midfield before darting forward between defenders and firing a 9-yard scoring strike to Cory Grow to knot the score at 6-6 with 5:25 remaining in the first quarter.
After a missed Mavericks field goal Higgs followed his 14-yard completion to Hassan Brockman with an 18-yard run. On the next play Grow’s block sprung Verna Owens loose on an 18-yard TD dash to provide the Hawks with a 12-6 lead with barely a minute gone in the second quarter.
On their next possession they were stuffed on three straight plays. A 56-yard field goal attempt fell short and Milton Myers returned the ball 27 yards to the Billings 18. Three plays later Higgs found Grow in the end zone with a pass across the grain to help the Hawks establish a 20-6 margin midway through the second quarter.
BJ Charlton made an acrobatic catch of Bees pass for a touchdown to bring Billings within 20-12 with just over four minutes remaining in the half. Dixon’s 12-yard TD run got the Mav’s within 20-18 late in the third quarter.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.