EVERETT – It’s just the 12th game of a 16-game regular season, but the Everett Hawks are in a playoff state of mind.
They have to be.
The Hawks (3-8) go into today’s arenafootball2 road game against the Stockton Lightning (5-6) knowing that with another loss, they will be eliminated from playoff contention.
Even if Everett should somehow defy the odds and win its final five regular-season games, qualifying for the postseason would not be guaranteed.
“We have to win out,” Everett coach Cedric Walker said, “and hope for a couple of teams to keep beating up on each other.”
The Hawks can expect little help from the Lightning, who used Alex Walls’ 39-yard field goal as time expired to defeat Everett 55-54 at the Events Center on May 14.
Since getting off to a 1-4 start, Stockton has won four of its past six games, including the most lopsided triumph in franchise history: an 82-24 dismantling of the Bakersfield Blitz last Saturday.
“They’re playing good ball,” Walker said. “They sat down some guys who were cancerous to the team, made some changes and now they’re having fun.”
Stockton’s revival has been keyed by the performance of quarterback Evan Gray, who has thrown 48 touchdown passes and just eight interceptions in eight games as the starter.
Gray threw a season-high eight TD passes in the annihilation of Bakersfield.
“(Gray) made some good decisions,” Walker said. “They got some great line blocking and just ran away with it.”
Stockton’s most prolific receiver is Sale’ Key (86 receptions for 1,025 yards, 25 touchdowns). B’Jay Jones had a breakout game against Bakersfield, with eight catches for 134 yards and four TDs.
The Lightning’s secondary will have its hands full contending with Everett’s receiving corps, which has gotten 44 touchdown passes from quarterback Jason Campbell over the past six games.
Hawks’ wide receiver Josh Richey leads af2 in both receiving yards (1,355) and touchdown receptions (32). Richey will tie the af2 record today if he has his eighth consecutive game with 100 or more yards receiving.
The Hawks also feature Phil Goodman (64 receptions, 708 yards, 16 TDs), who starred for Stockton last season.
Everett, which has shown considerable improvement after opening the season with four straight losses, is coming off a disappointing 64-60 home loss to the Arkansas Twisters last Saturday.
“These moral victories don’t get us into the playoffs,” Walker said. “We’ve got to put our hard hats on and get ready to go to work.”
Backfield in motion: Everett is hoping for an improved performance from its secondary, which has been inconsistent all season and had one of its worst overall showings against Arkansas.
LaMonte Jones, who returned to action last week for the first time since breaking his arm on April 30, will start in place of Larue Burley, who bore the brunt of the Arkansas aerial assault last Saturday.
Raymond Little, who suffered a neck sprain in the second quarter against the Twisters, has been cleared to play and will start along with Aaron Dunklin, who leads the team with four interceptions.
Walker said Burley will rotate with the starters and is likely to see action on offense, as is Jones.
Hawks coach down, not out: Walker is fighting a flu bug. Just before boarding the bus Thursday night for the long trip to Stockton, he insisted he was fit for the journey.
“I’ve got me a nice pillow and blanket,” he said. “I’ll be OK.”
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton still No. 1: W-B/Scranton (11-0) remained atop the af2 coaches poll for a record 10th consecutive week. The Pioneers, the only team to have clinched a 2007 playoff spot, are off to the third-best start in league history, trailing only Quad City (16-0 in 2000) and Tennessee Valley (14-0 in 2003).
Tulsa (10-1) is No. 2, followed by Rio Grande Valley (10-1), Bossier-Shreveport (9-2) and South Georgia (8-3).
Games of the day: No. 2 Tulsa is at No. 7 Arkansas (8-3), and No. 8 Spokane (8-4) vs. No. 9 Central Valley (7-4).
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